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Neurosciences/Stroke
Care
Awareness: The Julia Shoemaker Story
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Doing Everything Right
Julia Shoemaker lives an active life – Idaho style. The 41-year-old realtor,
and ex- Miss Rodeo Idaho, is married to Stuart, an equine veterinarian. Along
with their nine-year-old son Alex, they ski in the winter, go boating and golf
in the summer, and love horses: riding, roping and competitive horse showing.
And every fall they enjoy watching Stuart’s older son Tyler play football
for the Boise State Broncos.
In order to maintain their level of activity, Julia and Stuart work hard to keep fit. The couple belongs to a health club a few blocks from their house – Julia even works-out with a personal trainer a couple of days each week. They were doing everything right. Unfortunately, health crisis can strike even the most unlikely victims.
What’s Happening
It was late January and the family
was at home one morning. Leaving the boys behind, Julia went to the gym. She
started her normal work-out routine on the treadmill. She was about twenty-minutes
into her run when suddenly veered off the left side of the treadmill; grabbing
the rail to keep from falling off. She stood on the sides and regained her
balance. Shrugging it off, she straddled the moving treadbelt, slowed it to
a walk and then stepped back on.
Instantly, Julia strayed to the left again, being caught by the handrail. A bit perplexed, but undaunted, she tried a third time, but the result was the same. Julia shut off the treadmill and sat down, trying to figure out what was happening. She felt okay, so what was going on? Julia was thinking maybe she was winded, or dehydrated, or something else just as simple.
After sitting a moment she started to stand, but her legs wouldn’t respond. “It felt like my legs had too many martinis without me,” Julia recalled. Then a wave of nausea and dizziness hit her – now she needed help.
Know
Where to Go
Julia shouted at her trainer who was nearby. He and another trainer
helped her into a reclining chair and laid it back for her. As the minutes
passed Julia grew extremely light sensitive and even more nauseous. The
trainer offered to call 911, but Julia wanted her husband who was only a few
minutes away. With his medical knowledge he would know what to do.
Stuart arrived and took Julia home. As long as she was lying down she felt okay, though still sensitive to the light. But when she tried to move the sick feeling returned. Stuart called their family physician who advised them to get the ER.
They drove to the nearest emergency department, the ED at Saint Alphonsus Eagle Health Plaza in Eagle. “I wasn’t aware that there was full service ED in Eagle,” Julia remarked. “Stuart called ahead and when we got there they met me at the car door with a wheel chair. I was taken back immediately. Their service was excellent. It was like I was their only patient! I wish could remember all their names, because they were so caring.”
The
Gender Gap
Once in the ED, Julia was treated for dizziness, then a CT scan was
performed. They were working through the various causes of ataxia and nausea.
The CT scan was normal, but the attending physician was not ready to eliminate
stroke as the problem, and he ordered an MRI of her brain.
“It never occurred to me that I could be having a stroke,” Julia said. “I had zero risk factors for stroke, and I didn’t have any of the usual stroke symptoms.”
Like most people, Julia had always believed stokes were accompanied by headache, drooping facial muscles, trouble speaking and thought process problems. She had none of those symptoms. While it was true that Julia didn’t exhibit any of the textbook stroke symptoms; the Eagle ED personnel are highly trained in stroke identification.
The ED physician knew that women can often have much more subtle and atypical stroke symptoms than the average male stroke victim. Some women experience stroke symptoms such as sudden pain in face and limb, hiccups, chest pain, vision problems and sudden nausea. When the MRI images came back a small clot was located in Julia’s cerebellum.
All Right Already
Julia was lying down with a wash cloth covering
her sensitive eyes. When the doctor came into the room to tell Julia what they
had found, she lifted a corner of the washcloth to peek at the doctor in disbelief.
She remembered a friend who had a severe stroke…his was fatal. Her fear surged and as she squeezed
Stuart’s hand a little tighter she began to cry.
Stuart knew all the right questions to ask the physician. She had a clot, not a bleed. It was small and in a less sensitive portion of the brain. The more details they heard, the less gloomy the situation became. Julia was then transported to the Saint Alphonsus Primary Stroke Center at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise. After Julia was admitted Neurologist George Lyons, M.D, explained the situation to the couple.
“I was told I may be in the hospital for a couple of weeks and then would have inpatient therapy,” Julia remembered. “But the next day I could sit up without feeling ill, my balance had returned and the light sensitivity was gone.” Julia was discharged three days later.
When she left Saint Alphonsus she still had some instability and she felt weak. But her legs were working, and the dizziness, nausea and light sensitivity were gone. Within thirty days Julia was back on the slopes skiing with Alex, it was only a beginner slope, but she was skiing again. By this time she had also returned to the gym. She’s not running at her old pace yet, but is making steady progress.
Need to Know
Julia attributes her rapid recovery to her physical
conditioning and getting immediate help. “I know that with a stroke time is of the essence,” said
Julia. “… and I’m sure I was diagnosed faster at the
Eagle ED than I would have been elsewhere. We never had to wait for a diagnosis.”
“I still have an underlying fear that it could happen again, but the experience was a blessing to me,” Julia remarked. “There’s a lesson to be learned here. It’s a real eye-opener that a stroke can happen to anyone, even if you don’t fit the profile.”
“I know it sounds a little corny,” Julia said, “But (the experience) also made me realize how precious everything is and how blessed I really am. And everyone needs to know about the Eagle E.D. and how fabulous they are there.”
