Hi.
My name is Tashina Jensen. I am 25 years old. Six weeks ago, I suffered a stroke. _____ I know what you’re thinking. Yes, it is very rare for someone my age to experience what I did. So I’m here to share and explain a little bit more about what all happened. Before I begin, I am going to openly Praise the Lord my God!! Despite all the stress and craziness that 2018 has held for our family, we are healthy, strong, and full of joy! We refuse to be defeated and I have been clinging to God’s truths and faithfulness! _____ Six weeks ago this Monday, after five days of a worsening headache, disorientation, and noise and light sensitivity, I went to the ER. I waited until all the babes were happily sleeping, and just couldn’t handle one more day of what I felt. I spent almost 4 hours there, just for the doctor to literally laugh in my face when I told him how many babies I had, in what stretch of time. I was very frustrated that they weren’t taking me seriously, and kept asking them if it could be something more serious. I had been researching my symptoms for the last five days, and I know myself enough to know that I am no hypochondriac. I saw answers ranging from a migraine, tension headache, aneurysm, blood clot, etc. Even after I asked if it could be any of those things I listed, said it was the worst headache of my life, and it was making my normal mundane tasks difficult to do, the doctor laughed again. He took a few blood samples and put me on IV fluids, telling me I was most likely dehydrated, tired, and stressed. (Aren’t we all a little bit?) I waited around, frustrated, until the tests they ran came back negative and I was told to drink lots of water and try and get lots of rest. Feeling ignored, mocked, and irritated, I went home around midnight and tried to get some rest. I woke up around 03:00 am, dizzy, disoriented, and nauseous. I ran to the bathroom, threw up for almost five minutes, then went to get some water. I knew something was definitely wrong, but it’s hard to explain exactly what I experienced. I’ll do my best to describe the next few hours to you, but forgive me if it doesn’t make much sense. When I first woke up, my mind felt as though I was having a very vivid, stressful, ongoing dream. That didn’t stop once I was awake. It’s as though my mind was on a movie reel that I couldn’t stop, and I couldn’t control all the thoughts/images flipping through my head. I tossed and turned for the next few hours, gripping my head and groaning at the excruciating pain I was in. When my husband got ready to leave for work, I tried to stop him. I told him, “Something is seriously wrong with me. I can’t control my mind right now and I’m in a lot of pain!” Or at least, I thought that’s what I was saying... apparently, all that was coming out was unintelligible mumbles and groans. Knowing I had gotten home so late, he figured I was simply tired and half asleep still, trying to say our morning goodbyes. He told me he loved me and he was just going to work, so I can go right back to sleep. I started to cry when he walked away because I didn’t understand why he wasn’t listening to me. I finally ended up falling asleep from exhaustion, only to be woken up shortly after by my wonderful daughter. She loves to come into my room early to snuggle and ask for snacks (a girl after my own heart!). That morning was mostly a blur to me, but I had gotten all the babes up, dressed, and fed. I was tirelessly searching for my glasses (which my little love bugs had sweetly stuffed under the couch). I turned on a show and continued to search the house. I was sitting on my bedroom floor, having just looked under the bed, holding Emberly while she cried. I don’t know how much time had passed until I looked at my phone. It was almost 10:00 am and Emberly’s nurse was scheduled to be here at 09:00 am. It finally registered to me that Meika was barking downstairs and someone was knocking on the door. I let the nurse come in and tried to explain to her that I wasn’t feeling well. She looked very concerned and confused and told me I needed to go lie down. Laughing to myself, I continue looking for my glasses. I finally called my husband, thinking maybe he had seen where I had put them. At first he kind of nervously laughed, asking me what the heck I was trying to say. Getting more and more frustrated, I continued to ask what I thought was a very simple question. He started to get worried, as I wasn’t comprehending what he was asking me back, and wasn’t making any sense in return. He was trying to make sure all the kids were okay, since something was clearly not right with me. He called his boss over to listen to our conversation, and immediately was told that he needed to come home and take me back to the ER. He told me he was coming home, so I shrugged and said I would get the kids ready. I was a mess of tears when he showed up, becoming afraid of what was happening to me. We loaded up the car, headed to the ER, only to be met with the same frustration. Again, they were not taking my condition very seriously. I was unable to even answer basic questions such as my name, birthday, where I was currently, etc. It’s as though I could hear the questions perfectly, but they weren’t computing in my brain. I was unable to form the response, even though I wanted to. My husband was answering everything for me, and yet the doctors still refused to check my head. After five hours of worsening condition and battling with the doctors, they finally agreed to check my head. After doing an MRI, it was determined that I had formed a clot in my brain, on the left side of my head, right behind my ear. The clot had indeed caused me to stroke, and they were in complete shock. They continued with more scans and tests (I believe I had a CT scan as well as an ultrasound of my heart), before determining that they would transfer me to a different hospital. They felt confident that the other specialists would be able to handle my case much better, and they apologized for not listening to me or my husband. The doctor from the night before even came in and apologized deeply for not bothering to actually look for the problem, and wished us the best in my recovery. Although it would be so easy to stay angry and frustrated with the doctors, it doesn’t do me any good. I have forgiven them in my heart as well as to their faces, and I truly feel like God had his hand on me the entire time. I was never alone, and always cared for. The rest of the week was somewhat of a blur. I was in the new hospital, having tests and scans redone over and over, and praying that everything would be fine. I don’t remember much of the two days following my stroke. I was on a blood thinner that seemed to be improving my foggy head, but slowly. The third day, I was able to get up and walk around on my own, with supervision and my IV, so they transferred me from whichever floor I was on (not something I remember) to the stroke unit to recover. I spent another day there, before they agreed to discharge me. I had to go through a series of tests testing my ability to remember important details, recall my own personal information, etc. Honestly, it was harder than I thought it would be, but since it wasn’t timed, I was able to answer most of the questions without my husbands assistance or prompting. I was finally discharged, and we headed straight to the airport to pick up my Mother-In-Law. She had gotten a week off of work to come assist me and help with the babies, while I honestly just rested—A LOT. So many people (the ones who had been informed of these events) reached out and lent a helping hand in any way they could. My sister connected with the leader of a MOPS (moms of pre schoolers) group here, who set up a meal train for a few weeks to bring us meals. Others of you have reached out, telling me you had been praying over our family, and honestly we feel so loved. I followed up with the doctors and found out that the cause of the clot was simply due to hormonal imbalance and change. It was a relief to know that it wasn’t a bigger issue, and something that would not be a risk forever. All in all, the recovery has been great. I am, at times, slow to recall specific details, but I am just learning to give myself grace. I should have no lasting effects, from what they could tell, and for that I am sincerely blessed. I will be on a blood thinner for up to a year, due to the situation and complications of my health. It’s a new adjustment, but I am relieved knowing that I am able to care for myself in this way. The doctors want to wait to redo scans until 6 months have passed, to double check that the clot is completely gone and there are no other complications. In the meantime, I am using this scare as an opportunity to have many in-depth studies done on various aspects of my body and health. I want to be sure that this is not something I will have to go through again, and I would appreciate your covering of prayers in this regard. I am now at increased risk for strokes in my future, but I know my God is bigger than any health concern! I refuse to live in fear, and I will pray my way through life every day, as I have. I find myself reaching out to family members with more frequency than I had before. Life is so busy, but going through something so scary and unexpected has just made my love for everyone in my life grow exponentially. I am taking the step to follow up with a behavioral health specialist as well, as I have been dealing with lingering feelings of overwhelming stress and some anxiety. I appreciate all of the prayers and love that has been given to my family this year. If you feel led, we would appreciate the prayers to continue a bit longer, as I continue with my recovery and pray for no repeat events ever in my future! We will be getting back to posting more often, as well as doing an Emberly update (especially for those of you asking!). We are ceaselessly amazed at the community that has supported and loved us through this tough year, and we know that we are never alone in our journey! sincerely, t
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TashinaRead. Write. Create. Love. Archives
October 2018
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