Good evening, my name is Cheri Hicks. I may be a professional therapy patient, however I am NOT a professional public speaker, so please bear with me.
My journey began on February 18th 2014. On that day we grew our family by one when I delivered our second baby. I delivered a 9 pound baby boy we named Spencer. He was delivered at 39 weeks via c-section due to preeclampsia.
On my last weekly OB check up my blood pressure was up for the first time in either of my two pregnancies. My doctor felt it best to go ahead and deliver him that day and not risk any complications.
I'd like to talk to you about preeclampsia, stroke, my recovery, and how Methodist helped us rebuild our lives.
Most people here have at least heard of preeclampsia during pregnancy, which is having high blood pressure when pregnant. But there is a rare form that can occur after childbirth. Postpartum preeclampsia. And that is simply having high blood pressure after the child is born.
The key word here is rare. It's only rare until it happens to you, right?
We had left the hospital without any complications and had been home for about 5 days when one Wednesday morning out of the blue, my blood pressure spiked. Scott and I didn't really know what was happening. I had a sudden throbbing headache and my neck became stiff and pain radiated down my spine.
We thought this might be a complication due to spinal anesthesia. We called my OB and she instructed us to come to the hospital, but first to get a CT scan. The CT scan came back unremarkable, however my blood pressure was around 190 over 115.
The hospital immediately started me on IV meds to lower my pressure and they kept me overnight. My pressure normalized and I was allowed to go home.
The next evening we thought everything was getting back to normal, but the very next morning on Friday, February 28th 2014 - the day that my life truly changed forever - I awoke with similar symptoms, but this time much more sudden and severe. Scott rushed me back to the delivery hospital since we were just there.
I walked into the hospital on my own and they took me into an exam room to assess me. I laid in the hospital bed with nurses and doctors literally scratching their chins trying to figure out what was wrong with this otherwise healthy 37 year old new mother.
My blood pressure was back up, and it was about 10 minutes into the exam when a nurse asked me to smile. At that moment everybody stopped what they were doing and immediately looked at Scott. He said everyone in the room including himself knew that crooked smile was the result of a stroke.
What we believe ultimately happened was the first episode weakened the blood vessel in my brain, and two days later is when I had an intracranial hemorrhage stroke. My last memory of that day was me walking to the doors of the delivery hospital.
Over the next couple of days I would be transferred to two more hospitals, and undergo a decompressive craniectomy to relieve the swelling in my head due to the massive bleed. The surgeon removed a large piece of my skull and placed it in my abdomen. This was 10 days post c-section, where it stayed for several months so that my body could keep it vital.
Last summer my bone flap was put back. It's right here (knock Knock Knock) I promise it's right there, and I am now the proud owner of four titanium screws.
My next memories are of me awakening in the ICU room at St. Dominic's learning how to brush my teeth again. It was very confusing and I had staples all across my head. My family helped me fill in the blanks about what had happened to me, and how I was now paralyzed on the left side. I cried and honestly I didn't believe it at first.
I was formally introduced to Methodist Rehabilitation Center on March 11th 2014 as an inpatient resident. For the next month my doctor and therapist at St. Dominic's told Scott and I that I was fortunate to go there.
We didn't know anything about rehabilitation. I was so helpless when I got to Methodist that they had to use a harness to lift me in and out of bed. This was going to be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I had been a stay at home mom for the previous two years and now my full time job was recovery.
Rehab is hard work. The first few weeks I remember cringing when I would see the name KD next to PT. Only because I knew she would challenge me and make me work hard. I quickly learned that I needed her name on my list and when it wasn't I would accuse her of trying to ditch me, but she assured me that was not the case.
All of the physical, occupational and speech therapists would push me to my limit and Beyond. It was physically, mentally, and emotionally tiring.
Almost a full month after my stroke, while still at Methodist impatient, I was at a follow up appointment with my neurosurgeon and it was there that my left leg moved for the first time. I was so excited to get back to the gym and tell my therapist, and when I told KD she looked at me with her big blue eyes and the biggest smile, and with such eagerness she said, Cheri you're going to walk again. In fact, a few days later I took my first steps. It wasn't pretty at first, and it was very hard, but I did it.
I started getting stronger and stronger. When I was discharged from inpatient my therapist did tell me that all the leg muscles in my left leg had returned and were working, and there were some small signs of returning in my arm, which I'm still working on.
As we know the arm is slower to come back. I immediately started outpatient therapy and showed up my first day in a wheelchair. They got me up and walking using an orthotic ankle brace called an AFO.
Eventually they transitioned me from a chair to a quad cane. I must be honest. I did abandoned my brace and cane a bit earlier than my therapist wanted, but they always said I was an overachiever.
After outpatient therapy, I transitioned to the Methodist Quest program, on August 11th. I successfully completed and passed my driving evaluation but I had a seizure on December 21st just 4 days after the evaluation. I knew it would delay my driving by several months, but honestly I think the big man upstairs knew I just wasn't quite ready to be behind the wheel, and that's okay. I graduated from Quest on March 4t having met all the goals my therapist set for me.
Around all of this there have been many struggles and a lot of tears. I often have to be reminded of how far I've come, of my accomplishments, and how much more I have to gain. Scott has been my rock and has assured me I will not walk this journey alone.
My family owes so much to so many for the love and compassion shown to us. For instance, my mother moved in to help with me, and my two young kids. A one year old and a 2 year old. If helping raise two boys under 3 isn't love, I don't know what is.
All the staff at Methodist have been nothing but wonderful and amazing. From the first moment we arrived and spoke with the admissions counselor all the way to now. Methodist has been part of our family for over a year.
Honestly, I feel like I bought it with each member of staff. For example, my speech therapist at outpatient HW not only helped me get stronger cognitively, but gave me advice on raising two boys so close in age. This was valuable information.
Methodist is not a building, or a campus tour program. It's people like you, that help families like ours, put our lives back together when everything is falling apart. You are now, and always will be part of our family.
One thing I've learned throughout all of this, is that your attitude determines your altitude, and never to give up. For example, I was discharged from Methodist in patient on April 11th 2014 in a wheelchair and on April 11th 2015 just a couple of days from now I will participate in the Methodist walk and roll, walking along side the brain injury team.
Thank you for attending tonight, and allowing me to share my story with you.
