Peyton’s Story: Back to Being a Mom After Stroke
It’s common for stroke patients to undergo physical, occupational, and speech therapy. But for Peyton Cox, therapy played a special role – preparing her to return to mothering her five-month-old son, Cohen.
Peyton stands apart from most stroke patients. She’s 18 years old. And, explains Esteban Cheng-Ching, MD, of the Clinical Neuroscience Institute’s Stroke Center, she had an unusual type of stroke. Most strokes involve blood clots that block arteries, which deliver oxygenated blood to the brain. But Peyton’s stroke involved blood clots in veins, which carry blood from the brain, back to the heart.
Initially, Peyton thought she had a severe migraine. At home, she had tried to get out of bed, realized she couldn’t feel the right side of her body, and fell. Plus, she felt nauseous and had difficulty seeing.
A CT scan revealed extensive clotting in the veins in her brain, so she underwent a thrombectomy. Follow-up images showed that this procedure removed most of the clots. A blood thinner, heparin, dissolved the rest.
Still paralyzed on her right side, Peyton entered inpatient rehabilitation at The Rehabilitation Institute of Ohio, a joint venture of Premier Health and Encompass Health. Her main goal there, she says: “I wanted to hold my son again.”
Toward that aim, the team had her carry a heavy bag with her right hand to regain strength; walk up and down stairs, to prepare for the steps in her home; and carry and dress a doll. While in rehab, a nurse helped her care for Cohen. A speech therapist also worked with Peyton to help her improve her memory.
Now nearly six months post-stroke, Peyton is doing well, back to work, with full function of her body. As a precaution she will be on anti-seizure medication for three years.
Says Dr. Cheng-Ching, “by treating Peyton’s stroke we not only helped her recover, but helped her … do the things that moms do.”
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