Rick's Story: Spilled Coffee To Full Stroke Recovery
Rick Szittai’s wife, Ann, knew something was “off” about her husband after he dropped the cup of coffee he had made for her. Then, he fumbled with the coffee carafe. She knew it was time to get him to Miami Valley Hospital North.
At the hospital, Rick was unable to speak. He was quickly evaluated and given the clot-busting medication tenecteplase (TNK), a thrombolytic medication to clear a blockage in a large artery in his head.
After, he was flown by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital’s Comprehensive Stroke Center for a thrombectomy, a surgical treatment which successfully removed the entire clot that blocked blood flow to his brain.
Though Rick experienced significant fatigue after his stroke, he recovered completely. The Premier Health stroke team attributes that to him arriving soon after his symptoms started. And Rick attributes it to the team’s quick response.
“I think of it as a miracle,” he says. “I know it’s medicine and science, and everyone’s doing everything so quickly for me, but to recover a hundred percent, that’s amazing.”
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