3 Hours Post Stroke Event

We started recording the changes in left side functionality precisely at 1:11pm on August 25, 2012, just as a second resolution of my symptoms began:
1:11 started to feel better
1:12 hand function 50%, arm 20%
1:13 hand 10%, arm 5%
1:14 hand is zero, arm is zero
1:15 zero arm, zero hand
1:16 ditto :(
Not even a full recovery this time through - my mind wondered if each cycle in symptoms would bring a further reduction in functionality. The clock was racing. Every time I looked up during these states of paralysis, the minute hand jumped another few minutes.

1:25 50% arm, speech much better
1:28 70% arm, 90% leg
1:29 80% hand and arm, 90% leg
Feeling good, talking well again. So doctor, what are the treatment options? Is this normal to have symptoms coming and going?

Dr. B started to explain the options:
The “clot buster” TPA drug but the window is only three hours after the event.
Maybe a Heparin blood thinner drip would be more conservative.
Or we could just go straight to Plavix and Aspirin, both blood thinners.

1:34 70% range arm and head, still feeling good, hoping it lasts
1:36 20% arm
1:37 5% arm and hand
1:38 totally zero, crap

The doctor said my mostly full recovery at 1:29 would reset the clock on the “clot buster” so that was still an option. But the risk of the clot buster is high - 10% of patients have bleeding in the brain which would not be good. The CAT scan showed a tear in the basilar artery - basically a tear in the blood vessel at the back of the brain. Something about not wanting occlusion to occur... whatever that means. Arterial dissection... I was reminded of 9th grade biology as thoughts of pickled frogs and straight pins hopped through my damaged brain.

1:42 20% arm and hand
1:47 5% arm and hand
1:52 arm and hand back to 80%, leg at 90%
1:53 arm at 80% - speech better

Way too much risk with the potentially torn blood vessel for the clot buster. I personally liked the idea of Aspirin and Plavix. Heparin drip was the decision but I don’t remember if they asked me. They were planning to send me to Neural ICU and then off to the MRI tunnel. My boys, Alex and Kyle, were arriving soon - I hoped I could talk and move my arm when they walked into the room.