Part V: Stroke
The casual attitude of, Dr Golf, had made him feel like he was just waiting for the feeling to return to his arm, much like when your foot falls asleep, becoming numb, if you sat on it for too long.
Calling the hospital to arrange an appointment to see a specialist was a different story.
There was legitimate concern in the ladies voice over the phone. A barrage of questions about his condition. Did he feel light headed? Was he experiencing any difficulties with his speech? His face? Were there any tingling sensations?
He kept answering that he was fine. He just needed to know what was happening with his arm.
The lady realised that he wasn't as concerned with the situation as much as she was.
"Sir, based on your symptoms, it most likely means, that you have sufferred, a Stroke."
He had had a Stroke? Really?
He found his reaction was to hold his breath. His mind quickly running a diagnostic, feeling his heart beating and his chest rising and falling as he slowly let the breathing commence.
All seemed ok.
"Sir, it is recommended, if you could come to the Neurology department now. Is that possible? Would you like me to organise an ambulance?"
He would drive. She protested that he should use a taxi if he didn't want to use an ambulance.
She had insisted that he should had some Asperine to reduce the chance of a clot reoccurring. This made sense to him and he had some as a precautionary measure before driving himself to the hospital.
Upon arrival, he was quickly shuttled to a doctor's office and was introduced to Dr. Lee.
Dr Lee, a tall, thin asian man with a bald head but with tufts of black hair on the sides and back, emulating an Einstein hairstyle, but unable to cover the egg shell dome up top.
Dr Lee had a strong British accent, having studied at an English speaking school, in Hong Kong, in his youth.
Dr Lees's eyes shone with curiosity and he looked as though he could be the living version of Dr. Google.
Dr Lee quickly ran through the action plan.
Information gathering, basic tests, questions about family history, blood test, CT scan, possibly an MRI, and most likely an Angiogram, or dye test.
"How long will that take?" He asked.
"3 days and possibly a couple of days to recover".
Wow, that would be a while for tests. Right? Or not? He would have to let his boss know asap.
"I will need to call the office." He said.
"Of course, but your health comes first!"
Dr. Lee was happy with his stable condition, which hopefully meant that the damage was minimal.
And his arm? Too early to tell.
And then the questions began.
Marital status? Children? Smoker? No. Drinker?
Social. What happened? Did any family members ever suffer from a stroke? and so on.