Kendra Bybee, Utah
I experienced a severe headache at 9 1/2 weeks pregnant. I thought it must be hormones but as the day went on I felt as though my head were swimming in blood.
My husband took me to the ER and I went home with muscle relaxers and pain killers to help with (what the doctor said was) a muscle spasm in my neck. Throughout the next day the pain became more severe. The rest of my story is from others’ memories: the night after my ER visit I began pacing in my bedroom. When my husband put me back in bed I began shaking and biting my husband. He rushed me to the hospital nearest our home where my condition deteriorated further. A CAT scan revealed a brain hemorrhage. I was transferred to a neurology hospital, sedated to stop the right side of my body from moving and a CT scan revealed a blood clot blocking my brain drain. I was rushed into surgery where the doctors successfully broke up the clot.
Three days after my headache began, I woke up. Doctors informed me that my baby did not survive, that it was a miracle that I was alive and I did not suffer any major side effects. Tests concluded my pregnancy had caused the stroke. I credit my recovery to a wonderful support system and a healthy lifestyle. I am a 27 year old stroke survivor. My greatest hope is that my story can help others to learn the warning signs and ways to prevent a stroke.
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