Brainstem Strokes Treatment in India

David Johnson, a 68-year-old retired electrician...

David Johnson, a 68-year-old retired electrician and avid woodworker, was enjoying his morning coffee when he suddenly felt the room spin violently. He tried to stand but collapsed, his left side completely weak. His wife found him on the floor, his speech slurred and his face drooping on one side. At the ER, a CT scan revealed an acute ischemic stroke in his brainstem. The neurologist, Dr. Ellis, explained that the brainstem controls vital functions like breathing and balance. Due to the critical location and the 4-hour window since symptom onset, she urgently recommended a mechanical thrombectomy to physically remove the clot. David, terrified and unable to speak clearly, felt trapped in his own body. The procedure was intense; he was awake but sedated as the team navigated a catheter through his arteries. Post-procedure, the immediate vertigo and weakness began to improve. After weeks of intensive rehab, he regained most of his strength and speech, though his balance required a cane. Emotionally, he journeyed from sheer terror and frustration at his helplessness to profound gratitude for his recovery and a renewed, cautious appreciation for life, focusing on his grandchildren instead of his workshop for a time.