Old person speak.
It'd been three days since his family had rushed him to the emergency department. The doctors had quickly diagnosed a massive stroke and pumped clot busters into him, allowing blood into the right side of his brain. He had regained function in his left side quickly. The numbness and tingling had stopped, and he could speak without any difficulty. Marked by the occasional short bout of confusion, he was otherwise completely restored to normal functioning.
I woke him up to take blood work at 5am. It took just long enough for me to get worried that, maybe he wouldn't wake up. I've started looking at stroke patients like ticking time bombs.
I shook him. "Wake up, Mr. X" I said, "I need to take some blood."
Nothing. I checked, he was breathing. Deep and regular.
I patted his face, squeezed his hand. "Mr. X," I said, a bit louder, "Wake up, I need to take some blood. This will only take a second."
Nothing.
I took my fist and rubbed his sternum. Nothing.
"MR. X!" I yelled into his ear, "WAKE UP!"
His eyelids fluttered. I held my breath, staring expectedly at his face. Without moving his head, he looked up at me.
"Why," he said slowly, "if you had another curl, you'd have to put it in your pocket!"
I woke him up to take blood work at 5am. It took just long enough for me to get worried that, maybe he wouldn't wake up. I've started looking at stroke patients like ticking time bombs.
I shook him. "Wake up, Mr. X" I said, "I need to take some blood."
Nothing. I checked, he was breathing. Deep and regular.
I patted his face, squeezed his hand. "Mr. X," I said, a bit louder, "Wake up, I need to take some blood. This will only take a second."
Nothing.
I took my fist and rubbed his sternum. Nothing.
"MR. X!" I yelled into his ear, "WAKE UP!"
His eyelids fluttered. I held my breath, staring expectedly at his face. Without moving his head, he looked up at me.
"Why," he said slowly, "if you had another curl, you'd have to put it in your pocket!"