Time is Brain: Quick Actions during a Stroke lead to Positive Outcome for Fox Valley Man

A week before his 46 birthday, Eric Nelson of Oshkosh planned to spend his Monday night like any other: Eating dinner with his family and spending quality time with them.

Playing games with his wife and kids that evening, Nelson felt completely normal. But later that night, Eric began to wash some dishes and dropped a pan he was holding with his left hand. He had lost all feeling in his arm. He later said it was like a switch had turned off.

"It was almost like it was someone else's arm, but I was the one moving it," Eric said. "I told my wife right away, she had me sit down, and after a few moments I realized that I couldn't feel anything on the left side of my body."

Eric was transported to Ascension Mercy Hospital where doctors determined he was having a stroke. Eric had lost all feeling and motor control of his left leg and could no longer walk. He was losing left eye sight and had lost all sensation on the left side of his body.

"Even though I could not feel my left leg and I was losing all feeling in my face when I got to the hospital, when the doctor told me I was having a stroke, I was still in disbelief," Eric said. "I thought I was too young to have a stroke. I don't know if I've ever been so scared in my life."

His care team at Ascension Mercy quickly administered clot-busting medication, and Eric was transported by helicopter to Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital where a neurology care team performed a thrombectomy, a procedure used to remove blood clots from an artery or a vein to restore normal blood flow. When Dr. Peebles reached the clot sight, it was found the clot had dissolved from the clot-busting medication given to Eric at Ascension Mercy Hospital. The medication had worked.

After four days recovering in the hospital, Eric was able to walk again but still had no sensation in the left side of his face, torso, left arm and hand. Motor control of his left arm and hand had been reduced but he could move them. It was at this point he was able to go home.

Further testing revealed Eric had a heart defect called "patent foramen ovale," also known as a PFO.

"A PFO is a small hole between two chambers of the heart, which did not close properly after birth," Dr. Lamin Bangura said. "When we see a stroke in a younger patient that doesn't have an identifiable cause, we screen for a PFO. Once the PFO is repaired, the desired result is to prevent or lower the risk of another stroke."

In April, Eric underwent a successful surgery at Ascension St. Elizabeth to close that hole.

"The whole thing felt surreal, because I'm a pretty healthy guy," Nelson said. "I've never had chronic health issues, a broken bone, or undergone a major surgery before this happened."

Eric is now considered at low risk for stroke. He still goes to his regular check ups and is undergoing physical rehabilitation, re-learning fine motor skills like tying his shoes. But he's also working to get back to doing the things he loves, including playing guitar and lifting weights.

"If anyone else feels like this, I hope that they, or someone around them, is able to recognize the signs of a stroke and understand that time is everything," Nelson said. "If my family hadn't realized what was happening to me and called 911, I don't know where I'd be now."

Advanced stroke care with Ascension Wisconsin

When seconds count, doctors at Ascension Wisconsin stroke centers work quickly to understand the cause of your symptoms and deliver the care you need. Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital is a Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center, and offers patient-centered follow up care on campus.