Dennis and I left Conroe TX early Thursday to drive to Springfield MO to celebrate with Shannon and kids

I called and told Shannon the reason we were heading that way and she got  Jennifer and Duston to drive up also.  I told her Jennifer was important as she was the one who dialed 911.  Matt was important as he ran and got Aunt Debi. Shannon was important as she kept me alive.  Liz was there because she was always important to me.

July 27, 1998 Shannon and I with her kids drove to OKC and got a dog for my mother to take her mind off her cancer.  We gave her the dog, little Princess and drove to KFC for supper.  After arriving home I filled my plate and went into the living room to watch the evening news.  That is the last thing I remember.  Shannon said I started screaming that my head hurt and when she ran into the room I was starting to seizure.  I actually quit breathing and she did cpr while Jennifer called 911 and little Matt ran to my sister’s house yelling get Dr. Amad, I guess my last words were get Dr. Amad and don’t let Dr. Schenk touch me.  After Jen dialed 911 her Uncle Shane came running into the house.  He was a deputy sheriff and when he heard the address he thought something had happened to one of the kids.  The ambulance came got me breathing and took me to the hospital, luckily Dr. Amad came to help out even though he was off duty.  He recognized  a stroke not know it was a hemorrhaging stroke but first gave me a morphine shot which caused me to go crazy.  I stood up on the bed ready to fight.  Debi noted never again give me that.  I was put in a helicopter and sent to Baptist Hospital in OKC.  once again the luck was there for me.  Dr. Schoenhal was in the ER when I arrived. the dr. there wanted to just put a coil in my brain and he explained mine was too bad for that best to go in and clip.  The biggest problem was during the time of moving me to the city and evaluating  me my lungs filled with fluid and I got pneumonia which had to be treated before surgery which took 3 days.  during that time they kept me tied down to the bed as I tried to leave.  Dennis was in Anaco and he took the first flight out the next morning not thinking about Kelli or Fern.   Shawn was in Bossier and came as fast as he could also so with Shannon, Debi, Dennis and Shawn I was going to be protected and get better for sure.

They took me into the surgery and the dr. explained to me later that he clipped and it blew 4 times so after clipping the 4th time he wrapped it in cotton (YES Cotton) and closed me up.  He said he went so deep into my brain that he knew I would never wake up and IF I did he did not have a clue what would happen.  As they were taking me to ICU the dr. went to talk to Dennis.  He said IF she wakes up we will see IF she  can talk and then go from here.  Dennis heard some bad cussing as the pulled me out of the elevator and dr. Shoenhal said well she work up and she is talking so now we have to see what happens next.  after the days in  the hospital then in rehab exactly 3 weeks after the aneurysm I was taken home.  my main problem was I had to relearn how to eat.  I would only eat one mini cheeseburger from Sonic plain along with one coke each day nothing else.  Dennis would bring it to me at the hospital and the nurses there told him he shouldn’t but as Dennis said if that was all I would eat then he was bringing it.

During rehab some things would click like asked in a group what word started with C I said cougar not cat.  They had me ride in a wheelchair to the exercise room and then told me to get on the bike and ride it.  I refused and said if you want me to exercise I should have walked down not rode in the wheel chair.  They took me into a kitchen area and asked Me what the pans were used for.  Dennis explained that with a maid I didn’t cook anymore.  t Then took me down to the pool to play volley ball in the pool.

Slowly my brain started working and I read in a book that you can not take Dilantin along with ANY antacid  like I was taking. Each week Debi would take me to Dr. Schoenhal office to have my levels tested. after reading this I quit taking the Prilosec and when they tested it show high level of Dilantin the dr. asked if I was taking extra and I explained can’t take it together HE did not know that. Anyway after that I explained to him I was going to slowly get myself off Dilantin as we were going on a cruise that we booked in January and I did not have time to be sick.  I then flew back to Venezuela just 6 weeks after the aneurysm sent me to the hospital.

My left eye was not working and still had come problems walking dragging one foot or droopy eye when tired but once again I told my eye I am not wearing the patch any longer it had to get better! and it did.

The end of October Dennis and I with Debi and David, my mother and Phil, Aunt Pat, Uncle Larnce, Aunt Wilma and Uncle Ed all went on that cruise. It was a great time. It was booked to celebrate our 30th Anniversary.

After all that my main problem and still is bad cuss words will just pop out when I least expect. I never cussed before the surgery and if that is my only problem I can live with it. I do have a place on my forehead that is sunk in as the dr. figured I would not wake up or live and he did not do a great job closing me up. I showed him.