The take-home message is not only early intervention but education and teamwork
I was due to fly out to the United States the next morning. I was bending down to clean the floor of my car when it happened. First my right hand wouldn’t respond and I fumbled picking up a spoon from the floor, then my right leg wouldn’t support my weight. I tried to call out to my wife but only grunts came out, except of course the f-word when I knew what had happened.
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Thank you to the two paramedics, the ED, Stroke Unit and Heart Centre staff at The Alfred, and my wife.
I was successively a medical student and surgical trainee at The Alfred from 1971 to 1981, and a consultant trauma surgeon from 1987 to 1999. I am a member of the Content Review Committee for the Medical Journal of Australia.