Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
High-Pressure Career Woman’s Stroke: Ignoring Warning Signs of Burnout
Barely ten minutes following my CAT scan, a considerable team of medical professionals crowded into my hospital room. Each face reflected serious concern. A wave of apprehension washed over me as I questioned, “What’s happening?”
One physician, positioned before a computer monitor, swiveled the screen to face me, displaying an image. “I regret to inform you,” he stated, pointing to a prominent, dark area at the rear of my skull, “you’ve experienced a brain hemorrhage. You’ve had a stroke.”
At 48 years old, the diagnosis struck me with immense force. It appeared completely unexpected and without cause.
Only now, two years in retrospect, can I acknowledge the reality: I was harboring a silent danger, a health risk I was too preoccupied to recognize the subtle signals of distress my body was sending.
Driven to the Brink: The Ticking Time Bomb
I have always been a highly motivated individual – a straight-A student, the eager participant always raising her hand in class. My ambition was perpetually to be the most knowledgeable person present.
Relentless Pursuit of Success in Public Relations
This driven mindset benefited my professional trajectory as I progressed in the competitive fields of public relations and crisis management.
Upon achieving the position of vice president at my current firm, I managed a team of 17 individuals and served a diverse portfolio of influential clients daily, encompassing Fortune 500 enterprises.
My intense work rhythm persisted even when I transitioned to remote work in 2020 during the pandemic. In actuality, my workload intensified. The informal breaks afforded by office interactions, such as water-cooler conversations, vanished, eliminating any brief pauses in my day.
Fueling the Frenzy: Caffeine and Stress
Each day commenced with a potent quadruple-shot latte from a local café near my residence in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, providing an adrenaline surge. Subsequently, I would relentlessly work at my computer late into the night, developing client presentations and relying on occasional energy drinks to sustain my pace.
My husband, Andy, 45, a realtor and woodworking artisan, frequently inquired if I had finished working for the evening, but I found myself unable to detach from compulsively checking my mobile phone.
My professional identity and the positive outcomes I achieved became my self-definition. Successes offered validation – or so I rationalized to myself.
Ignoring the Red Flags: The Path to Burnout
However, in complete honesty, the situation was not as ideal as I purported. Reflecting on that period, it is evident I was rapidly progressing towards burnout, yet consumed by my work to the point of overlooking significant warning indicators.
Anxiety Escalation: The First Sign
The most prominent early indicator was heightened anxiety. While I have consistently had a tendency to overthink, in the months preceding my stroke, this inclination spiraled uncontrollably.
Minor social engagements would trigger intense anxiety. Even hosting friends would induce panic about the house’s cleanliness weeks in advance of their arrival.
Loss of Joy: Diminishing Interests and Connection
Furthermore, I experienced a decline in enthusiasm for activities I previously cherished. Yoga, walking, and cycling were abandoned, and I struggled to maintain meaningful conversations, even with my closest companions.
My marital relationship and evenings spent with Andy suffered. Our typical relaxing routine of watching Netflix with our pets – cat Maisy Jane and dogs Ollie, Athena, and Sir Reginald – became strained.
Physical Symptoms Dismissed: Weight Gain and Fatigue
I gained 20 pounds, which I attributed to perimenopause.
Simultaneously, I frequently skipped regular meals and relied on sugary snacks for quick energy.
Persistent nausea and exhaustion became my norm. My digestive system was unsettled, my joints ached, and a pervasive sense of emptiness settled within me. I disregarded severe headaches, which I now understand were symptomatic of dangerously elevated blood pressure.
Hindsight’s Clarity: Recognizing the Missed Signals
In retrospect, the signs are unequivocally clear. However, my focus remained fixated on work, and like numerous women, I was ingrained with the habit of minimizing personal discomfort. Consequently, when the critical event occurred, my initial reaction was inaction.
The Night of Crisis: Ignoring Severe Pain
Then, around 3:00 AM on January 23, 2023, I awoke abruptly, screaming and weeping from intense pain. A splitting headache at the base of my skull was unbearable. Andy, deeply concerned, urged me to go to the hospital.
However, I dismissed his concern, deeming it an overreaction. I convinced myself sleep would alleviate the pain. Subsequently, I vomited, further misleading me, as I mistakenly attributed it to food poisoning.
To avoid further nausea, I abstained from eating that entire day and rested on the sofa.
Vision Distortion: A Terrifying Development
Four days later, my vision began to deteriorate. Spatial perception became distorted – rooms appeared miniature, and stairs seemed displaced. I misjudged steps that were not there. Nothing seemed coherent; it was profoundly alarming.
My unsteadiness became so pronounced that Andy had to physically support me. Finally, we proceeded to urgent care. The attending physician suspected a gastrointestinal ailment and discharged me with an anti-nausea medication that proved ineffective.
My blood pressure registered around 175/90. Despite knowing now this constituted a hypertensive crisis – typical blood pressure being 120/80 – the doctor seemed more preoccupied with the headache and nausea.
He advised that if my vision did not improve within 24 hours, I should schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist. Regrettably, it did not.
The Eye Doctor’s Urgency: A Turning Point
Thankfully, the eye specialist who examined me the following afternoon was exceptionally thorough. He conducted a comprehensive assessment, including capturing an image of the back of my eyes.
He scribbled something on a prescription pad, handed it to me, and urgently instructed, “You need to go to the Emergency Room immediately.”
To this day, the specific note remains unknown, but its impact was immediate, ensuring prompt medical attention.
My blood pressure was re-measured, now registering an alarmingly high 176/91. The physician swiftly ordered the CT scan, revealing the ominous dark spot indicating the stroke.
Diagnosis Confirmed: Brain Hemorrhage and Recovery
An MRI ensued, delineating the complete extent of the hemorrhage on the right hemisphere of my brain. The visual disturbances stemmed from intense pressure exerted on my optic nerve.
The subsequent week was spent in the intensive care unit at Froedert Hospital, located in a Milwaukee suburb.
One might anticipate this event serving as an immediate awakening. However, comprehending the experience was more of a gradual realization.
Life After Stroke: A Gradual Awakening
Medication was prescribed to regulate my blood pressure, yet doctors cautioned that I remained highly susceptible to another, potentially more severe, stroke if lifestyle modifications were not implemented.
Established habits are difficult to break. Despite directives from my superiors to recuperate, I prepared a client presentation from my hospital bed.
While reluctant to change my profession entirely, as one physician suggested, I recognized the imperative to manage my stress levels.
Embracing Balance: A Holistic Approach to Well-being
Currently, I take anti-anxiety medication, but it constitutes only a component of a broader, holistic strategy.
I have increased delegation of tasks and limited my workday to a strict eight-hour duration. Coffee consumption is reduced to a single shot daily, and yoga has been reintroduced into my routine. Daily breaks away from my desk include three-mile walks each afternoon.
My relationship with my husband has strengthened, my blood pressure is now within healthy parameters, and while corrective lenses are now necessary, my optometrist assures me it’s more attributable to age than lingering stroke effects.
Life Beyond Work: A New Perspective
It required a near-fatal incident to truly grasp, but I have finally recognized the existence of life beyond professional pursuits. Recently, receiving an email at 5:30 PM on a Friday, I simply disregarded it until the following Monday.