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Read a story about a stroke patient Willmar Mueller: “I didn’t have any pain at all.” Willmar Mueller of Prior Lake, MN was in his garage fixing a neighbor’s broken garden tiller when he suffered a serious stroke. The danger of his situation wasn’t immediately obvious. Willmar noticed he couldn’t fully control his legs, but he was able to make his way into the house. Inside, his wife noticed he was off-balance and dizzy. Still, “I didn’t have pain – no pain at all,” he recalls. “I got sick to my stomach, had cold chills -- I thought I just had the flu.” “It’s a common misconception,” says Mary DuPlessis-Tchida, RN, clinical coordinator for Hennepin Stroke Center. “Many patients think if it’s a stroke, there must be pain involved and very often there isn’t. But it’s so important that patients get to the hospital as fast as possible.” That’s because the most effective treatment for the majority of strokes is a clot-busting drug called TPA – tissue plasminogenactivator. “TPA must be given within three hours of when a stroke starts,” says Duplessis-Tchida. “And there are tests that need to be performed before the drug is given.” While Willmar Mueller didn’t think he needed to go to the hospital, his wife wasn’t so sure. For input, they called their daughter, Roxanne Yalek, who drove to her parent’s home to check on her father. Together, the family drove to St. Francis Regional Medical Center. Physicians there recognized Willmar was having a stroke and called a helicopter to fly him to Hennepin County Medical Center. After seven days in the intensive care unit at Hennepin County Medical Center, Willmar was discharged for intensive follow-up speech, occupational, and physical therapy. “I’m back to 75% of normal,” says Willmar. “My speech is a little bad and my walking is a little stagger-y – but I work at my own pace and take breaks when I need it.” “Mr. Mueller is doing great, in part because he has worked hard at his therapy,” says DuPlessis-Tchida. “Many people with strokes, particularly hemorrhagic strokes, are not so lucky – stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. That’s why it’s always important to get to the hospital as fast as possible if you notice even one symptom of a stroke.” If you are a patient and would like to make a clinic appointment, call (612) 873-2515. If you are a physician and would like to request a consultation or refer a stroke patient, call (800) 424-4262 or (612) 873-4262.
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