By then, nearly three hours had passed since her symptoms first began. Enteado’s speech was completely gone and her left side was paralyzed.
Enteado was given a clot-busting medication called tPA, which must be given within the first 4 1/2 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, and transferred to a larger regional hospital.
Over the next two days, the feeling on Enteado’s left side returned, along with her speech. She spent a week in the hospital, and then another six weeks rebuilding her strength at home through yoga.
It was a bumpy recovery, as Enteado overcame lingering weakness and grappled with what had happened to her.
“You think of yourself as healthy, but it was like my body had failed me,” she said.
She experienced anxiety, which is common among stroke survivors.
“My mom compared me to a skittish cat,” she said. “I just kept worrying it would happen again. I had to keep reminding myself that I know the signs and symptoms now, and I can’t let the fear of another stroke keep me from living my life.”
It took about six months for her to feel normal again; Enteado still remembers the relief she felt the day it happened.
“It was a Friday evening and I was coming home and feeling really good,” she said. “I realized that I finally felt like myself again.”
Enteado’s doctors aren’t sure what caused her stroke, but pointed to her history of migraines and use of birth control pills as potential contributors. Throughout her life, Enteado suffered from constant headaches that would develop into debilitating migraines several times a year.
