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 Sunday
May 18th 2001 8:00am the day of Bay to Breakers, I was planning on
running the race, but felt sluggish and
decided to take it easy. The prior day I had competed in three boat
races and won all three so I assumed I was just tired from the previous
day on the water.
I was thirsty and got
out of bed to get some water and then decided to go back to bed and have
an extra nap. At 9:00am I awoke and was talking to my girlfriend.
I sounded funny and was slurring my words.
Equally disturbing was the fact that I could not move my left arm. I
thought I had slept on my side and perhaps my arm was asleep. I took a
drink of water and all the water poured out of the left side of my
mouth. Now this was strange.
I went to
the bathroom and looked in the mirror, only half my face was working. I
couldn't blink my left eye, I couldn't smile or even close my mouth
fully. My left arm was immovable and my hand was stuck in a fist and
would not release. I went to my girl friend and said very calmly "I
really need you not to panic here, but I think I just had a stroke.
We should probably go to a hospital." She
was okay for about 2 minutes then freaked and decided to call 911 and I
got a free ride in a SFFD ambulance.
I freaked a little
in the back of the truck, but remember thinking, ‘Okay, if this is a
stroke I can deal, I can work through this and it will be fine'.
Unfortunately,
(and I really do mean that ) it wasn't a stroke. Seven spinal taps
and four MRI brain scans later I was told it was not a stroke, but a demyelizing brain event.
My reaction
to the young doctor was pretty much what you would expect. I
think I said something like " What the fuck is that shit... Doogie
Houser?"
I was to find out
over the next six months. It took me 3 weeks in the hospital on all
kinds of drugs that had side effects that would make Mother Teresa of
Calcutta want to kick little children. Two more months at home on a
walker, and some quality time with a cane before I began to understand.
Finally, I went back to work.
The bitch of MS is
this could happen to me again tomorrow without warning. But this time I could lose my eye
sight, or both legs or just about
anything. I am lucky that I am under the care of the Chief Neurologist
at UCSF
and the head of the MS Center at UCSF (He
came and found me so that's scary). But, I am in good shape and
can ride 100 miles
for a good cause, and I intend to do this every year until I have a
battery powered bike and keep fund raising until I have my own personal
sidewalk SUV.
Thanks for taking the time to read my
story.
Kindest Regards,
Robbie O'Brien
Story Updates:
Feb 2004:
A new part of my life now I see my
Neurologist every 6 months, the news in February was uplifting to say
the least. My normal Neurological exam typically shows 10% loss of
function on the heft hand side. In the last year after getting involved
with Triathlons and other endurance sports my symptoms have decreases
form 10% detectable to about 1% detectable by my neurologist. The
exam was interesting because he retested me three times to make sure he
did not make a mistake. I still feel strange tingles in my hands and
feet, and occasionally drop things out of my left hand for no reason. But
these things only occur when I am very fatigued and or have had a beer
too many (4) I'm a light weight.
I firmly believe that this improvement in physical and neurological
function is a direct result of the training I have received from
Pac West Athletics
as part of the overall endurance sport theology. While I do not believe
that I have been cured I do believe that my body and mind are now fit
enough to suppress the disease to an almost undetectable level.
More Updates for 2005:
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