NEWS DESK
Drama over, stroke patient praises hospital care WITH two weeks to go to retirement, Frankston resident Bill Ryan was enjoying a morning cup of tea in bed when he got up to get dressed but knew something wasn’t right. “I walked into the wardrobe to retrieve some clothing,” he said. “Initially I couldn’t see what I was looking for and then when I found it, I couldn’t hold onto it.” Mr Ryan’s wife, who was in the room, quickly called an ambulance. “The ambos turned up and they asked me to repeat the phrase to them, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’. It was like when you’ve seen a movie and people ask what the name of it was and sometimes it’s just not there,” he said. “For the life of me, I could not say that simple phrase.” Though he didn’t know it at the time, Mr Ryan was having a stroke. He was quickly taken to Frankston Hospital’s emergency department for a brain CT followed by a CT angiogram. “I came out from the scan and they were confident it was a clot so they decided to give me the clot breaker,” Mr Ryan said. Patients can only be given the clot breaker within four-and-a-half hours of having a stroke, according to Peninsula Health stroke nurse coordinator Margaret Stevenson. “It works to save any viable tissue to prevent brain cell death,” she said. “Every minute we wait getting emergency treatment after a stroke, 1.9 million neurons are lost. “However, if we can thrombolyse
Back on top of things: Bill Ryan reflects on what might have been if not for emergency medical help.
patients [by administering the clot breaker] then we can potentially limit the damage.” Mr Ryan was thrombolysed two hours after having the stroke. He steadily improved after that and got feeling back in his right hand which had gone numb. He was well enough to be discharged the next day.
“As far as I know I’ve made a full recovery thanks to prompt identification and actions.” Now Mr Ryan is back enjoying his retirement again. He praised the team at Frankston Hospital – from the emergency department to the night-shift nurses. “The care was first-class. I couldn’t
have wished for better.” This Christmas, Peninsula Health is raising money for its Frankston and Rosebud hospitals to ensure it is well-equipped and ready to help when residents need urgent medical care. As Margaret said, every second counts when it comes to treating a stroke and saving your brain.
“We have a great facility here in Frankston and it needs the support of the local people,” Mr Ryan said. “Get behind the hospital that will get behind you.” Those wanting to help the hospital can donate online at peninsulahealth. org.au/donate or by calling 9785 1284.
Stay clear of seals BEACHGOERS are reminded to keep their distance from seals resting on beaches in Western Port and Port Phillip bays beaches. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning manager program manager Suraya VI said some seals may appear sick or emaciated, but should not be approached under any circumstances. “While we understand that seeing a seal in poor condition may be upsetting, approaching the seal or trying to move it will cause an already stressed animal further distress,” she said. “If people sighted seals or seal pups lying on the beach, leave them in peace and enjoy their presence from afar. “We are really lucky to see marine
mammals such as seals and dolphins so close up in their natural environment, but they are wild animals, and it’s up to us to give them the space they need.” It is illegal to approach within 30 metres of a seal on land, and dogs are not permitted within 50 metres of a seal on land. At boat ramps or other man-made structures such as piers, people must stay at least five metres away from seals. Anyone who finds an unwell seal should call the AGL marine response unit on 1300 245 678 or DELWP on 136 186.
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Frankston Times 5 December 2016
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