Six years ago at the age of 40 I was in New England Medical Center for a routine procedure and during the procedure I had a stroke.

The hospital released me w/out even knowing I had a stroke. I was home that afternoon playing with my 4 year old daughter and she asked me to spell "summer". I spelled it s-u-m-l-e-r. My daughter thought it was hysterical and my wife was flipping out. Other aspects came up where she was questioning my speech and I had slight paralysis on the right side of my face.

She called the hospital back and they said to bring me back in. They examined in the ER with a team of Doc's, took a CAT scan, and that it was a stroke.

I was in the hospital for 9 scary days. The neurologist said that due to my age and lifestyle (no drinking or smoking) that I should feel back to normal in 6 months. He was right on the money.

I feel like I am fully recovered but the signs of a stroke can be very subtle, even for a hospital to p/up on.