EXCHANGE: Stroke victim saved by innovative procedure

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) — Steve Sebby started the morning getting ready for work one day last January like he would any other.

That is, until his ears started ringing and he felt "completely dizzy." He and his wife, Brittany, usually left for work around the same time each day and so she was able to quickly call for an ambulance after Steve Sebby's condition worsened.

Steve Sebby had no idea what was happening. The only pain he was experiencing before this was soreness in his neck for the last few weeks from Crossfit that he was taking aspirin for on a regular basis.

The former Marine, who served one tour in Iraq, tore his left vertebral artery while doing front squats. A blood clot had formed and was increasingly growing until it burst the morning of Jan. 22, 2015.

What he didn't know was that he had suffered a severe stroke.

Strokes kill almost 130,000 Americans each year, and every year more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Strokes can be treated if caught in the right amount of time.

Patients who arrive at the emergency room within three hours of their first symptoms tend to have less disability three months later than those who receive delayed care, according to the CDC.

"It's really a race against time," Steve said nearly a year and a half later.

Steve was brought by ambulance to Centegra Hospital - Woodstock, where he was moved to the front of the line for an MRI after a CT scan showed nothing but his condition was worsening. Doctors were able to identify that he had a stroke and communicated with Sarah Song, assistant professor of neurology, through the telestroke program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Doctors in Chicago were able to identify the proper procedure and ordered he be flown there immediately. At that point, Sebby was completely paralyzed on his left side. He said he was on his way to losing all function of his body.

Almost immediately after the mechanical thrombectomy was completed, Sebby had blood flow to the brain. He was even able to move his finger slightly, something he was told was very impressive for someone less than one day out of surgery.

"From my very first symptoms to the end of the surgery was all under 12 hours from the beginning to the very end," he said. "That's the reason I am able to be in the condition I am now."

The procedure inserts a device into the patient's groin and guides it to the clot in the brain that led to the stroke. The device grabs the clot and pulls it out.

James Conners, a vascular neurologist and medical director of the stroke program at Rush University Medical Center, said while the procedure has been done for at least 10 years, it's just recently gained a lot more traction because of an increased number of studies on the topic.

On average, Conners said the procedure is done about once a week.

"These are the patients that end up with the highest level of disability or death. It can really improve stroke care overall in the community," he said.

Within a few days, Steve Sebby was able to stand up. He and his 10-month-old son, Parker, would walk together around the hospital hallways, he with his IV cart and Parker with a small shopping cart.

Once he returned home, he and his son learned to walk without their supports in the same week. Sebby said he would have been unable to progress and get back to his "old self" without the help of his family and friends.

"I've got the best friends and family in the word," he said.

Steve has been back at his job at Grunt Style as a video marketing manager for the last 15 months.

He didn't suffer any cognitive delays from the stroke and went off blood thinners three months after the procedure. Steve remained on painkillers for about 15 months, and now the 32-year-old has been weaned off the medication. He said the only thing he notices from time to time is some numbness in his left hand.

As a musician, Steve is back playing guitar and playing shows in the Chicago area. He has also resumed working out with a trainer.

"I really just lost six to eight months of practice," he said. "I was lucky in every aspect of everything that happened.

"I am thankful that they decided that's what they were going to do."

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Source: The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald, http://bit.ly/28ZixqK

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Information from: The Northwest Herald, http://www.nwherald.com

This is an AP-Illinois Exchange story offered by The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald.

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