At 26, elementary school music teacher had a stroke between classes
By Diane Daniel, American Heart Association News
克里斯蒂娜·萨尔迪瓦(Christina Saldivar)前往纽波特纽斯(Newport News)的小学时，感到休息得很好，精力充沛, Virginia, on a Monday morning in February 2020. At 26, 她很享受在同一所学校教音乐的第一年，而不是像一个巡回教师那样四处奔波.
上午，二年级和一年级学生接连上课. 她用录音机和节奏棒等简单的乐器教孩子们音调和节奏.
Next up, she was taking kindergarteners to the gym to dance. First, she needed to use the restroom.
While in a stall, 她感到头痛得厉害，就像有人在敲打她的脑门.
Then came waves of nausea and lightheadedness. She tried to vomit but couldn't.
The next thing she knew, she woke up on the floor of the stall. The germaphobe in her wanted to jump up, but she lacked the energy.
她用智能手表给一位体育老师打了电话. "Can you bring my class to the gym?" she had asked. "I think I'll be late getting there. I don't feel so well."
"Should I send the nurse?" the PE teacher asked.
"No, no. I'm OK," Saldivar answered. 她说话的时候，沉重的打击开始蔓延到她的整个头部.
“等等，是的，去叫护士来，”她对着手表说，然后第二次晕了过去.
Her next memories are murky. A school administrator and nurse talking to each other about her. Being inside an ambulance. Waking up in the emergency room.
Meanwhile, school staff had called Saldivar's partner, Brean Hicks-Bailey, and Saldivar's mother, Catherine Saldivar. Hicks-Bailey arrived at the school from their home in Hampton, Virginia, just as Saldivar was getting into the ambulance. He drove to the hospital and her mother met him there.
"We had no idea what could be going on," Hicks-Bailey said. "It was so confusing."
一位医生后来解释说，萨尔迪瓦患有脑动脉瘤破裂. Essentially, a blood vessel in her brain burst. 这使得血液进入周围区域，导致出血性中风.
Just as they were processing that devastating news, 医生说萨尔迪瓦需要接受手术来阻止血液流入受损部位. Saldivar was treated with a technique called coiling. 盘绕术是用可拆卸的铂线圈将血液紧紧地包裹在动脉瘤中，从而关闭流入动脉瘤的血液. 它是通过从腹股沟延伸到大脑的导管进行的.
Recovery usually takes a couple days. 但萨尔迪瓦在医院住了两个星期，因为她的头痛还在继续. 医生重新调整了线圈，然后又观察了她几天.
萨尔迪瓦回家时几乎没有任何身体或认知缺陷. She also went home confused: Why had this happened to her?
在医院里，她持续的头痛使她无法使用手机或电脑. Once she got home, she felt strong enough to research it all.
And soon, she had plenty of time to do it. 她于2020年3月初获释，几天后新冠肺炎大流行爆发.
After reading about strokes and aneurysms, Saldivar realized how lucky she was that things played out as they did.
"I'd heard about F.A.S.T. but didn't really pay attention," she said, 这是帮助人们记住中风症状的首字母缩略词:脸下垂, Arm weakness or Speech difficulty mean it's Time to call 911. "And I definitely didn't know someone my age could have a stroke."
The question of why it happened remains a bit of a mystery. Her neurologist found no explanation. Alas, doctors are now monitoring another smaller aneurysm. 她可能需要做同样的手术来防止泡沫破裂.
As a young strong survivor, 萨尔迪瓦努力寻找能够理解她所经历的一切和后果的人. Online supports groups have helped. So has her cat, Butter.
"As soon as I came home from the hospital, he started snuggling and has literally stayed by my side," she said. "He helps with my stress level, which I'm trying to monitor."
Last year, Saldivar became pregnant. She was considered high risk because of her stroke. 虽然她在36周时早产，但这是由于一个无关的原因. More importantly, she had a healthy son named Brean Jr.
Stories From the Heart 记录心脏病和中风幸存者、护理人员和倡导者的鼓舞人心的旅程.
If you have questions or comments about this story, please email [email protected].