‘I’m having a stroke but this couldn’t be me,’ Bryan Health nurse shares recovery after stroke

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - A nurse at Bryan Health is sharing a frightening experience, when she woke up paralyzed on half her body and realized she was having a stroke.

Back in September 2021, Bailey Novak said she went to bed after celebrating her birthday with family and friends. Novak said she woke up suddenly and realized she was lying on the floor and couldn’t feel or move the left side of her body.

“I’m like, ‘Why am I on the floor?’ And I was like, ‘Okay. Let’s try and get back into bed. Okay. I can’t move my left side, my leg and my arm. Don’t panic. What’s going on?’ I think I’m having a stroke but this couldn’t be me,” explained Novak.

She was able to reach her phone and call her mom, who was asleep downstairs.

Novak said her mom called 911 and paramedics got there in minutes, taking her to Bryan East.

Once at the hospital, Novak said she immediately underwent a thrombectomy.

“If they had not gotten her to the hospital, she probably would’ve had a massive stroke and it could’ve been life threatening. We were able to do the thrombectomy, it took about three hours total, multiple passes. We threw the kitchen sink at it to get as much clot out as we could. We’re just happy we got enough out that she has minimal symptoms now,” said Dr. Michael Budler, an interventional radiologist at Bryan.

Related: Lincoln emergency room doctor discusses signs of a stroke

Novak is a nurse in the cardiac catheterization lab at Bryan and said she’s thankful for all the support she received from colleagues, friends and staff at the hospital.

“We care about each other normally, but when something happens we are really a family,” added Novak.

She’s now back to working full-time without any restrictions, “I was excited but yet kind of nervous. Everyone was like ‘Wow. Kudos, we’re glad you’re back!’ It was happy and I was crying but wow, I didn’t realize I had all these friends.”

Signs of a Stroke

Every second counts when it comes to getting emergency care for a stroke and doctors use an acronym to help people remember what to look for in a stroke. It’s called “B.E. F.A.S.T”

• B = Balance is suddenly lost
• E = Eyes have a sudden change in vision
• F = Face droops or feels weak
• A = Arms or legs suddenly feel weak
• S = Speech sounds slurred or strange
• T = Time to call 911 to get help as soon as possible

Copyright 2023 KOLN. All rights reserved.