OTTAWA - All Dr. David Butler-Jones saw was a glow of light. And then strange things started happening.
At first, he thought it was a migraine coming on. But soon, Canada's chief public health officer realized that it was more than just a headache.
He was having a stroke.
Butler-Jones, dubbed Canada's top doctor in his role as head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, has been recovering since he was stricken in mid-May. It's been a difficult struggle.
From the outset, he was his own worst enemy. Being a doctor, Butler-Jones said he started to self-diagnose.
"I watched it evolving, trying to talk myself out of it being a stroke," he said.
At first he felt an "aura" of light passing his eyes. During supper, he noticed a difficulty swallowing. Feeling tired, Butler-Jones went to bed for the night. The next morning, things got worse.
By then it was too late for any kind of emergency treatment for stroke, such as a clot-busting drug known as tPA (tissue plasminogen activator).
A tPA is a thrombolytic drug that can stop a stroke caused by a blood clot by breaking up the clot. It can only be given to patients who are having a stroke caused by a blood clot, or ischemic stroke and must be given within three hours of the onset of symptoms.
Despite clear symptoms, the 59-year-old still thought twice about seeking treatment _ something he now regrets, especially given his family history.
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Don't ignore warning signs, top doctor says as he recovers from a stroke