Misha Montana puts 100% into everything that she does. From her prodigious and impressive collection of tattoos, to her work ethic, to her unconventional career choices, to now her commitment to raise awareness of the challenges of post stroke life.
Misha joined the stroke club this past spring when her COVID-19 infection spawned a blood clot that slipped through her PFO and lodged in her brain at the age of 31. Despite memory and energy level challenges, along with lingering hemiparesis, she quickly returned to work, determined to not let her stroke stop her.
About Misha
Misha Montana is an adult film star/Director and the Chief Brand Officer and Production Manager for AltErotic. Misha lives in Reno, NV and Los Angeles and cares for her special needs son. In her off time Misha is a cyclist and bodybuilding enthusiast with interest and education in political science and psychology. Misha suffered a stroke on April 14th, 2021 and had heart surgery to repair a PFO shortly after. Misha is an advocate for stroke awareness and is extremely passionate about the cause.
What is a PFO?
A PFO, or Patent foramen ovale, is a hole inside the heart. Roughly 25% - 33% of people have a PFO, including me.
The heart has 4 chambers -- two on the right and two on the left. When blood comes into the heart, it enters on the right side. From the right side of the heart it goes to the lungs to dump carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen for the rest of the body. From the lungs, it goes to the left side of the heart. Along the way, blood clots that accumulate in the system naturally get filtered out. The left side of the heart sends this now oxygen rich blood to the brain, toes, and everything in between.
At least that's how it's supposed to work after birth.
Before birth, while we are still building organs and body parts in the uterus, there is no oxygen for us to breathe. There's no air. We instead get all of our oxygen nutrients, and other stuff through the umbilical cord attached to our mothers system. Since there's no air, there's no reason for blood to go from the right side of the heart to the lungs. It goes straight from right side to left side through the PFO - the hole between the right and left.
That hole is supposed to close on its own shortly after birth when we start breathing air. For most people it does. For up to a third of people it does not.
As we get older, that hole may or may not cause a problem, depending on how big it is and how prone we are to developing blood clots. It allows unfiltered, unoxygenated blood to bypass the lungs and go straight to the left side of the heart and on to the rest of the body.
When a blood clot sneaks through the PFO, bad things can happen. That's how Misha had her stroke. A clot formed as a result of her COVID-19 infection, slipped through her PFO, and lodged in her brain.
She has since had her PFO surgically closed. It's a fairly simple procedure, as internal heart surgery goes.
Other folks on this show have also had PFO related strokes, including Christine Lee in the pre-COVID times.
My PFO did not cause my stroke. Mine was due mainly to high blood pressure. As part of the stroke protocol at the hospital though, they did find the PFO. A follow-up exam afterwards, which involved an ultrasound device put down my throat (thankfully with some awesome sedation) confirmed it was there, but likely too small to cause a problem. They decided to leave it alone.
But now I have a ready excuse for why I was never an endurance athlete.
Driving After Stroke
Misha talked about driving herself to the hospital. Jo Ann Glim did the same thing when she had her stroke.
Both will tell you now not to do that. It's a bad idea.
Of course, I don't blame them. At the time our brains are dying, we are not making the best, most informed decisions.
But what about after stroke?
In the US, driving requirements are set at the state level. Whether you can legally drive after stroke depends on where you live. In most states, if you have had a seizure, you can't drive until it's been at least 6 months after your last seizure.
For other brain injuries, it's more varied. I'm told that a stroke will suspend your license in California. In Washington state, where I live, the state does not suspend thew license of a stroke survivor. The day after my stroke, legally I could drive. That would have been a terrible idea because at that point it simply would have been dangerous.
Driving after a stroke is something to discuss with your doctor and occupational therapist. The decision will depend on whether you can get in and out of d a vehicle safely and operate the controls safely and competently. It will depend on you vision and visual/auditory processing, cognitive abilities, emotional stability and more. There is a lot to consider.
They may refer you to a driving therapist -- someone who specifically trains people with disabilities and brain injuries to drive. They may teach you new skills, or they may simple provide a comprehensive assessment of your ability to drive safely.
I started driving again about 10 weeks after my stroke. I had an assessment with a driving instructor, which included an in person interview and a road test. After riding with me as I navigated the ridiculously tight parking garage in my building and the small, dense roads of my neighborhood, he signed off on me driving and sent the recommendation to my physiatrist.
It cost me roughly $500 and that was not covered by insurance.
I did get two modifications to my car. I added a spinner to the steering wheel so I could manage it with one hand, and I added a turn signal extension so I could use my right hand for that, too.
Oh, and I got my disabled parking license plates!
Driving is a major step in living a new life and having the freedom to get stuff done, especially if walking or public transit are more challenging after stroke. It's also an inherently risky activity with life and death consequences that ought not be taken lightly.
Choose wisely.
Adult Entertainment Industry
As far as I know, Misha is the first professional adult entertainer that I have had an extended conversation with.
Given the scale of the industry, I imagine I have had extended chats with other current or former professionals in the field, but given the stigma it wasn't something that came up.
(Though there was that woman on a Northwest flight who struck up a conversation and when I asked her field of work said, "I provide miscellaneous personal services," and then quickly changed the subject.)
What I really liked was how Misha describes the community and her colleagues. Talented, hard-working, kind and compassionate people just living their lives in an unconventional field and dealing with societal stigma. Often condemned and criticized for their choices by the very people consuming their content.
I don't have strong opinions on it. As long as all involved are consenting adults that's really what matters.
Misha's work in porn is the proverbial elephant in the room here so I can't very well not comment on it. Yet I don't want to make it the whole focus of the conversation, because that would disregard my guest's individualism. And I must restrain my inner thirteen year old from making silly awkward jokes.
So despite opining for six (now seven) paragraphs (and making it about me), the best thing for me to do here is listen to what folks have to say about their experiences.
Hack of the Week
Misha talks about the importance of her planner for keeping track of appointments and other reminders. After stroke or brain injury that impacts executive function, we can't just keep all this stuff in our heads. Even without brain injury, it's probably not a good idea to keep it in our heads. The logistics of life take space and energy in our brains. Using a planner - digital or paper can make a big difference in effectively managing our lives.
The other thing it can do is provide a place to write or to journal. There's value in getting our thoughts out of our heads and onto a list or into a paragraph. I find things will rattle around in my skull until I can record them elsewhere. Even if it’s a stressful thing or a worry, getting it down somewhere actually reduces my stress because at one level, "it's been dealt with."
Paper and pen are one way to do it. Typing on a keyboard or tapping on a phone screen are another. Voice memos or selfie videos are another. Find a way to journal or record your thoughts that is compatible with any deficits you have and that works for your comfort level
Links
Where do we go from here?
- Connect with Misha on Instagram or on her other platforms where you can find Misha's adult content
- Share this episode with someone you know by giving them the link http://Strokecast.com/Misha
- Subscribe to the Strokecast email newsletter at http://Strokecast.com/news
- Don't get best…get better
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