$25M grant to help UVa. researchers study strokes
Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have received a $25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to lead a 50+-center national clinical trial investigating a promising new treatment that could greatly benefit thousands of acute ischemic stroke patients every year.
More than 750,000 people in the United States suffer from strokes annually, and an estimated 40 percent of patients with acute ischemic stroke have high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Although hyperglycemia is known to be associated with worse patient outcomes (death and disability), it is unclear if treatment interventions intended to bring blood sugar to normal levels can improve these outcomes without incurring the added risk of inducing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels).
With this new clinical trial, called Stroke Hyperglycemia Insulin Network Effort (SHINE), researchers hope to determine the efficacy of a novel approach to controlling sugar in the early period after stroke in diabetic stroke patients.
Research sites across the country will be testing the current standard treatment against the new treatment, which involves the administration of a controlled IV insulin infusion therapy within 12 hours of the onset of stroke symptoms and lasting for up to three days. Eligible subjects will have diabetes and elevated blood glucose (at least greater than 110 mg/dL) on initial evaluation and will have to get to the hospital very quickly after the start of symptoms.
“Our previous research has clearly shown that the insulin protocol will be safe for patients but also may improve their outcome after ischemic stroke,” says Karen C. Johnston, MD, MSc, chair of the UVA Department of Neurology and principal investigator of the national trial.
“We could not be more excited about leading this effort to improve the care of stroke patients with diabetes,” Johnston says. “This study will include stroke experts and stroke patients from all over the country, and the results will inform health care providers of best treatment approaches so patients all over the country will have better outcomes. Regardless of the results, this study will have a dramatic impact on us all.”
Calling 911 as soon as someone suspects a stroke is still the most important thing for the public to remember so that doctors can rapidly treat and try to reverse stroke symptoms.
The SHINE trial is being sponsored by the NIH – National Institutes of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS).
Chris DeWald: Stroke and emotional changes
Hello, my friends and also my religious enemies. What a way to start an article besides with friends. Seems I made some religious enemies from my article on melanoma, and my immediate reaction was not favorable. That shall be revealed later, but is relevant to how we as stroke survivors deal with complex emotions.
According to one source, http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/showthread.php?t=20421
What is Emotional Lability?
Emotional lability is the term used when someone is more emotional and/or has difficulty controlling their emotions. It can happen with many neurological conditions and often happens after a stroke. Some people describe feeling as though all their emotions are “much nearer the surface” or more exaggerated after their stroke. For example some people may become upset more easily, or cry at things they would not have cried at before their stroke. Their emotional response is in line with their feelings, but is much stronger than before the stroke. For other people the symptoms can be more exaggerated, and some people find that they cry for little or no reason. Less commonly, people laugh rather than cry, but again the emotion is out of place and does not match how they are feeling at the time.
What causes emotional lability?
Emotional lability is caused by the damage done by the stroke. Chemical changes within the brain can cause psychological and emotional changes. Frequently, difficulties with swallowing and tongue movements coincide with emotional lability. If this is the case a Speech and Language Therapist may help to accurately identify emotional lability.
Here I am again !!! Now that I just provided you one term, the following information is more prevalent. http://www.tree.com/health/stroke-emotions.aspx
Surprises Stroke Emotional Aspects: Depression, Anger?
Having a stroke causes emotional difficulties for both the patient and family members. Anger and anxiety are common responses to the permanent limitations and loss of independence caused by a stroke. Further, the slow and sometimes tedious pace of rehabilitation can cause lack of motivation that, if left unchecked can develop into depression.
This is not just out of facts, I had it. The anger was mean and powerful. Being told I could not be employed anymore at 50 years old was impossible. Being told I was lucky I was saved for a reason and should be dead was not a compromise. Telling yourself, This was not true, and in a week all will be well, did not come about. I confirm the first part of this article.
Personality Type and Stroke
Surprisingly, personality type plays a large role in stroke rehabilitation. People who react well to stress, control anxiety, and are generally optimistic about life before a stroke are most likely to react well to life after the stroke. People whose personality type makes them prone to anger, anxiety, or depression, or who lack motivation usually find stroke rehabilitation difficult and discouraging.
On the other hand, personality type is vulnerable to change after a stroke. While any stroke victim is at risk of depression, sudden signs of anger, anxiety, and uncontrolled crying in people who were previously adept at handling stress may indicate that the stroke has caused a personality change.
Lack of Motivation and Signs of Depression
Stroke rehabilitation can be slow, painful and frustrating. When stroke survivors do not see the improvements they hope for, they are more likely to lose motivation. Lack of motivation is a normal reaction to setbacks. However, when a lack of motivation persists and impairs progress in rehabilitation or if the lack of motivation spreads to other areas of life, it may indicate depression.
Signs of depression in stroke survivors should be reported to health care professionals as soon as possible. If depression is left untreated, stroke survivors may become suicidal.
Signs of depression include
•lack of motivation
•increase or decrease in appetite
•sadness
•fatigue
•memory difficulties
•personality changes
•sexual problems
•suicidal thoughts
•insomnia
•feeling “hopeless
Now, this list is fine, I feel, as a general rule. But as a “stroker,” I did not have lack of motivation. I wanted to get back to work … and you, as a stroke survivor, will get busted by a neuropsychologist if you try to lie yourself on a work release. I did lie, and that is not good. An Increase or decrease of appetite occurs? Hello, hospital jello stinks. Had a brain stem injury? Enjoy liquid IV fluids. Have sadness? Really? You just lost half your body somewhere. You can see where I am headed. I feel these are normal serious stroke reactions. So bring them anyway to your physician’s attention. Tell your caregiver, they need to know from you.
Anger, Anxiety, and Depression in Caregivers
Anger, anxiety, and signs of depression are common in caregivers as well as stroke patients. The restrictions and changes to routine and family life can cause frustration and anxiety in any family member. A stroke patient whose personality tends towards anger and depression, or whose personality changes radically, can leave caregivers feeling angry and resentful. This anger at times turns into guilt (“How can I be angry at him? He’s the one who’s sick . . . “), which can result in increased stress and depression.
See that, caregivers. You deserve a hand and lots of praise.
Time To Share
They mystery feelings I had when I began this article shall now be revealed. I was not the only one to be singled out by a person or people that I now forgive. I thought you readers should see what is out there as food for thought.
There was this first strike at me. I want to warn the readers. The article can be highly offensive. It contains pictures that may be offensive. It also contains racial hatred.
http://collectiveunderground.wordpress.com/category/chris-dewald/
They even photoshopped my melanoma.
Was I alone? The answer is no, and they struck out at a deceased young lady also.
http://andgodmadelight.blogspot.com/
This stroker went through all the emotions mentioned. I contacted via e-mail every form of government, state and federal, as I felt that no person should be subjected to this agenda. Tax-exempt status? Good Morning, America … I love you, readers, and I do forgive them. I just wish the government had a set.
A set of what? Sorry, I am a forgiving man.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Recurring strokes
It is so good to be back to writing articles. Nothing had happened to me to write about until April of this year. I had not been feeling well for about three months leading to April 2011. My blood pressure was out of control in elevation and also in sudden drops. It was necessary for me to see my General Physician once a week to attempt to regulate it. One visit turned into a setback. My body talked to me and I fell out at her office. All said and done, I spent a week back at Augusta Health with another stroke. So let’s explore this. Caregivers and survivors alike need to just be aware of this.
According to www.stroke.org/site/DocServer/NSAFactSheet_RecurrentStrokerevised.pdf?docID=998:
After stroke, survivors tend to focus on rehabilitation and recovery. But, preventing another (or recurring) stroke is also a key concern. Of the 795,000 Americans who have a stroke each year, 5 to 14 percent will have a second stroke within one year. Within five years, stroke will recur in 24 percent of women and 42 percent of men.
Having one or more of these factors doesn’t mean you will have a stroke. By making simple lifestyle changes, you may be able to reduce the risk of a first or recurrent stroke.
These simple lifestyle changes can greatly reduce your chance of having a stroke:
Control your blood pressure
Find out if you have atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat that allows blood to pool in the heart and cause blood clots)
Quit smoking
Limit alcohol
Monitor your cholesterol levels
Manage your diabetes
Exercise often
Eat foods low in sodium (salt) and fat
Monitor circulation problems with the help of your doctor
Gee, right off the top we see blood pressure. Now I don’t want you to be afraid of living. Yes, strokes are a scary life changing event. They often end up with disabilities and a hard journey for any recovery no matter to whom. My first ones took place in the brain stem. I had two at once on each side of the brain stem. I did not just one being alone in my head. It is lonely up there.
This recent stroke took me through situations I had forgotten. Laying on the gurney in the ER and not caring about IV insertions. Not me for sure in that respect. Getting run to the CAT scan and getting sick from any type of movement. Just lying there and being pushed caused such horrible vertigo. I did not care about the MRI scan and being claustrophobic. My words were slurred again, my left side went on a vacation somewhere and I wanted my world to end.
Yes, I admit that my initial feelings were “no more,” how long do I have to fight you, Mr. Stroke? I was lucky again. Within two days, I regained my voice and my ability to walk. I had to fight and I did not want to give up after regrouping my thoughts. My motivation was the hospital Jell-O. I was not staying there for that anymore. When I left, I had the clonus again and the spasticity returned to the status of my first mean strokes of 2006. That has cleared up from physical therapy. My left arm has become the victim of having less power. My left hand is still numb and I can’t find the re-boot button for my hand…LOL.
I told you about me and getting depressed because I believe it is a natural thing to do. If it is justification for me on the way I felt. Granted … But I left my Superman tights at home that day … Yikes, erase that image, OK … It is what you do next when you know you are getting depressed that counts … Now, I may be that exception to the rule because I do have severe cerebral arteriosclerosis.
In other words, I am hard headed (lol) with limited blood flow supplying my brain the nutrients for survival. So this does not mean you are going to have another stroke in five years. The statistics from a good organization are not made up. I do not drink, smoke or have issues with my cholesterol. I was having issues leading to this controlling my blood pressure. The brain stem controls your heart and breathing rates and I believe this sign was warning me.
People that have had strokes, don’t let that monster get you. Oh, it bites and leaves scars. Just bite back harder. See you readers next time.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Stroke deficits – the gifts that keep on giving and giving and giving
Hello, again. I am going to introduce you to another stroke survivor. I feel another voice would be beneficial to survivors and also caregivers.
Donna was the first stroke survivor I had met online that was a base of information for survivors and caregivers on strokes. Not from doctors, but from someone who shared your same path. This allowed me to feel that I was not alone. She gave me inspiration to keep going and played a major part in my decision to write. Without further ado, allow me to introduce Donna.
Hello, Readers; my name is Donna, and I’ve been a stroke survivor since 1-1-05. My stroke deficits include spastic hemiplegia. This means that one side of my body was affected by the stroke. In my case it was my entire left side.
After six years, one would think that over time, my body would have stabilized and I would be more apt to getting up from a sitting position independently. Not so fine, friends and readers. My experience has been that my deficits decide to act up and cause me embarrassment and a source of laughter and entertainment to myself and those around me. The saying regarding “Murphy’s Law” happened in real life to me as recently as this past Saturday (4-1-11) when a attended a 1-year-old’s birthday party.
I thought my only challenge would be gaining access into the home as there are open steps and no railings. That challenge I succeeded at with help from my daughter and friends. Once in the home, I parked myself on the sofa where I would be out of everyone’s way. No, I did not sit on the right side of the sofa against the armrest. I had to pick the left side, which of course meant that I did not have usage of my left arm/hand to stand up.
After a period of time, I decided that it would be better for me to sit in the dining room on a solid chair rather than the soft and low to the floor sofa. When an arm was extended to me to help me get up, of course I said, “I can do it. No thanks.” I haven’t revealed to you that I am a stubborn, bullheaded Irish/German/English gal, so of course I didn’t want help. I pushed off with my right arm and got elevated about six inches, and my bad leg gave out and I plopped back on the sofa. After three more attempts on my own, my daughter heard laughter and came to see what was going on. She, on the count of three, pulled me up. Once again my bad leg gave out and down I went onto the nice soft sofa. By this time I was really attracting attention as others came into the room.
It was then decided, if someone was on my left side and someone on my right side, they’d pull me up at the count of three. I was helped up into a standing position; however, my left side decided it liked the sofa – again and down I went pulling the person on my left side down with me. By this time I and everyone else were laughing so hard we had tears. Thankfully the camcorder was not running, nor were any pictures snapped.
Eventually I was assisted, and walked unaided to the chair waiting for me in the dining room.
Geez…..maybe I need standing up lessons from the 1-year-old little boy, haha.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Stroke-severe arteriosclerosis, Part II
It has been three weeks since I have been taking an old medication called pentoxifylline. My first article about this subject centered on me and what was happening to my body as a result of this disease.
To recall some first concerns as to why I do not go the route of surgery is important. I am not a surgical candidate as all my vessels carrying nutrients, oxygen and fluids are so severely clogged, there is no beginning or end. This reminds me of Marty Feldman playing” Igor in “Young Frankenstein” substituting a brain with “Abby Normal.”
According to the National Institute of Health, pentoxifylline is used to improve blood flow in patients with circulation problems to reduce aching, cramping, and tiredness in the hands and feet. It works by decreasing the thickness (viscosity) of blood. This change allows your blood to flow more easily, especially in the small blood vessels of the hands and feet. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Please note, pentoxifylline controls the symptoms of circulation problems, but does not cure them.
Other uses for this medicine
Pentoxifylline also is used for leg ulcers, strokes, high-altitude sickness, eye and ear disorders, and sickle cell disease and to treat pain from diabetic neuropathy. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.
First, I was having issues with what is described as the loss of blood flow upstairs in the cranium. My vision was fuzzy and I had severe pains that lasted maybe 15-30 seconds from on top of my head as if someone was drilling for brains. If they were brain eaters, they starved for sure.
Now, again, for me as the patient, I did not have as many as the side effects as noted. The first was a concern that it would further thin my blood as I am on warfarin (coumadin). Warfarin is a medication that thins the blood reducing the possibility of further clots. Pentoxifylline was mentioned on other websites for doing this also. This did not occur. Three weeks post, and my pro-time and INR stayed the same.
Please take me med with more than a cracker. When it says with food, it means with food. When I “crackered” it, I did have some stomach issues. Flatulence was another item mentioned. I am of the male variety, so I could not tell. Headaches were another possible side effect. I did not experience any other than I already had. I was and still am taking three pills a day each with a 400-mg dosage.
My benefits
Three weeks post, my vision has become clearer. The fuzziness around the letters has more clarity. I have more time and the ability to do more with my mind than before. Now this is not much as it is only three weeks. It is noticeable as I do no nap as long as I did before. The drilling devices on top of my head looking for brain material have ceased. I do not have those debilitating pains.
I used 3 vocabulary games to try and exceed my previous scores. I also have three mathematics testing games. All are timed to obtain a score. There is no change, so I guess this is part of the brain that disintegrated.
So in conclusion, I feel this medicine is allowing more oxygen into the capillaries by creating more flexible red blood cells that can squeeze between the barriers of scale and cheese fry grease. My vision is clearer, and my headaches on top of my head are gone so far. Now every patient is different from the next. Willpower, other medical conditions, may not make you suitable for this drug. It does not hurt to ask. This is far gratifying than not having tried this medication. I was going downhill faster than I wanted to, but this gives me more time on this planet to write for you. My friends.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Stroke, severe arteriosclerosis, possible assistance
Good day to the readers of my articles. Follow me on another adventure with a possible solution for those with low or no blood flows in the cerebral area. No blood flows or wisps of blood contain little oxygen for the brain to remain active for long periods of time.
This is me. I have severe hardening of the arteries where that squirrel turns the wheel to keep me alive. I am not a surgical candidate due to the constant need for a drug called warfarin (Coumadin). Another clot would be fatal due to the blockages starting from both the vertebral and basilar arteries.
Today was my three-month visit with my neurologist. His name is Dr. David M Karaffa from Shenandoah Neurological Associates located in Fishersville. Dr Karaffa has been my neurologist since my brain-stem strokes. He saved my life and guided me to a better and helpful outlook on life.
Dr. Karaffa researched symptoms in to all the different issues since my blood flow is lacking. I am starting a new regimen of a medication. The brand name of the medication is Trental. It has a generic name of Pentoxifylline.
According to the National Institute of Health, Pentoxifylline is used to improve blood flow in patients with circulation problems to reduce aching, cramping, and tiredness in the hands and feet. It works by decreasing the thickness (viscosity) of blood. This change allows your blood to flow more easily, especially in the small blood vessels of the hands and feet. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Please note, Pentoxifylline controls the symptoms of circulation problems, but does not cure them.
Other uses for this medicine
Pentoxifylline also is used for leg ulcers, strokes, high-altitude sickness, eye and ear disorders, and sickle cell disease and to treat pain from diabetic neuropathy. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.
Mode of Action
Pentoxifylline and its metabolites improve the flow properties of blood by decreasing its viscosity. In patients with chronic peripheral arterial disease, this increases blood flow to the affected microcirculation and enhances tissue oxygenation.
Tissue oxygen levels have been shown to be significantly increased by therapeutic doses of pentoxifylline in patients with peripheral arterial disease.
Indications and Usage for Trental
Trental is indicated for the treatment of patients with intermittent claudication on the basis of chronic occlusive arterial disease of the limbs. Trental can improve function and symptoms but is not intended to replace more definitive therapy, such as surgical bypass, or removal of arterial obstructions when treating peripheral vascular disease.
So there we have it friends. There is always hope for those who seek it and “Don’t you quit” looking. I am not a surgical candidate for all that fancy dancy surgery. There is some sunshine in the dark portals of your tunnel. Follow me with my “Incredible Journey”…Wait, I think they made a movie with that title…Oh, just follow my articles.
I shall give you an honest answer what this does and how I feel. There are many websites that give time limits for the medication to react. The shortest is two(2) weeks. I shall advise you then. Mr. Guinea Pig, signing off!
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Stroke-cerebral arteriosclerosis-part two
I am wearing down from this diagnosis. I would like to describe what is happening to me through my thoughts. I wrote an article about this disease that is also called hardening of the arteries. It is a diseas that is progressive, and it is keeping pace where I read the symptoms in a book.
I am so lucky to have severe cerebral arteriosclerosis (yeah, right). My MRI does not see a blood flow due to all the accumulating plaque whisping through my brain. I have been told I have no flow but clouds going through this brain. I also have been told I am being kept “in the batter’s box.”
I do believe the count is 3-and-2 right now. Let me give you the official book “thought” views of this progressive disease. I want to go over this section of a web page: http://chestofbooks.com/health/psychiatry/Manual/3-Psychoses-With-Cerebral-Arteriosclerosis.html.
Psychoses with cerebral arteriosclerosis
The clinical symptoms, both mental and physical, are varied, depending in the first place on the distribution and severity of the vascular cerebral disease and probably to some extent on the mental make-up of the person.
I am writing this for you caregivers to see the symptoms of your loved ones. My comments are the way many of your close friends and relatives might fear, feel or act. Is the book true? There are so many questions to answer. But I’ll tell you how it is affecting me. Here we go.
Cerebral physical symptoms, headaches, dizziness, fainting attacks, etc., are nearly always present and usually signs of focal brain disease appear sooner or later (aphasia, paralysis, etc.).
The most important mental symptoms (particularly if the arteriosclerotic disease is diffuse) are impairment of mental tension, i.e., interference with the capacity to think quickly and accurately, to concentrate and to fix the attention; fatigability and lack of emotional control (alternate weeping and laughing). Often a tendency to irritability is marked; the retention is impaired and with it there is more or less general defect of memory, especially in the advanced stages of the disease, or after some large destructive lesion occurs.
Pronounced psychotic symptoms may appear in the form of depression (often of the anxious type), suspicions or paranoid ideas, or episodes marked by confusion. To be included in this group are the psychoses following cerebral softening or hemorrhage if due to arterial disease. (Autopsies in state hospitals show that in arteriosclerotic cases softening is relatively much more frequent than hemorrhage.)
Differentiation from senile psychosis is sometimes difficult, particularly if the arteriosclerotic disease manifests itself in the senile period. The two conditions may be associated; when this happens preference should be given in the statistical report to the arteriosclerotic disorder.
High blood pressure, although usually present, is not essential for the diagnosis of cerebral arteriosclerosis.
Here we go, as I am concerned:
Cerebral physical symptoms. Headaches indeed are mentioned. Mine are different than a forehead ache. Mine seem to be likened to an oil drill on the top area of my head drilling downwards. They seem to be short-lived, but cause me to become dizzy and then lethargic. They come on faster if I am doing heavy thinking or trying to do more than the doctors tell me. I have fainting spells but I do feel when they are coming and have enough time to lie down. Coming to terms to do this and know you can have this helps the anxiety. I have had enough time to think over the “batter’s box” scenario. I stink at baseball too. The aphasia is coming back stronger.
What is aphasia? Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language. For most people, these are areas on the left side (hemisphere) of the brain. Aphasia usually occurs suddenly, often as the result of a stroke or head injury, but it may also develop slowly, as in the case of a brain tumor, an infection, or dementia. The disorder impairs the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. Aphasia may co-occur with speech disorders such as dysarthria or apraxia of speech, which also result from brain damage.
The most important mental symptoms: I was just shy of a master’s degree in public administration when I was struck with my stroke. I am witnessing a slowdown of doing puzzles, games of thought, simple quizzes, first names or last names of friends. Concentration is all over the thought process. I cannot keep thought processes on one subject for a length of time. I get confused over the points I try to make. Then forget what I was doing in the first place. My lack of emotional control is most recent. Crying to my son while I exhibit the need to tell him I love him and then cry. I am also having a sudden bout with sudden laughter for no reason. I feel like the Joker in “Batman.” Due to this happening, I am anxious about nothing and everything. It is so bad I have to take an extra klonapin (calming medication) to keep from getting up and just getting on a bus to nowhere. This is happening way too much. Although I know that my condition will not allow me to survive on the streets, I want to do this in my mind.
The one good thing is it has nothing to do with high blood pressure. I have to keep and elevated pressure to push what blood I can muster through the smaller arteries that feed this brain.
I felt the need to tell mostly you caregivers to watch this condition, try to understand it. It does happen. Tell his physician that you suspect he might be a little off. Most of all, love him as much as you can. Do not take the physical abuse that I have read in this.
Tell on him. Call his doctor or even case worker if you are lucky to have one. Thank you.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Stroke and cerebral arteriosclerosis
Hello, readers, and the best to all of you. Most of this article is based on my inside look on this disease.
Let us break this down. A stroke, or “brain attack,” occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happens, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.
When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.
For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than two-thirds of survivors will have some type of disability. This is according to www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=stroke.
Now, here is a stroke, according to me, based on the above statement. First, “brain attack” is a politically correct term. A stroke is a stroke. You are now damaged in some way or manner and need to adapt and not surrender. More than two-thirds of survivors will have some type of disability. I am part of that two-thirds, and I am very happy I survived. It allows me to write for this paper to get the word out of this serious medical issue.
Learn the many warning signs of a stroke. Act FAST and CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY at any sign of a stroke.
Use FAST to remember the warning signs:
- F—FACE: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
- A—ARMS: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- S—SPEECH: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
- T—TIME: If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.
NOTE THE TIME WHEN ANY SYMPTOMS FIRST APPEAR. If given within three hours of the first symptom, there is an FDA-approved clot-buster medication that may reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke.
Learn as many stroke symptoms as possible so you can recognize stroke as FAST as possible.
Stroke symptoms include:
- SUDDEN numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg – especially on one side of the body.
- SUDDEN confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
- SUDDEN trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- SUDDEN trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
- SUDDEN severe headache with no known cause.
Call 9-1-1 immediately if you have any of these symptoms
Note the time you experienced your first symptom.
This information is important to your healthcare provider and can affect treatment decisions.
Please react quickly to any suspected stroke. Do not be like me and tell everyone you will be fine. To know me is to love me, but I’d rather not have the stroke. People are hard headed sometimes; they do not want to bother anyone.
Strokes can be devastating, so adhere to keeping yourself and your friends alive.
What is cerebral arteriosclerosis?
Cerebral arteriosclerosis is the result of thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries in the brain. Symptoms of cerebral arteriosclerosis include headache, facial pain, and impaired vision.
Cerebral arteriosclerosis can cause serious health problems. If the walls of an artery are too thick, or a blood clot becomes caught in the narrow passage, blood flow to the brain can become blocked and cause an ischemic stroke. When the thickening and hardening is uneven, arterial walls can develop bulges (called aneurysms). If a bulge ruptures, bleeding in the brain can cause a hemorrhagic stroke. Both types of stroke can be fatal.
Cerebral arteriosclerosis is also related to a condition known as vascular dementia, in which small, symptom-free strokes cause cumulative damage and death to neurons in the brain. Personality changes in the elderly, such as apathy, weeping, transient befuddlement, or irritability, might indicate that cerebral arteriosclerosis is present in the brain. Computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain can help reveal the presence of cerebral arteriosclerosis before ischemic strokes, hemorrhagic strokes, or vascular dementia develop. This is according to: www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_arteriosclerosis/cerebral_arteriosclerosis.htm.
Now, this has been the most fearsome with the stroke resulting from cerebral arteriosclerosis part I can deal with. I am the walking poster child for this with the exception that I am classified with the severe stage. I am not a candidate for any surgeries unless it becomes a life-threatening event. When you say I am hard-headed, I actually am. The MRI I received a few months back states that I am “void” of a blood flow. This means that I am not a zombie, but the flow is so small it can not be seen. Standing for periods of time is no longer viable. I no longer have the needed flow to keep myself in a marathon shape. I do retain my intellect but it becomes clouded when I exceed the needs of the available blood flow to my brain.
So how does this affect me? I want for everyone to know who is a caregiver or even with this disease to realize it is serious and draining to any individual. I remember a show named “All in the Family.” Archie used to tell Edith, “Don’t get sloppy on me now in your age.” I never knew completely what that meant. I do now know that everyone needs to recognize what can happen. I have the following symptoms that are the same as stated from the National Institute of Health, but more detailed. In order to fill those details, here we go.
Let’s start at the top. I mean the top of the body. It mentions headaches, oh yeah, people. This is from the lack of oxygen due to the blood flow making its way into the “Thomas Muffins Nooks and Crannies” of your brain. I will make it easy by being descriptive.
This is a signal to you to “sit” or “lay down.” Allow the blood flow to get back into where it is needed. Stop working and do not take the work with you in a seated or prone position. You only cheat yourself.
Admit to yourself that you need this. Do not try and work through it. Are you stubborn and want to try it anyway? Wake up on the floor like me many times. If you have had a stroke before, getting off the floor is horrible.
I have no idea why they tell you in the elderly watch the following symptoms. If you have it, I say it is the same no matter what age. They have listed dementia but do not really go into dementia. Me, I am starting to forget relatives’ names and items relating to that. Did I eat this morning? Have I taken my medications? This is real, folks. So listen to your survivor and inform your medical physician. I am also more exhausted than normal because I try to just “do.” People like me need to “do.” There are many of us hard wired from birth and you can see that in your prior usage of sick leave.
I hope I kicked this around enough for those who need to know. I shall return again in print.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Hearing loss with strokes
Hello, readers. I had a wonderful adventure the other day, and I thought I would share it. According to the American Heart Association, stroke can affect people in different ways. It depends on the type of stroke, the area of the brain affected and the extent of the brain injury. Brain injury from a stroke can affect the senses (such as eyesight, touch, awareness of body positioning), motor activity (movement of arms or legs), speech and the ability to understand speech. It can also affect behavioral and thought patterns, memory and emotions. Paralysis or weakness (the inability to move the arms or legs properly, or at all) on one side of the body is common.
After a stroke, most of these problems can improve over time. In some patients they will go away completely. I am not one of those patients. Yes, I have improved but issues remain where I can not return to any type of work.
The American Heart Association also writes that stroke usually doesn’t cause hearing loss, but people may have problems understanding speech. They also may have trouble saying what they’re thinking. This is called aphasia. Aphasia affects the ability to talk, listen, read and write. It’s most common with a stroke on the left side of the brain (because the speech and language center of the brain is located on the left side of the brain), which may also weaken the body’s right side. Another possible symptom of a left-brain stroke is weakness on the right side of the body. Stroke effects can be found at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4761.
Now there are some that beg to differ on the hearing study. I am one of those. I take it as who’s shoes you are in. I am in sneakers. OK, it’s a joke people on the sneakers.
I agree on one point, I do have issues understanding certain linguistics. Wow, a big word for me. So, I can’t understand certain inflections that are foreign. I guess it is because the brain is trying to reprogram what it is hearing and renewing the data base in the brain.
Mine does not work, apparently. The other day I clearly understood a couple speaking Spanish wherein the words were pronounced in a dialect I knew. I understand English but do find myself saying, “What?” quite a bit. Sometimes it is the speed of the person talking or a form of slang thrown in the middle of the sentence where the mind pauses to understand what was being said. Then here it comes “What”? You can see the frustrations on the person talking to you, then you get frustrated as you are trying. Strokers? Let me tell you, some have lost the veil of keeping things internal and lash out without thinking it through. Magical words formed in the military or teenage years seem just to come out during this frustration. It may be directed at you, or a release for them as they try to adjust.
Now, after attempting to explain that some stroke survivors have this and it does not just get up and disappear, I shall tell you a story.
Yesterday, I had to buy a new monitor for my computer. My computer is over 6 years old, and it works. Knock on some wood, please. I tried to setup my new LCD monitor and was surprised it came with a CD disc for startup. Usually, you just plug a new one in and go. I plugged it in, and it went into a mode that told me my input did not match the monitor. A white rectangle kept moving about the screen and covered a third of my monitor. I could not get it to disappear.
So what do I do, ahhh, a manual. I grab the manual, typical male, and open it. It was just the warranty in four different languages with call this help number. So, I called the help number. I waited on hold for 45 minutes and had a foreign-speaking toned man. He had me for 30 minutes getting the information from me, and I wish I had a quarter for every “What?” I said. I could hear the frustration in his voice. He finally said, very rudely, he can not help me. My computer is too old. He then gave me a live chat address for my computer. Wonderful, a third of my screen had a roving square telling me my input was bad. So, I start typing in the address block in between this moving roving square.
I got into live chat and within three minutes and had a live person (I think) typing to me. Now, picture yourself chatting in between a roving block and trying to read. Now think of a stroke survivor doing it. I started laughing because this was too surreal. I told her I was a stroke survivor and typed slow and had a roving square I could not get rid off. She was nice in writing, and I understood her wording format. She agreed my computer was old enough that they did not keep records on it, but could help me anyway and solve my issue. I say less than two minutes, she told me how to correct it to display the input that my old computer would only put out, and I was done.
So now I have a new screen. It is working and displaying this WordPerfect edition right now. So, the lesson learned. For the stroke survivors, this may be part of your stroke and is now a normal mode for you. Don’t blame yourself and ask for someone who can speak English if you get frustrated. Tell them why you need an English-speaking person without the inflections on certain words. I did not. I got hard-headed, and it did not get us anywhere. “Say what?”
If you can read and understand written word better, ask for an on line chat person. Explain to them that you are a survivor and are slow typing or whatever your shortcoming may be. It does work. For the people who know a stroke survivor, please realize this is part of the physical strike taken against them. They can not help it, so please be kind.
Column by Chris DeWald
Chris DeWald: Ketones
Column by Chris DeWald
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net
I had the wonderful experience of being the research rat for ketones last night. This reminds me of the Keystone Cops with the Keystone Cops being your blood glucose meter.
According to http://diabetes.webmd.com/ketones-14241, ketone test checks for ketone in your blood or urine. Ketones are substances that are made when the body breaks down fat for energy. Normally, your body gets the energy it needs from carbohydrate in your diet. But stored fat is broken down and ketones are made if your diet does not contain enough carbohydrate to supply the body with sugar (glucose) for energy or if your body cannot use blood sugar (glucose) properly. Continue reading “Chris DeWald: Ketones” »
Chris DeWald: Dealing with grief
Column by Chris DeWald
Submit guest columns: freepress2@ntelos.net
Grief may be triggered by the death of a loved one. People also can experience grief if they have an illness for which there is no cure, or a chronic condition that affects their quality of life. The end of a significant relationship may also cause a grieving process. Continue reading “Chris DeWald: Dealing with grief” »
Chris DeWald: Strokes and friendships
Posted by afp on November 1, 2011 · 2 Comments
What is the common root of this loss of close friends? I feel friends in sheep clothing cannot withstand being around people that are ill, or have changed. Some of our physical attributes changed and are “ugly” to some. The clenched fist from the muscles getting atrophic; muscle tone tighter than a mosquito’s rear end looks unusual to those seeing it for the first time. Angry pathetic words are made up like lobster boy and claw man for this condition. Their IQ might be superb, but outward appearances derive negative connotations.
According to
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-6984.2011.00079.x/abstract:
Outcomes and Results: 29 participants were recruited of whom 10 had aphasia. The main reasons given for losing friends were: loss of shared activities, reduced energy levels, physical disability, aphasia, unhelpful responses of others, environmental barriers, and changing social desires. The subset of participants who experienced the most extensive loss of friends were those who described a sense that they were closing in on themselves leading to a withdrawal from social contact and a new preference for meeting only close friends and family.
Those with aphasia experienced the most hurtful negative responses from others and found it more difficult to retain their friends unless they had strong supportive friendship patterns prior to the stroke. The factors which helped to protect friendships included: having a shared history, friends who showed concern, who lived locally, where the friendship was not activity-based, and where the participant had a ‘friends-based’ social network prior to the stroke.
I would score this high. I feel there are more direct causes. Fear from your ex-friends is one. The article above should be laced with “Son, you have had a brain injury”. Once we understand that the “brain” injury caused the above, we have a basic start. Here comes the negative connotation again. Since he has a brain injury, we sometimes get lumped into being “less” intelligent. I have been trying to get employed at a menial part-time position. I see prospective employer’s looks and I feel the. I’m sorry…you appear “stupid,” or other words associated with being mentally inefficient. I scored high on all their employment exams, but never get called. I see others getting jobs, but not me.
All right, we have had a brain injury. As survivors, we need a social group/club to express our concerns. You shall find many of your best friends are now stroke survivors. Why? They have been “there.” Their failures and triumphs are shared and you learn from mistakes and also productive successes.
Now, have you changed to warrant friends leaving? Since my injury, I have tried to compensate my weaknesses in the wrong manner. I lie to myself and then it transfers to others. Failure to accept the “new” you can lead down the wrong path of life. Be knowledgeable and understand what is going on now. One of my issues was I was on the wrong medication for six years. I was being treated for depression from day 1 of the brain stem strokes. I was not depressed. The pieces missing in my injury was needed to have a mood suppressant. I was not depressed. The wrong medication turned me down the wrong path. If you had issues before, the wrong med can intensify your mode of operation.
So without help, you do what you believe is the answer to everything in your new life. No direction is prominent and you suffer as well as others. I had a devastating result to me handling things without help. I am so happy it was found and is now being treated responsibly. But your past of doing weird things for six years takes its toll on you and others. When do you stop saying sorry? When does “sorry” become a word that no one believes anymore.
Kim Anderson, from Irvine, Texas, tells me the following:
Most friends desert us after a stroke because we are not the same person we once were to have fun with. I have had a true friend for over 30 years, she has been there for me through thick and thin, when my youngest was born, my stroke and when my hubby died. No matter the circumstances. Now that is a true friend, she doesn’t treat me any different either. not one we thought were our friends, those were just acquaintances I think a lot of people don’t know how to act around us after we have a stroke or what they can do to help, they realize their own morality maybe.
Family members even have a hard time in knowing what to do around us. No one really does, I guess, unless they have walked in our shoes, no that is it in a nutshell.
Kim is a survivor, and I am indeed proud of her. Although she is a Cowboy fan and her other stroke buddy is a Steeler fan. I find them to be very intelligent, funny and strong willed.
Now we have an insight on the personal feelings and one type of anguish felt by survivors. If you are a friend, help yourself to understand. Help your friends to understand. It is a two way street. True friends are forever. Thanks, readers.
Column by Chris DeWald
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with brain injury, chris dewald, stroke, strokes