We're all healthy, fit, strong. We're careful about what we eat and drink. We don't smoke or use alcohol in excess. We get regular physical checkups and amaze the doctors with our low resting pulse rates and our overall great condition. Minor health problems are quickly resolved. In short, we pride ourselves on being examples of good health. Heart attacks and strokes are things that happen to other people, but never to us. At least, that's what I thought until I had a stroke on April 16.
Stroke cripples and kills. Also known as BRAIN ATTACK, stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. It happens when part of the brain is injured due to a problem with the blood vessels going to the brain. This can be either due to a blockage where part of the brain suffocates and dies (ischemic stroke), or when a blood vessel breaks causing bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). Ischemic stroke is the more common type and treatment for it is time dependent, making stroke a neurological emergency.
Even when my stroke was happening (it came in four successive waves, the second an hour after the first, followed by the third and fourth almost immediately), I was tempted to dismiss it as something trivial and not worth even being concerned about. I was sure that it would pass if I just sat still and ignored it. I was telling myself, of course, that strokes don't happen to healthy, fit people like me. Fortunately, people around me had the good sense to call 9-1-1. I was taken to a nearby hospital, diagnosed, and treated immediately with a clot-busting drug, tissue plasminogen activator, (tPA) or Activase. It worked perfectly and, thankfully, I have no residual effects.
What can any of us learn from my experience? First, no matter who you are or how fit you may be, be aware that it CAN happen to you or people around you. Second, recognize the signs of a stroke. The American Stroke Association publishes five different warning signs, any one of which could be evidence of a stroke:
An easy way to remember some of these more common symptoms of stroke is to think FAST:
F: Face weakness or numbness
A: Arm weakness or numbness
S: Speech difficulty or slurred speech
T: Time to call 911
I was saved from having a really bad and perhaps permanent outcome because the people around me acted without delay. They called 9-1-1 and had me in a hospital within minutes. The clot-busting drug which dissolved my clot and effectively ended my stroke MUST be given within 3 hours of the first sign of a stroke, or not at all. A lesson for all of us: DON'T DELAY. If you have any reason at all to suspect that a stroke is happening, get help immediately. Sadly, only 5% of stroke victims receive this wonderful treatment in time.
May is Stroke Awareness Month. I hope that anyone reading this message will take the time to familiarize themselves with the warning signals and resolve to act promptly if they see any of them occurring. Don't be afraid to err on the side of caution! It has been said that for every 10 people learning these warning signals and acting on them, one life will be saved!