OT: How to spot a stroke....maybe save a life......S...T....R

[Guest guest]

Hi Folks....

 

It's that time of the year (Happy Holidays, Folks) when we wind up

dealing with crowds, and famiy gatherings, and...we're around more

people than usual...

 

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US.....

 

A number of folks survive strokes.....I'm one....

For my foreseeable future I'll have to use a cane and a leg brace, and

deal with an efeectively useless right arm and hand...

If I had known what was going on.....

 

So it behooves one to be able to recognize a stroke....not only to help

others, but in one's own interests....

 

An article from the Alternet's subject mailings today...

Note: Alternet.org is a progressive organization, a tad to the left....

 

Stroke don't much care about politics, ethnicity, gender, or sexual

orientation....No discrimination..it kills and cripples across boundaries...

 

************************************

 

WANT TO SAVE SOME LIVES? HERE IS A SIMPLE FORMULA FOR IDENTIFYING STROKES

By Don Hazen, AlterNet

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/114499/

 

 

--

Gary W. Bourbonais

L'Hermite Aromatique

A.J.P. (GIA)

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing this, especially this time of year when my stress level hits

the roof........, also, this year my blood pressure has be elevated, so this was

a very timely reminder for me, I shared it with my family.  It never hurts to

have another set of eyes.

Happy Holidays to all

 

Alison Covington, RMT

www.acovingtonrmt.com

 

--- On Mon, 12/22/08, Gary Bourbonais <gwb wrote:

 

Gary Bourbonais <gwb

OT: How to spot a stroke....maybe save a

life......S...T....R

 

Monday, December 22, 2008, 4:40 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Folks....

 

It's that time of the year (Happy Holidays, Folks) when we wind up

dealing with crowds, and famiy gatherings, and...we're around more

people than usual...

 

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the US.....

 

A number of folks survive strokes..... I'm one....

For my foreseeable future I'll have to use a cane and a leg brace, and

deal with an efeectively useless right arm and hand...

If I had known what was going on.....

 

So it behooves one to be able to recognize a stroke....not only to help

others, but in one's own interests... .

 

An article from the Alternet's subject mailings today...

Note: Alternet.org is a progressive organization, a tad to the left....

 

Stroke don't much care about politics, ethnicity, gender, or sexual

orientation. ...No discrimination. .it kills and cripples across boundaries.. .

 

************ ********* ********* ******

 

WANT TO SAVE SOME LIVES? HERE IS A SIMPLE FORMULA FOR IDENTIFYING STROKES

By Don Hazen, AlterNet

http://www.alternet .org/healthwelln ess/114499/

 

--

Gary W. Bourbonais

L'Hermite Aromatique

A.J.P. (GIA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> A number of folks survive strokes.....I'm one....

> For my foreseeable future I'll have to use a cane and a leg brace, and

> deal with an efeectively useless right arm and hand...

> If I had known what was going on.....

>

>

 

 

" A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within three

hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke ... totally. He

said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and then

getting the patient medically cared for within three hours, which is

tough. While getting appropriate medical care for a stroke victim as

soon as possible is extremely important, doing so does not come with a

100 percent guarantee that a stroke identified and treated within a

three-hour time frame will not cause permanent damage. "

 

 

I was one of the lucky ones. This last May I was sitting in church

when I had about every sign of a stroke. I turned to the guy next to

me and said " I think I'm having a stroke " . I did not quite believe it

myself. Like an idiot, I shuffled out to my car and drove a mile home.

 

There was no way I was doing anything without looking it up on the

internet ;-p I was right....everything was indicative of a stroke. I

packed up some clothes and my CPAP and started back out to my car. On

the porch I could no longer see. I called 911 on my cell phone. They

came and got me. Part of me knew what was going on and part of me was

unable to respond or walk or talk.

 

I was immediately taken to the stroke unit and given tPA and other

meds. The right sided numbness and dragging leg mostly went away.

After 3 days I was fine. It took at least a month of napping and

struggling to get my mind mostly back. I still joke that someone took

all the files out of my cabinet, threw them around and stuffed them

back in any which way.

 

In 8 months I am virtually all better. Not sure if my brain will stay

at this level of ditziness. Rarely do other people notice...the

struggle is on the inside. It's my short term memory that's not so

great. Still feels like swimming through jello or cotton candy to try

to think too hard.

 

I have since talked to other folks who had strokes. Most are too

stubborn to go to the ER. Read up on strokes and take it seriously if

you think you may be having one! I was sooooooooooo lucky!

 

--

Wendy the Wanderer in the NY Adirondacks

http://wendyusuallywanders.wordpress.com/

 

The currency of life is time...not dollars.