Stroke: Definition And Personal Experience
Stroke has been classified as the most disabling Chronic disease. Many individuals have known or have friends, relatives, loved ones, or someone close to them who have either experienced firsthand or have seen the effects of a stroke. Stroke is a commonly known disease that is often fatal. A stroke occurs when blood flows to the brain is stopped, by either a blood clot stopping blood from reaching the brain, called ischemic stroke, or a blood vessel in the brain bursting or leaking causing internal bleeding in the brain, called a hemorrhagic stroke. Once in the brain, the clot travels to the blood vessel which cause the stroke.
2014 Tragedy
In March 2014, I had a stroke., I wake up with massive headache. The right side of my body was feeling numb. After talking to my mom, she decided to take me the hospital. After arriving at the hospital, we had spoken to the nurse about my symptoms. The Nurse and the Doctor thought I had a bad migraine, but the doctor wanted to run more test on me. The first thing they did was took sample of blood. Then they give me EKG and MRI. The EKG showed irregular test result, the nurse and doctor were talking among each other’s about the irregular test result. So, the they did MRI on me. After an hour later, the nurse and the doctor were stun about the result. The doctor with the nurse had come in to let my mom and I know the results. The doctor had said that “you had a stroke”, and the nurse started hooking wires up on me. My mom and I had started to cry. I was so confused because I really didn’t know what’s was going on. I had to stay in the ICU unit for about a week, on top of that I had to stay in the hospital for about two weeks, then I got to transfer and be at Frazier Rehab Institute to do inpatient care, and later did several months of outpatient care. I was so down due to having the stroke, heart condition and other medical condition I was stuck. It’s hard coming from a child that was involved playing sports and then all sudden everything stops. It seemed that the hospital was my home and if I’m not in the hospital the doctor’s office was my room.
Cause, Signs, Prevention
Stroke can happen to anyone at any given time. To gain better knowledge and understand the disease, one must be familiar with how its caused, its forms, symptoms, facilitators, how it is diagnosed, treated, and prevented. Stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year that’s 1 out of every 20 death. More than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. (Center for disease control and prevention, 2017). A person with a stroke is affected depending on where in the brain the stroke occurs. There are two main causes of stroke: a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Some people might have a temporary disruption of a blood flow to the brain. Which means that the symptoms of a stroke vary due to the type of stroke. The five stroke waring signs identified by the National institute of Neurological Disorders and stroke include: sudden weakness of the face, arm , or legs on one side of the body; Sudden difficulty speaking or trouble understanding speech; sudden severe headache with no known cause; and unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness, or sudden falls. Its recommended to call a doctor or 911 even you have the symptoms. Although, there are symptoms of a stroke there are prevention. There are many things that can be done to lower the risk or prevent a stroke. Eating healthy such as eating fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Avoidance in alcohol and Tabaco. Medication therapy such as aspirin, and Plavix can help thin the blood to prevent from clotting. (Stroke Brain Symptoms, 2018).
Treatment for an ischemic Stroke will focus mainly on restoring blood flow due to there being no cure for stroke, but because of the advance of the advance medical and surgical ischemic stroke treatment are now available, it gives many stroke victims hope for the best recovery. The doctors may use emergency IV medication to restore blood flow by dissolving the blood clot in your brain causing the stroke. Emergency endovascular producers such as the doctor insert a thin tube through an artery in the groin and thread it to your brain to deliver TPA directly where the stroke is happening.
How its Diagnosed
In order to determine the case of a stroke, a physician will order an X-ray called a Cat-scan. A CT scan can show bleeding in the brain, an ischemic stroke, a tumor or other conditions. Doctors may inject a dye into your bloodstream to view your blood vessels in your neck and brain in greater detail Another test that can give much more detailed view of the brain is Magnetic Resonance imaging study or MRI. A conventional MRI may not detect a stroke until up to 6 hours after it has started, and a CAT scan sometimes cannot detect it until it is 12 to 24 hours old. The doctors also do a physical exam. An MRI uses powerful radio waves and magnets to create a detailed view of your brain. MRI can detect brain tissue damaged by an ischemic stroke and brain hemorrhages. The doctor may inject a dye into a blood vessel to view the arteries and veins and highlight blood flow. The doctor will do a number of tests you’re familiar with, such as listening to your heart and checking your blood pressure. Doctor will do a number of blood tests such as listening to your heart and checking your blood pressure. Carotid ultrasound is sound waves create detailed images of the inside of the carotid arteries in your neck. Cerebral angiogram the doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube (catheter) through a small incision, usually in your groin, and guides it through your major arteries and into your carotid or vertebral artery. Then the doctor injects a dye into your blood vessels to make them visible under X-ray imaging. This procedure gives a detailed view of arteries in your brain and neck. (Mayo Clinic, 2019).
Conclusion
A stroke can be a disaster and distressing experience to happen to a person and their family. You can go from being independent to needing assistance in a matter of minutes. You can go from being able to speak fluently to having a speech impairment. When having a stroke, you could be hospitalized for months depending on how the stroke affected you. Stroke is a commonly disease that occurs at any age at any giving time. But the good thing is that there are many facilities that can help with building the victims motor skills and daily routine.
References
- Essays, UK. (November 2018). Stroke Brain Symptoms. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/medical/stroke-brain-symptoms.php?vref=1
- Stroke. (2019, November 22). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350119.
- Stroke Facts. (2017, September 6). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm.
- Walls RM, et al., eds. Stroke. In: Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 5, 2019.
