Best Posts in Thread: Stroke Warning Signs

* Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
* Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
* Sudden seeing in one or both eyes
* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
* Sudden severe headache with no known cause
*** Get to a hospital right away

 

3 1/2 yrs ago today I had that stroke. It was a surreal feeling when it happened. Fortunately. SMC had the equipment, medication, and knowledge to pull me through.
Today, my improvement (trying to get back to normal) seems to be leveling off. Maybe overall I am 2/3 back. This week I shaved myself for the first time since the stroke (using my left hand - I am right handed but that hand has about 75% paralysis still), 2 weeks ago I walked to the CR by myself for the first time. Normally, I need someone on my right side when walking. Small victories but you take what you can get. My voice is about 80% normal so I am lucky about that. I walk the boulevard walkway and go to the gym 5 times a week. My B-I-L is my driver and helps navigate me around the gym. The problem I have is sitting down and getting up by myself.
My stroke was caused by a hereditary high cholesterol problem and I foolishly stopped taking Lipitor (expensive here) and my blood pressure went high during a stressful period. Plus no doctor checkup got 8 years (thinking I exercise, don't smoke, not overweight so must be healthy - WRONG),
So maybe others here can learn from my mistake and get a blood test.

 

I remember being grateful when shortly after his stroke PatO posted his precursor signs. I didn't have most of them but DID have some unexplained (no hangover!) throbbing headaches in my temple a couple of times a week. PatO's post got me to the doctor to check it out, and it turns out I had dangerously high blood pressure which is now under control with relatively inexpensive generic medication (Losartan/HCTZ).

Anyway, if this helps, I saw something similar to this on a highway billboard sign in the US recently, paid for by a local hospital ER. They are touting the F.A.S.T acronym:

• F: Face drooping. Look for an uneven smile.
• A: Arm weakness. Is one arm weak? Can you lift both arms?
• S: Speech difficulty. Listen for slurred speech. Do people understand your speech?
• T: Time is brain. Go to the hospital, (or call 911) preferably with an acute stroke unit, immediately.

 

Depends on whether the stroke is haemorrhagic or ischaemic and how severe. Assessment should involve rapid blood testing, physical examinations, neurological examinations, CT and MRI. The sooner the better as most folk know. Pat's right, if you suspect a stroke get to hospital right away

Treatment is a can of worms, I mean a number of options. No Doc prescribes cans of worms, even in the Phils. Basically surgery (if viable), treatment with blood thinners or clot busters, anti-hypertensives, statins etc. Most folks are advised to take aspirin regularly. Physical rehab is another can of worms, depends on severity, where the clot/bleed was and which functions were affected.

Best advice is to eat healthily, don't smoke, moderate the falling down juice and get regular health check ups once past the age of 50. Which is most of us here I suppose. Long discussion could be had about circulatory diseases and diet here in the Phils I reckon, especially about the crap it seems most of the population shovel down daily...but hey.

C

 

Good question Brian. You may as well your priest, rabbi, Iman, Grand Wizard, or Duterte.
Seriously, those of us at risk should have a plan. In my case, my F-I-L took my scooter to the Bacong fire department where the municipal ambulance parks and got the drive to follow him to my place in his p.o.s. ambulance about 3 minutes away. Ambulalance arrived with only a driver, in-laws had to load me in in a stretcher, no IV. I thought they would just drop me off as we passed St. Peter's mortuary and save a trip.
Every town in Negros has an ambulance service. You should go to your town hall and get the phone number.

 

You might not necessarily need a physician for that. You can buy electronic syphgmomanometers, blood glucose testing kits and with a bit of suss keep yourself alive and fairly healthy without a doc. Have you considered a nurse (now there's a thing, insist on the 'uniform' and watch both your and your asawas blood pressure)? Nurses can undertake pretty good physical examinations and lots these days have been educated to Masters level. It's quite possible they might know more about a subject area than their physician colleagues.

I take your point about keeping records though. There just isn't the best infrastructure to support this unless you are a top dollar paying long nose resident in one of the metros. It seems to me most Filipinos don't strike a relationship with their docs so that they become 'family docs' . Given the almost prohibitive cost of healthcare they only access healthcare if something is seriously wrong and they can afford it/have borrowed from the relies etc. Hence the often repeated belief that "you go to hospital to die" - something I have heard from mainly the older folks in my baranguay. A bit sad in my view.

I liked the idea of keeping your own healthcare records, a good tip for anyone moving here. Most westerners should be able to access their own healthcare records, have them scanned and kept safe. If you've got blood family prematurely popping off due to the big three (circulatory diseases, depression or cancer) then you might need that regular check up.

regarding the old follow through problem...I've had a quick word with the proctologist lurking in the hospital basement where I work...sounds like a number of things going on there. Rule out dehydration or food poisoning for instance...but essentially there is a muscle in the old pooper that could use toning up where us oldies are concerned. Regular clenching and squeezing of said muscle for 10-15 minutes per day should lift its 'fitness level'. I'll leave it to you to decide when or where you do this. Public exercises of this sort can attract odd glances....

C

 

Off topic but worth mentioning.
My cast iron guts are no longer tough, I'm actually a sensitive guy now.
When I get a digestive upset I take ERCEFLORA. It is a liquid containing some biological material available at almost any pharmacy. It's similar to Yakult but the erceflora actually works. Within a few hours (or so) bowel movements are back to normal.

Some people like Imodium and such. I prefer to stay away from that type of anti-diarrhea stuff as it's main function is to reduce contraction in the digestive tract. Too much Imodium and the constipation that comes later can be very uncomfortable.