S is for Stroke

Labor Day 2011, I had a cerebellar stroke. It was caused from my diabetes, and a blood clot. It happened in the back of my brain. I did not know it, but, I had been having mini strokes, before the big one. It was very scary, while I was in ICU, my brain started swelling. At one point, they thought they were going to have to take me into surgery, and remove half of my skull. Praise God, the swelling finally went down. The stroke affected my balance, speech, and vision. When I left the hospital, I had to go to rehab, basically had to learn to walk all over again. I still have a 100% blocked artery in the back of my brain, they cannot remove it, because of where it is located.                 

What is a stroke?

Stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, and brain tissue is damaged.
The two main types of stroke are:

• Ischaemic - where a blood clot forms in the brain. This accounts for about 8, out of 10 instances of stroke.
• Hemorrhagic - when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, and causes a brain hemorrhage.

Stroke can be especially damaging physically, but may also cause mental problems with thought, or speech.

What are stroke symptoms?

The warning signs of a stroke are given the acronym FAST:

• Face - stroke will often affect muscles on one side of the face, causing the mouth, or eyes to droop down in contrast with the unaffected side
• Arms - a person having had a stroke, may be unable to hold up one of their arms
• Speech - slurred speech may be a sign of a stroke
• Time - refers to the need for urgent action, call 911 immediately if one, or more of the symptoms are present.      

Other symptoms of a stroke may include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body
• Confusion
• Trouble seeing
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Double vision
• Severe headache

Sometimes people may experience a stroke, without being fully aware that they have had one. This kind of stroke is called a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), and is sometimes referred to as a ‘mini-stroke’.
The NHS states that there may be up to 65,000 people affected by a TIA each year, but many of these go unreported.
Any suspicion of stroke, should prompt an instant emergency call.

Am I at high risk of having a stroke?

Having diabetes increases the risk of stroke. Other factors which further raise the risk of stroke include:

• Smoking
• Obesity
• Having high blood pressure
• Elevated blood cholesterol levels
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Having a family history of heart disease, or stroke