Curious as I am, I decided to do a research about my condition after a week of confinement in the hospital, thanks to the advancement of technology it wasn’t impossible for me to find answers at an instant.
In the Philippines, more often than not whenever somebody had a stroke the next question would be ” Highblood ka ba?(Do you have hypertension?) or Highblood ba siya? (Does he/she have hypertension?)”. Stroke has always been associated with obesity or hypertension. If not, question like “May sakit ka ba sa puso? (Does he/she have a heart problem?)” may be asked. Well, these are risk factors but they are not always the cause .In my case I wasn’t even fat when I had one and I have always maintained a relatively low but normal blood pressure of 110/70 at the average even when I was rushed to the hospital. Neither do I have any cardio vascular ailment history or anything of that sort.
What is Stroke?
According to the website of a non-profit organization called National Stroke Organization, A stroke is a “brain attack”. It can happen to anyone at any time. It occurs when blood flow to an area of brain is cut off. When this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain such as memory and muscle control are lost.
How a person is affected by their stroke depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged. For example, someone who had a small stroke may only have minor problems such as temporary weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be permanently paralyzed on one side of their body or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability.
In addition, the affected part of your brain is relatively opposite to the affected part of your body. In my case I had hemorrhage on the right side of my brain so my left side both leg and arm were immobilized. If it were on the left, not only my limbs would have been paralyzed but even my speech.
I am grateful to God for not taking my only means of earning a living away, my speech. As per this writing I have already gotten back to work. I have not fully recovered as to my paralyzed half but I have gotten back almost all my confidence and strength.
Below are the types of stroke from the National Stroke Organization
HEMORRHAGIC STROKE
A brain aneurism burst or a weakened blood vessel leak (hemorrhagic) is one of two types of stroke. While the least common of the two types of stroke it most often results in death. This was what happened to me and in God’s will I was one of the few who survived.
SCHEMIC STROKE
A blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot (ischemic) is one type of stroke. Learn more about the types of ischemic stroke.
****WHAT IS TIA?
When blood flow to part of the brain stops for a short period of time, also called transient ischemic attack (TIA), it can mimic stroke-like symptoms. These appear and last less than 24 hours before disappearing. Learn more about the signs, your risk, and TIA management.
So what are the Risk Factors?
Stroke risk factors are divided into two categories. Even if you have several uncontrollable risk factors, it is important that you address the ones that you can change or eliminate to decrease your risk for stroke.
Uncontrollable Risk Factors
Age
Gender
Race
Personal history of stroke
Family history of stroke
Diabetes
Heart disease, especially atrial fibrillation
Controllable Risk Factors
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Diabetes
Hypercholesterolemia (High Cholesterol)
Smoking
Excessive alcohol intake
Other risk factors:
Carotid or Artery Disease – This disease affects the arteries throughout the body which become damaged by a fatty buildup of plaque inside the artery wall. The carotid arteries in the neck supply blood to the brain, and if one of them becomes blocked by a blood clot, it causes a stroke. People with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have a higher risk of stroke.
Atrial Fibrillation or other Heart Disease – Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important, treatable stroke risk factor. In AF, the heart’s upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively. This lets the blood pool and clot. If a clot breaks off, enters the blood stream and lodges in an artery supplying blood to a part of the brain, a stroke results..
What is Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain can be due to problems in the spinal cord.
Nerve pain is a particular type of pain that feels different to other types of pain.
It often feels like shooting, stabbing or burning pain. Sometimes it can be as sharp and sudden as an electric shock.
It’s often worse at night. It might be mild or it might be severe.
Nerve pain can be due to problems in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), or in the nerves that run from there to the muscles and organs.
Nerve pain is usually caused by disease (such as diabetes or vitamin B12 deficiency) or an injury to the brain, spinal cords or a nerve.
Your doctor will diagnose it by listening to you and examining you, and perhaps doing some tests.
There are many ways to treat nerve pain. Treating the underlying cause, if there is one, is the first step. Painkillers and a range of different medicines can help. So can non-drug treatments like exercise, acupuncture and relaxation techniques.
thereslifeafterstroke 