Quote:
Originally posted by Gitchigumee:
[snip].. How strokes work, if it's the right side of the brain, it affects the left side of your body. And if it's the left side of the brain, it affects the right side of the body AND your speach, swallowing abilities, etc. [snip again]
Other than perhaps being a surgeon, I cannot imagine an occupation that would be hindered more by a stroke, than being a guitar player. [snip again]
...I always thought about strokes was that they were like lightening flashes, and then they were done, and maybe some of them are, but the one my dad had lasted for about 48 hours. [snip again  ]
Because my dad had heart surgery a few years back, he is on a blood thinner and was not a candidate for the reversal drug they sometimes give stroke victims. I suspect, because of his prior health issues, Gordon may also have NOT been a candidate for the reversal drug. What we were told with my dad is, that if you get to the Dr. w/i 3 hours of the onset of the symptoms, then they can give you a drug to reverse the effects of a stroke. But like I said, my dad was not a candidate for that and I doubt Gord was either.
The MRI my dad had, and which I believe Gord had, was to see if there had been any bleeding on the brain. In my dad's case, there was none. In Gord's case, there must not have been any either, which is VERY GOOD NEWS because that can be really, really bad.
I think it is very common for stroke victims to go through depression afterwards. [snip again]
As in the case with all of us worrying about Gordon, and as was the case with my father, I found myself worrying incessantly about subsequent strokes occurring. [snip (for the last time  ]
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A stroke on the left side doesn't always affect speech and swallowing abiities. I had an aneurysm (which caused a stroke) on the left side and was unconscious for a month. When I woke up, a asked the nurse, "Where the hell am I and how did I get here?" I had no trouble with speech or swallowing. It really depends on the area where the stroke occurs.
I'm a guitar player, and for the first three or four months, I couldn't hold a pick, nor could I fingerpick. I remember telling my sister, "If I can't play the guitar, I don't see any sense in living." Of course, I changed my mind, considering the alternative, and started working on getting my movement back. It's just about back to normal now.
The length of a stroke depends on the severity and the location in the brain where it occurs. In my case, I went into the basement to do laundry and collapsed on the floor. My son found me and called 911, and they air lifted me to Mass Medical in Boston. I don't remember a thing about that day, or the month in Boston.
People who have had a history of ruptured aneurysms are generally steered clear of most types of blood thinners. Annie pointed out a couple of new ones that seem to be getting good results. I'm not allowed blood thinners, or any drug that ends in 'in'... Aspirin, Cumadin, Motrin, Excedrin, etc. They all thin the blood.
Yes, aneurysm or any type of bleeding in the brain can be deadly, for sure. Most people don't live to tell of them. My father died of a ruptured blood vessel in his brain just four years ago. With my aneurysm, I had a 6% chance of survival, and don't really have a clue why I'm not 6 ft under. I have regular CT scans to see if the repaired aneurysm has started bleeding, or if I've developed another. As far as reversing the effects of a stroke, again, it depends where it happens in the brain. There's so much of our brain that we don't use. A fortunate stroke victim would be lucky enough to have the stroke in that part of the brain.
Depression is very common with a stroke victims. For one, their way of life takes a complete flip flop. Most of them can't work. They lose their license and have to prove that they aren't a babbling idiot in order to get them back. And they're on an emotional roller coaster. I remember crying over the most insignificant things!
I've had therapy for a year now. I can now move everything and even play guitar and fiddle again, but I still suffer from some weird type of amnesia. I'll be traveling along a road that I've been on thousands of times, and I just lose track of where I'm going, why I'm going, and what road I'm on. Until that goes away, there's no driving for me. I also had short term memory problems at first. Couldn't remember a damned thing. It has improved quite a bit with therapy.
As far a subsquent strokes occuring, avoiding another stroke takes medical intervention and a change in lifestyle. In other words, stop smoking, stop eating too much, stop drinking, stop getting stressed out, watch your blood pressure... I'm sure you've heard all this. But it's the truth. If a stroke victim doesn't want to risk the chance of a reoccurance, he has to change whatever caused it in the first place, and become resigned to the fact that he has to see a doctor regularly.
Glad to hear your father is doing so well, and I'm sure Gord's doctors have told him all of the above. Now... he just has to become committed to getting better.