Stroke

Identifying a Stroke - It’s personal

My father had a STROKE. There is nothing worse than getting a phone call from your mother at 9:30 at night when you are not expecting it. For some reason when the phone rang I immediately had a bad feeling. I’m loosing your father my mother said, I don’t know what’s wrong with. I asked her what happened. She described that they were having dinner and noticed my father having trouble getting the fork to his mouth and keeping the food on the fork with his right hand. 

Loss of dexterity and strength is one key symptom of a stroke. I immediately told my mom to hang up the phone and get my dad the the nearest hospital as I suspected he was having a stroke. They were in Loreto, Mexico on their 4th day of vacation.

What is a STROKE?

A stroke, also know as a CEREBRAL VASCULAR ACCIDENT (CVA) or Bran Attack. There are two main types of strokes, ISCHEMIC OR HEMORRAGIC.

An ISCHEMIC STROKE is when there is a blood clot which blocks the flow of blood to the arteries that supply the brain. 85% of strokes are ischemic strokes.

A HEMORRAGIC stroke is when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

There are also TIAs (Transient ischemic attacks) or mini-strokes. The difference between a CVA results from the absence of oxygen, while a TIA results from low oxygen.

Signs and Symptoms of a STROKE:

• Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, usually on one side of the body.
• Trouble speaking or understanding.
• Problems with vision, such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes.
• Dizziness or problems with balance or coordination.
• Problems with movement or walking.
• Fainting or seizure.
• Paralysis of the body or face

I’m sharing this with you because time is of the essence when someone is having a stroke. Today’s treatments for ISCHEMIC STROKES are amazing if administered within 3 hours of when symptoms appear. A friend of mine in his early 50s had a stroke early this year. His wife recognized the symptoms, called 911 and within 2 hr the medication was administered and he had an almost immediate recovery.

My father was misdiagnosed with a TIA at a hospital in Lorerto, Mexico and sent back to his hotel. 4 hours later, symptoms worsened and he was back at the hospital. Unfortunately for him the hospital didn’t have a CT or MRI machine, which is how doctors determine IF you are having a stroke, and what kind of stroke you are having, and it wasn’t till about 24hrs later, when he was med-evacuated to San Diego that the stroke was identified via CT.

Here are a few lessons to be learned, if it looks like a stroke, proceed as if it is a stroke unless ruled out by CT or MRI.

Two, make sure when you travel you purchase travel insurance that includes repatriation and medical evacuation with at least $100,000 in benefits. My parents always do. This flight alone home would have been about $34,000.

So far, my father is doing very well for what he went through, 4 total strokes (small ones) identified via MRI. He is now back home in Los Angeles. So far, deficits are small, and if this is the worst for him then it's best case scenario.

Please, learn the signs of strokes and act F.A.S.T. if you suspect a stroke.

I hope you and your family are well and healthy.
 

Dr. Eric.