Is there a way for a person to fully recover from a stroke?
It's going to be according to what was damaged in the brain- what areas and how badly- how soon and how much therapy a person receives, and how able they are to utilize the therapy they receive.A stroke can cause massive damage to the brains, killing whole swathes of brain tissue and, generally, neurons don't grow back. ( Page on jneurosci.org ) So, if the clot or bleed which caused the CVA (cerebral vascular accident) was big, full recovery may be impossible.If both drug and physical/occupational/speech therapies are started immediately, stroke victims can recover a surprising amount of functioning; surprising for the state in which they were brought in to the Emergency Room, anyway. Clot-busting drugs along with blood thinners help to clear away lingering debris in the brain's circulatory system and also keep a good, steady flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients in to the damaged area. That helps tremendously.The therapies mentioned above, though, are less efficacious if the damage is severe. PT, which usually focuses on physical strengthening of an affected body part and overall conditioning, and OT, which focuses on every day tasks and abilities, don't do a person who is completely right-side paralyzed much good until the brain heals a bit from the insult of the stroke. There are improvements, certainly, but until the brain starts re-routing itself around damaged areas, these therapies are mostly a holding pattern. Same with speech therapy, although it is speech, with its emphasis on cognition, which can get the ball really rolling. Real improvement starts to be seen about week 3 post CVA, with continued improvement for about 18 months. After that, a plateau is usually reached, and few people can afford to continue the intensive therapy needed to see further improvement.Two and three years later, there can be little improvement in functional abilities, although strength in musculature can help minimize deficits. I'm sorry your friend has had to go through this, and will continue with this disability for the rest of her life. The best thing you can do now is to treat her as a friend, help her when she requests it, and not allow her deficits to cause you to see her as someone to be pitied. No one gains from pity.
Ive had a stroke, will I pass a FAA Medical?
From the FAA: "airmen who wish to be granted medical certification after the diagnosis of CVD or after a specific event, such as a TIA or stroke, must wait for 24 months prior to any attempt at gaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. If after that time frame they have remained asymptomatic and no significant sequelae exist they may request consideration for certification under the Authorization for Special Issuance (i.e., waiver) process. If during the work up there is discovered a definitive etiology for the event and it is adequately treated, then it possible to gain medical certification after one year of observation.
What would cause a stroke in a 37-year-old male?
A clot. The same kind that causes a stroke whether you are 7, 37, or 97. Heart attacks(MI), and strokes(CVA) have the same common denominator-clots. Obviously it takes a much larger clot to stop your heart , but the blood vessels in the brain are in some cases microscopic, so the clot itself can be microscopic. Every single one of us, male or female, young or old, have millions/billions of clots circulating through our bloodstream daily. It's the presence of blood vessel clogging culprits like plaque, fibrosis,traumatic injury, that allow these clots to get stuck, thus impeding blood flow. Our blood carries oxygen, and without the supply of oxygen, the affected area of any and all of the systems in our body;integumentary , cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, etc…begin to die fairly immediately. It seems a fairly normal practice to describe these debilitating events to a fairly young person as being rare or even crazy and unfair, but that is largely because people equivocate serious illness and disease to advanced age. Disease, impairment, injury, and disability don't age-discriminate.
How can you tell if you have had a mini stroke?
TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK (TIA) OR MINI STROKESSource National Stroke AssociationA transientischemic attack (TIA) is a transient episode of neurologic dysfunction caused by ischemia (loss of blood flow) to brain or retina without permanent tissue injury. TIAs are often labeled as "mini-strokes," because they don’t lead to permanent neuronal damage. But the term "warning stroke" is more appropriate, because they can indicate the likelihood of a coming stroke. A TIA is an important warning sign to signal a problem that may lead to disability, further strokes or even death. TIA was originally defined clinically by the temporary nature of less than 24 hours of the associated neurologicsymptoms. Recently, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) defined TIA as transient episode of neurologic dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without acute infarction lasting less than a hour.Transient ischemic attacks usually last a few minutes. Most signs and symptoms disappear within an hour. The signs and symptoms of TIA resemble those found early in a stroke and may include sudden onset of:· Weakness, numbness or paralysis in face, arm or leg, typically on one side of the body· Slurred or garbled speech or difficulty understanding others· Blindness in one or both eyes or double vision· Dizziness or loss of balance or coordinationWhen to see a doctorSeek immediate medical attention if you suspect you've had a transient ischemic attack. Prompt evaluation and identification of potentially treatable conditions may help you prevent a stroke.
I'm not sure if i suffered a stroke, do i need a ct scan? head ached and vomited extremely little?
It is unlikely that you have had a stroke at your age, but you should talk about this more with your doctor; she is the one who is best able to address your specific issues. If the headaches are recurrent, it may have to do with blood flow in the brain (*not* the same as a stroke). Your doctor can investigate this, or send you to a neurologist who deals with headaches. Your blood pressure is not extremely high; it is what we would call borderline. Taking your medication is important, but since you say you don't exercise, that may help keep it down too. Since you have a family history of heart disease (you don't say how old your dad was, but since you're only 23 I'll assume he was fairly young) it is especially important for you to keep an eye on your BP and your cholesterol. Exercise helps with all of this. I am very sorry to hear about your father. A headache and vomiting are not usually signs of a stroke, which can be very subtle. They can be signs of increased intracranial pressure, of a concussion, or just of a migraine headache (or a million other things). The aftereffects of a stroke can be extremely varied depending on what part of the brain is affected. Make sure you discuss your new medication with your doctor, as well. Any time you are on a new drug, it can cause side effects. I've not heard of Corzaan--do you mean Cozaar?
Can a 29-year-old have a stroke? Are strokes caused by the poor diet or stress?
If you are worried that you or someone else is having a stroke, you should be on the phone with 911 (or the emergency number in your area).The only way to properly diagnose stroke is by brain imaging (or autopsy).Strokes are caused by arterial damage or malformation — cardiovascular disease is typically not seen in young people, but a malformation could have been with you since birth. A rupture of an AVM may be fatal. If you get to the hospital quickly, you’d have a better chance of surviving without too much disability.A blood clot that travels through the arterial system until it gets lodged in a small artery in the brain causes another type of stroke. Here too time is brain. If you get to the hospital quickly, they can use Tp(A) or another clot-busting drug to restore blood flow before the brain is irrecoverably damaged.I’ve heard of people walking out of the hospital within days of having clot-busting therapy. Not sure if that is true — I was still in ICU unfeeling and not moving on the affected side after a couple days.Stroke is an emergency. Don’t try Dr. Google — get the person to the hospital ASAP!
I think I keep having regular symptoms of a stroke, but doctors don't seem to think so as I am 23. What can I do to confirm this?
Dude,Tell the whole story. Context is everything.Past medical and surgical (relevant?) history,What happened, what is was like, and what it’s like now?Who (I don’t need names) you’ve seen and what’s been done? Tests, treatments, recommendations? Data?Hypothetically speaking, 80–85% of diagnoses (“thorough understanding”) is based on HISTORY. 10% or so on exam, some on tests (mostly confirmatory) and then time and clinical course to establish a syndrome — a constellation of signs and symptoms.(Symptoms are the patient’s complaints; signs are — supposed to be — objective findings. They paint a picture.)And in the company of a caring, knowledgeable physician, there is NO COMPARISON to a personal visit.In other words, overall, what makes you think you’ve had strokes, which are not impossible but highly unlikely at 23 and on the internet.I think the other responses make a lot of valid points and conjectures.RSVP.PS>> if you are really having strokes, GET ON IT before something bad happens.
What does a heart attack feel like?
I had a major heart attack in 2014, and here is my story:I woke up not feeling well - I couldn’t explain it… I just didn’t feel well.Around 9am, my mother and father stopped by; they had gone to the stations of the cross at the church right down the road. I began feeling a pain in my right arm, but I tried to ignore it. My mother looked at me and said that I didn’t look well, but I told her I was fine, so her and my father left.So, it was just me and my 23 year old son. He saw me rubbing my arm and asked me what was wrong. I told him I wasn’t sure - that it was like a pressure pain that was moving up my arm. He said it sounded like a heart attack, and I laughed because I thought that I was too young for a heart attack. In 2014 I was going to be 43, I believe.Anyhow, I told him that I was going to take a hot shower and put the water on my arm but that I was going to leave the door open in case I needed him to call someone. I got in the shower. At that point, the pain was in my upper arm and neck. I stood under the hot water and aimed on my neck, but it did not help. I was uncomfortable, but I managed to get out and get dressed.I then told my son that maybe a nap would make me feel better, but after just two minutes of lying down, I was too uncomfortable to bear it. I thought that I would do a breathing treatment to make myself feel better. To this day, I still wonder why in the world I thought that a breathing treatment would be effective even though I was breathing just fine and the pain was in my arm and neck.Anyway, I took out my nebulizer and albuterol and started the machine. I took one deep breath and the pain shot up from about a 5 to past a 10. I cried for my son to call 911.I made it to the local hospital, and they performed many tests and gave by nitro glycerin four times. They then stabilized me so that I could fly in the Flight for Life helicopter into the city for emergency surgery. In the city, I had a stent put in. That night, the nurse accidentally opened up my surgical site and blood splattered everywhere, making me lose so much blood that I needed two transfusions.I was told that I was lucky to be alive, and that I should have come in to the hospital when I first felt the pain in my arm and neck, and that that would have saved me a lot of trouble. I also suffered a mild brain injury because I didn’t have enough oxygen going to my head.
I have high BP and I am just 23. Am I in a really complicated situation?
My parents had hypertension (Hbp) at a young age too.First and foremost, DO NOT start with elopathical medicine. They will kill you in the long term and they will never cure your condition, instead they will make your body addicted to it so that whenever you skip a day of medication your BP will rise fatally. I have a family experience, I have a lot of insight in this matter.YOGA: this is some shit that totally lowers your blood pressure bringing it back to normal. Specially Pranayama. (Breathing exercises. )MEDICATION: this is a dangerous condition hence, you do need medicines, but of the right kind. Both Ayurveda and Homeopathy have permanent cures for this condition. But Elopathy has a temporary suppressing cure with tons of side effects. Opt for either homeopathy or ayurveda. They take their time but they cure you once and for all.PRECAUTIONS: Do not workout heavily or let your sweat too much. Pressure on the blood vessels might rupture them or you might suffer a stroke unexpectedly because of this. Always carry water everywhere with you. Always keep yourself extremely hydrated. Your body needs more water than us.Do Not have salty food. Salt will lodge into your cells and as soon as you consume watery substances, your body will swell due to endosmosis which is extremely dangerous for your blood vessels as it will increase the pressure on them which can fatally damage them. Hence avoid salty food at home and completely avoid salty oily fast food, they have the worst kind of salt. People with HBP have a special low iodised salt that you get in medical stores. Consume that.Heat: avoid it. When the weather is hot avoid going out doors. Avoid consuming hot food and drinks. Even hot water. Keep your body temperature as normal as possible. Or your chances of suffering a stroke increases.Stress: Avoid it. Completely. Do not fret over anything ever. Try to stay as happy as possible. And SPECIALLY avoid being concerned with your blood pressure.Fats : fatty tissues will increase your BP tremendously, try to stay as lean as possible. Diet (only fresh fruits and vegetables) and workout (only yoga) don't try any other ways to lose weight. This condition is curable. My family members have lived long enough to prove that. Just follow the above and practical Yogasanas and seek Ayurvedic or Homeopathic help. And you be all cured and back to normal before you even know it.