It was in 2003 when Syracuse resident Joseph King, 64, experienced his first stroke. A second, more serious stroke occurred five years later in 2008.
Both landed him in a wheelchair as they affected his right leg and ability to walk. But each time, through support and specific treatment, he managed to get back on his feet with a cane.
After his stroke and hospitalization in 2008, King was admitted to The Brain Injury Center at St. Camillus. He spent more than four months rehabbing there. After his inpatient stay, he became a regular at St. Camillus’ Adult Day Health Center. He’s been there ever since. King said he has seen marked improvement since his initial visits.
His strokes, however, which were caused by hypertension, changed his life as he knew it. Having held a long-time career driving tractor-trailers long distance, he is no longer able to operate a vehicle. His speech, although coherent, is somewhat difficult to understand.
King is one of the lucky ones. He is a stroke survivor, and through proper medical attention, and with the love and support of his wife Judyette, his nine children and his six stepchildren, he means it when he says, “It’s all good.”
March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. Brain injuries don’t discriminate. They can affect any one at any time and range from a concussion or stroke to injuries caused by a traumatic event. Over the next three weeks, The Eagle Bulletin will feature stories about brain injuries: the symptoms, the risk factors and prevention methods.
This week’s focus is on strokes of which there are two types: ischemic or hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke is a loss of blood flow to an area of the brain while hemorrhagic is bleeding in the brain. Eighty-seven percent of strokes are ischemic; 13 percent are hemorrhagic. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.
“Stroke can cause a range of residual deficits from easy fatigue to death,” said MaryEllen Dougherty, senior physical therapist at St. Camillus. “Delaying treatment can result in missing out on the opportunity to receive a medical or surgical intervention to limit the extent of the stroke, and thereby, cause more extensive brain damage. ‘Time lost is brain lost.’”
Symptoms of stroke
The American Stroke Association says the following symptoms warrant prompt medical attention:
Sudden numbness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Symptoms do not vary with sex, age or ethnicity, Dougherty said, adding that as soon as any of the signs and symptoms are noted above, 911 should be called.
“The advent of interventions immediately following the onset of stroke symptoms has greatly improved the outcomes of those receiving the treatments,” she said.
Dougherty listed a number of limitations, both temporary and permanent, that a stroke can cause. Those can include a deficit in speaking or understanding; difficulty with reading, judgment and higher level reasoning; weakness or lack of coordination of the muscles on one side of the body resulting in difficulty with moving and walking. Stroke survivors may also have trouble bathing and dressing them selves, she said, as well as doing regular household tasks.
“Loss of sensation on one side of the body puts them at risk for falls, scalding injuries and difficulty driving,” Dougherty said.
Who’s at risk of having a stroke?
A stroke can happen to any one, but they are more prevalent in women than in men, in blacks than in whites, in adults than in children and in older adults than in young adults, Dougherty said, adding that greater danger increases with age, in both men and women.
Additionally, certain habits, disorders and diseases can heighten the chance of stroke, particularly if you have Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, atrial fibrillation or elevated cholesterol; or if you are a smoker, overweight or inactive.
Measures, however, can be taken to reduce risks.
“Seek and continue treatment for hypertension, stop smoking, or if you are a nonsmoker, don’t start,” Dougherty said. “Exercise regularly, manage cholesterol and achieve and maintain an ideal weight.”
St. Camillus is a not-for-profit healthcare facility featuring comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services including subacute and brain injury rehabilitation programs. Its Inpatient Brain Injury Program is one of the only state accredited inpatient Traumatic Brain Injury units in Central New York. The Outpatient Brain Injury Program is a continuation of those services, focused on helping brain injury survivors achieve their maximum potential to return to independent living.
source: cnylink
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