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Know The Signs

I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
Found out this weekend that a family friend suffered a stroke.
They didn't catch it in time and he has suffered some brain damage. They have told his wife that he will probably never return to the ranch he loves. :( :(
 

Justin

Well-known member
sorry to hear the news. there is alot the doctors can do if the stroke victim can get to the hospial fairly quickly. but if not, its a tough road ahead and in alot of cases a short one.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Sad- interestingly on the local radio for the last week or two- I've been hearing ads on how to early diagnose an oncoming stroke- and the actions that need to be taken....

My mother had a stroke- that erased much of her current knowledge (altho she could remember things from 50+ years ago)...She always knew the family- and especially her kids and grandkids- but couldn't remember many of her old friends....

The only good thing the stroke did- was kill the part of the brain that was causing her excrutiating pain from the chronic artheritis she had (which I inherited)... The joints were still as deformed- but she said they didn't hurt...So she got to live 10+ years more without pain.... :)
 

Doug Thorson

Well-known member
Mom had a stroke in 2000. The way I remember is you have 4 hours to get to a hospital that can run a CT scan to make sure it isn't a brain bleed, have them run the scan, get the results and read them. If it is less than 4 hours after the first symptoms, clot busting drugs do wonders. If it is longer than that, you live with the damage. Mom was about 4 hours and 15 minutes. In rural areas the norm is you are too late.
 

John SD

Well-known member
Mom had a stroke in 1990 at age 67. I was at a neighbor's helping at branding and Dad called for me to come home while we were in the house for dinner. She had been working hard scrubbing something that had boiled over in the oven.

Mom was talking incoherently and kept rattling off a bunch of numbers. She was frustrated because she knew something was wrong but could not express herself. She was still able to maneuver herself from her wheelchair into the car. We made the 100 mile trip to Rapid in an hour and 15 minutes.

Carotid artery was plugged and they did a procedure to clean that out. Mom was recovering from that and was just about ready to get out of the hospital. She seemed back to her normal self with no long term damage. Then she had a fatal heart attack. Even being right in the hospital, there was nothing they could do.
 

I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
Just thinking about him not going home just knocked all the knowledge i have about strokes straight out of my head.

Doug they now say to get a stroke patient to the ER in an hour or less.

Remember "can't teach an old dog new tricks." That is what we request the patient to say because it uses all of their face muscles, works better then having them smile.

Severe headache, confused, tingling or numbness in an arm or leg, not able to lift an arm or leg completely or at all.
 

Doug Thorson

Well-known member
Doug they now say to get a stroke patient to the ER in an hour or less.

I would guess that to be about right. It takes a while to get the CT scan done and read. Mom was at work, Dad was home and I was in town getting parts. When I got home we headed straight for Rapid. It was just after 4 when the Dr came in with the results and said he needed to know exactly when the symptoms started. We obviously didn't know when they started but we knew they called the ER when someone came to relieve her for lunch at 12 noon. Doc said "sorry we are too late to give her the clot buster drug" I am almost sure it was around 1:30-1:45 when she arrived at RC Regional.
 

MoGal

Well-known member
I'm sorry to hear that of your friend.

This is only a suggestion, but is something to keep in mind..... in case you can't get to an ER quickly. This works for heart attacks or strokes.

Cayenne Pepper (no first aid kit should be w/o it as it also stops internal and external bleeding)

http://www.zetatalk.com/health/theal02i.htm

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/cayenne.html

http://cleanse.net/cayennepepper.aspx

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004amH

http://www.healthysecrets.com/health_news/topics/cayenne_pepper-capsicum.html

I know you didn't ask for suggestions on what to do, but here are enough links to support the use of cayenne pepper and it may save someone's life. I wish I had know it when I had my heart attack and when my brother had his.

The more I read the Bible and seek God in my life, the more I realize that he made everything we need to stay healthy, naturally.
 

John SD

Well-known member
Would taking an aspirin as soon as symptoms appear be a good policy or not? Aspirin works as a blood thinner. It would help on a blood clot, but might cause further bleeding elsewhere.

I'm currently on a 7.5 mg daily warfarin dose except 2 days a week I take 5 mg. My pills are 5 mg. I'd be scared to give anyone not normally on warfarin therapy any "mouse poison" without consulting a medical professional.

In the summer my weekly warfarin dose reverses to 5 mg daily and a couple days of 7.5 mg. With the gals at the clinic I like to refer to it as my seasonal oil change. :wink:
 

chrisy

Well-known member
So sorry to hear of your friend.
My Dad died of a stroke back in 1988.
There is an advert on TV at the moment showing about how to look for the signs of a stroke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpR5_LQCyzk
here's a link to it.
 

I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
John we are told to give aspirin in the event of a possible heart attack, but only under medical direction from a Dr.
Since you do not know if the stroke is caused by a blood clot or a brain bleed it is best to not give it.

Found out that it was a blow to the head and a brain bleed that caused our friends stroke. He is remembering people and starting to get around, but the Doc's told his wife she can never leave him alone.
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
A HUGE indicator of a stroke is the inability to twist your tongue. Have the person in question stick out their tongue and try to twist it (no hands). If they can't call 911.
 

kris

Well-known member
herefords---I just HATE it when docs tell someone that they will "never" return to what they once were.....in years of nursing, I have seen countless MIRACLES!! Once took care of a lady that suffered a MASSIVE stroke (unable to even speak anything understandable and COMPLETELY lost function of her right side) and we put her on "comfort measures only" and simply waited for her to die....that night she cried and wrote (with her left hand) "I will live and I will walk out of here and go home".....noone believed her, but damned if she did not do just that 6 weeks later!! I hope your friend is going to be okay and hope he beats the odds!! My prayers are with him and the family!!!!
 

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