Preview of the Stroke Podcast

[00:00:00] That confusion turned really just to a feeling of helplessness and fear, and I knew at that point that something was really wrong. And I in fact had a stroke at 27 years old. Thanks for listening to this preview of the Stroke Podcast, Part of the Health Unmuted Audio Library by Mission-based media Although 80% of strokes are preventable, Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.

[00:00:30] In each episode of this mini-series, we hear from medical experts and people with lived experience to engage, educate, and empower listeners. To learn more about how you can be involved, visit healthunmuted.com or drop us a line at infoathealthunmuted.com. Enjoy the preview!

[00:00:50] The stroke is a brain injury. It's not an injury to your arm or your hand or your leg.

[00:01:00] Like all organs, the brain needs the oxygen and nutrients provided by blood to function properly.

[00:01:06] The stroke blocks off a blood vessel, and the area down in stream of that die is, and then you lose the function of whatever piece of the brain that area was controlling.

[00:01:17] In the first episode, we'll look at what causes a stroke.

[00:01:21] There are two different types of stroke. One is where a piece of blood clot or material flies up to the brain, blocks off a blood vessel.

[00:01:30] This is called an ischemic stroke. The blocked blood vessel means there isn't a flow of blood and oxygen to that part of the brain.

[00:01:38] There's also another less common type of stroke.

[00:01:42] The other type is hemorrhagic stroke or strokes because of bleeding, where an area of the brain gets damaged by the lack of a blood supply because of the bleed.

[00:01:54] In episode two, we explore the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

[00:02:00] Though the signs vary from person to person, they usually begin suddenly.

[00:02:05] It was October 8th of 2019. I was on my way to the gym, and I took a pan from the stove and as I'm bending down into the dishwasher, my vision is lost.

[00:02:15] It just goes black. I can't see anything.

[00:02:18] I was 58 years old. I'm an exercise bike. I've said my feet didn't want to go round.

[00:02:24] Then I started noticing that my leg was numb. I called my doctor and said I think I just had a stroke.

[00:02:30] There are helpful ways of remembering the more tell-tale signs of a stroke.

[00:02:35] I like to think of it as the acronym BFAST, and that stands for balance, loss of balance.

[00:02:42] E stands for eyes, loss of vision, F stands for face, any type of facial drooping, A's for arms, any type of numbness or tingling in your arms, S is for speech,

[00:02:54] Slurred speech, not able to talk at all. NTS for time. Time is so key in those situations.

[00:03:01] If you have any of those symptoms, call 911, do not hesitate, get to a hospital because when it comes to stroke, the faster you get there, the better your prognosis will be.

[00:03:13] Later on in the series, we explore the different treatment options available for right after a stroke happens.

[00:03:21] First of all, as long as it's not a bleed, you give them aspirin and then frequently they will give blood thinners or they'll actually take the patient to a center where they can suck out the clot from the artery that is blocked.

[00:03:36] End will explore the treatment options for later on in the road to recovery, both the physical recovery.

[00:03:43] I do a lot of symmetry exercises because what you're trying to do is return the affected side as close to the unaffected side as you can get.

[00:03:54] I was initially told that I needed to do physical therapy and since my stroke, my left side of my body has been weaker than my right side.

[00:04:03] I've gotten back into good shape and I actually ran a marathon this past year for stroke survivors and people who have passed from stroke.

[00:04:11] And also the mental and emotional recovery.

[00:04:15] I suffered from horrible PTSD, terrible depression, and that was a month if not year-long journey to getting back to normal.

[00:04:25] The main thing we do in stroke groups is nobody feels alone anymore because when you have a stroke, you feel like you're the only one who's gone through this.

[00:04:34] No, it's okay to hurt, not just physically but emotionally, and know that healing takes time.

[00:04:40] There are so many people who suffer strokes every single day and come out on the other side of it.