WHAT IS A STROKE AND HOW TO ACT IF SOME ONE GETS IT

WHAT IS A STROKE AND HOW TO ACT IF SOME ONE GETS IT

PENNED BY PARI

I am not a writer.. I don’t know how to give this article a start. But then, I have promised myself and I have to start. I am the daughter of a businessman. My father suffered a mini stroke in the month of May, to be precise 27th may 2010. The day was a disaster for our family.. to be true we did not know if we would have him with us or not after that moment. What is a stroke? It is a condition in which the blood supply to the brain is affected. The causes can be many. But why I am calling it a mini stroke, you will realize it as you read the article.
On 25th may 2010, my dad was complaining of severe headache which was sudden in onset. I told him it may be just because he must be tired. My first mistake! He till date never had ever complained of such a severe headache. I told him to take a pain killer. He took one on my advice. There was a little relief from the pain. On 27th may 2010, he got ready to go with mom for a wedding. He was absolutely fine till then. After 20 minutes, my mom called me up and told me, “ Beta, your dad can’t speak. He is not realizing where we are going and he is throwing off his shoes. What do I do?”
I was horrified hearing those words. In that one second, I realized I made a mistake of not realizing what his headache meant. I told my mom, “Do not panic, just turn back the rickshaw and get him to the nursing home near our place.” I along with my elder sister ran to the nursing home. I told my sister on the way that I am afraid it could be a stroke. She did not understand what I was talking and to be true, I did not have the guts to tell her what it meant. When my mom got to the nursing home, I asked dad, “dad, what happened?” he did not reply. He was not recognizing who I was. I was shattered. He could speak, but the words were all in the wrong place. He was unaware the he was using wrong words. He was disoriented. I asked him to lie on the bed in the casualty. I asked him to move all his limbs. Luckily, he could. The power in his limbs was perfect. The attending doctor told me “Your dad is hysterical. He is absolutely fine.” I insisted and told him, “he is not hysterical, he is aphasic and disoriented, you have to admit him. I am his daughter and I know my dad well” he did not listen. But in another 5 minutes, he had a convulsion (fits). My sis and mom were shocked to see what was happening. Never in their life had they witnessed a convulsion.

A convulsion is a tonic-clonic movement of all the limbs, there is clinching at the jaw and tongue bites do happen. The patent is unaware about what is happening. I tried to keep calm and held his head so that he would not injure himself. The attack passed off in 20 seconds. And then he lost his consciousness.
He was shifted into the icu. The attending doctor came up to me and told me that he was sorry for his premature judgment. He told me it will take 45 minutes for their senior doctor to come. I wanted to yell at him, but I was more concerned about my dad. I shifted my dad from that nursing home to a reliable hospital. There was risk but I had to take it. All this happened in 1 hour.. but it seemed to be the longest 1 hour.
After the investigations were done in the other hospital, we came to know, the blood in his cerebral sinus (area in the brain where impure blood is drained to) had clotted. He was immediately started on blood thinners. He was absolutely normal the next day..he recognized all of us, was well oriented and spoke to us. The doctors carried out a few more investigations. His vitamin B12 levels were at the minimum. Thanks to the fact we are pure vegetarians. There is minimum vit. B12 in vegetarian diet and could be the cause.
Now, my dad is under treatment, but much better than before.
I called it a mini stroke because in a stroke, usually the patient loses the power in his limb. My dad was having normal power in all his limbs. My dad has no bad habits, his blood pressure is always normal, then too he suffered. We too suffered with him.. but by god’s grace,he is fine!

How to identify that the individual might be having a stroke? Just a few important points..
1st- ask him his name and where is he. This will tell you if he is aware and oriented. You can also understand his speech-the flow, any slurring and wrong phrasing
2nd- try to check the power in his limbs by asking to move them.
3rd- ask him to show his tongue - see if it deviates to one side that could be an indication of a stroke.
Causes that can cause a stroke are high blood pressure, diabetes (high sugar level) and stress among the many causes that can be well controlled. Prolonged bed rest after an operation can also result in clots in your lower limb, which can pass onto your lungs and brain. Early ambulation (movement) is a must. Maintaining your blood pressure to an optimum level is very much essential. Sudden rise in blood pressure can cause hemorrhage or bleeding into the brain. Also, keep a check on your sugar levels in the blood. Do a fasting (minimum 8 hours gap between the dinner time and morning blood testing time) and postprandial (2hrs after lunch) at regular intervals.
Even if you pass on this important information to your loved ones and relatives, I guess my work will be done. You have to be aware and take a step ahead to help your family and friends