Strokes can be devastating. Knowing your risk factors can help in preventing a stroke. Being able to identify the signs and symptoms of a stroke will enable you to get immediate medical attention.
Having a stroke twenty years ago meant the end of your ability to care for yourself. It was a word that made the strongest of people cringe. Today, strokes are more understood. Having a stroke doesn’t have to mean the end of the road. Knowing the risk factors and how to prevent a stroke are the first steps to a healthy future. Knowing the signs and symptoms and what to do if you or a family member has one can make the journey to recovery a little smoother.
What Is A Stroke?
Now called “brain attacks,” strokes basically happen two different ways. Most usually a stroke occurs when a blood clot breaks off from a blood vessel and lodges in a vessel or artery that delivers blood to your brain. A stroke can also occur when a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to your brain.
When the blood flow to your brain is interrupted, the affected area has no oxygen (blood carries oxygen). Brain cells die quickly without oxygen. Over time (a matter of minutes or hours) more and more brain cells die causing the effects of the stroke to worsen. The area where the brain cells die is lost. Different areas of the brain control different functions of the body. The part of the brain that the stroke occurs in will lose the ability to do what it is supposed to do.
A stroke in the right side of the brain can cause paralysis on the left side of the body. This is also referred to as hemiplegia. The right side of the brain also controls our perception of distance and our judgment. These people are sometimes not aware of their impairment and/or try to do things they did before that they are not aware they can no longer do without assistance (like walk). Short term memory can also be affected.
A left hemisphere stroke affects the right side of the body (right hemiplegia). This side of the brain is our language center. Difficulty speaking or understanding the spoken word results from left brain stroke. Memory problems occur with a left brain stroke also.
Another term you will here in reference to a stroke is “TIA.” Some professionals call TIA’s “mini-strokes”. A TIA is not a stroke but stroke-like symptoms of a short duration. TIA’s can be warning signs of a stroke.