stroke

lifestyle changes to prevent another stroke

-don't smoke -improve your eating habits. avoid fatty foods that may increase your cholesterol, and avoid too much salt as it may increase your blood pressure. speak to a dietitian to help you plan healthy meals -exercise regularly -take your medicine regularly -get our blood pressure checked -maintain a healthy weight -drink no more than 2 drinks/day for males and 1 drink/day for females -have regular medical check ups

pain associated with stroke

-up to 40% of patients have some pain after stroke: 1. pain is often associated with nerve damage and can be described as: burning, tingling, pins and needles, numbness, and sharp and shooting 2. medications used to treat nerve pain: -antiseizure medications including but not limited to: Neurontin (gabapentin), lyrica (pregabalin) -antidepressants including: Elavil (amitriptyline), Effexor (venlafaxine), Cymbalta (duloxetine)

medications used to prevent blood clots

1. Coumadin (warfarin) -prevents blood clots from forming -may interact w/ prescription medications, OTC medications, herbal medications, and some foods 2. antiplatelet therapy -aspirin: most commonly used medication for stroke prevention; must be used exactly as directed - may lead to ulcers or bleeding -Plavix (clopidogrel): for patients who can not take aspirin or have had a prior stroke while taking aspirin

risk factors that CANT be controlled

1. age - people of all ages can get strokes, but the older you are, the greater the risk of stroke. 2. prior stroke - people who have had a stroke before are at a higher risk of having another one 3. gender - men have more strokes than women, but more women die from stroke than men. 4. heredity - people who have close relatives who have had a stroke are at a greater risk of having a stroke themselves. African Americans and Hispanic americans have a higher risk of stroke.

3 simple things you can do to assess if someone is possibly having a stroke:

1. ask the person to SMILE. this shows any facial paralysis that may be occurring. 2. ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS. this shows any weakness that may be occurring. 3. ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE. example: it is sunny out today. this shows if there is confusion occurring.

risk factors that CAN be controlled

1. high blood pressure -goal for all patients (diabetic and non diabetic) is about 140/80 2. high cholesterol - know your cholesterol numbers! -cholesterol goals: TC (total cholesterol) -> less than 200 -LDL ("lousy" cholesterol) -> less than 100 (less than 70 preferred) -HDL ("helpful" cholesterol) -> greater than 40 for men and greater than 50 for women -TG (triglycerides) -> less than 150 3. diabetes -goals: fasting blood glucose less than 100mg/dl -hemoglobin A1C less than 7 (hemoglobin A1C is like a "blood sugar report card" indicating average blood sugars over the past three months) 4. tobacco use - don't smoke or use other forms of tobacco 5. other risk factors specific to women: women who are on birth control or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are at a slightly higher risk for stroke than those women who are not

women commonly present with...

atypical signs including: pain and lower levels of consciousness. this may be one reason why women are less likely to get diagnosed with stroke immediately.

what are the signs of stroke?

the main characteristic of a stroke is the SUDDEN onset of symptoms. people present w/ one or more of the following symptoms: -face, arm or leg: numbness or weakness (mainly on one side of the body) -brain: confusion, trouble talking or understanding speech, dizziness, loss of balance, bad headache -eyes: trouble seeing in one or both eyes -stomach: throwing up (or urge to) -body: feeling tired -legs: trouble walking

the best prognosis is attained if...

the patient is treated within 3 hours of stroke onset.

what is a stroke?

there are two kinds of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. The vast majority of strokes are ischemic: - an ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot obstructing the flow of blood to the brain -a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a weakened blood vessel in the brain ruptures and blood leaks out into the surrounding brain tissue.