I
still remember my cardiologist walking back into the exam room with a smile on
his face and telling me, “Guess what? You have AFib.” (It does reduce the anxiety
when your doctor gives you such news with a smile.)
You
may also be one of the nine percent of older adults 65 or older who have Atrial
fibrillation or AFib. I have learned one of the most serious complications of AFib
is stroke. And if you are at five times greater risk of having a stroke, it is
probably a good idea to be able to recognize the signs of a stroke and know how
to respond. Every minute counts and fast treatment can lessen the brain damage and
a stroke’s debilitating effects.
In their
efforts to raise awareness about stroke, the American Stroke Association (ASA)
and the National Stroke Association (NSA) promote the acronym FAST which stands
for:
Facial drooping - Ask the
person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
Arm weakness - Ask the person
to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech difficulty - Ask the
person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
And Time - Don’t drive yourself to the
hospital or let someone else drive you. Call 911 for an ambulance so medical
personnel can evaluate your condition and begin life-saving treatment on the
way to the emergency room. Stroke treatments that work best are available only
if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within three hours of the first
symptoms, so note the time when any symptoms first appear.
FAST covers
most but doesn’t cover all the signs and symptoms. If a person suddenly has
trouble doing something they normally would be able to do, it’s possible it
could be a stroke. In addition to facial drooping, arm weakness or speech
difficulty, sudden confusion, trouble with their vision, sudden difficulty
walking or a sudden severe headache are also possible symptoms.
Finally,
it is helpful to know there are two types of strokes: hemorrhagic and ischemic.
In a hemorrhagic stroke, a weakened blood vessel in the brain ruptures and
bleeds into the surrounding tissue. An Ischemic stroke is when a fatty deposit,
or clot, obstructs a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain.
Ischemic
strokes are much more common accounting for about 87% of all cases.
If
your symptoms go away after a few minutes, you may have had a transient
ischemic attack (TIA). Although brief, a TIA is a sign of a serious condition
that will not go away without medical help. But because TIAs clear up, many
people ignore them. Paying attention to a TIA can save your life. Tell your
health care provider about your symptoms right away.
People
with AFib are at greater risk of a stroke, but anyone can experience a stroke.
In fact, stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S. If you
want to learn more, the ASA and NSA websites offer detailed information
including diagrams and animations about strokes and how they affect people.
I
received two different correct answers for last week’s question. Cheri Brent,
Louise Wooderson, Laura Comini, Lana Tepfer, Diana Weston, Sandy Haechrel and
Mary Haas (this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket) remember calling the rubber
boots you slipped over your shoes Galoshes. And Bob Haechrel and Gary Conley
remembers them as overshoes. And from some week before (I lose track of what
was when), I missed Cathy Wilson’s answer Oceans
Eleven and she even emailed a picture of the Rat Pack - the personification
of 60’s sophisticated cool; and Marta Moser and Ron Nelson who answered
correctly “Blue Plate Special” all of whom are also winners of a quilt raffle
ticket each.
You may
remember back in the day when someone would egg you on by daring you to do
something – usually something you knew you shouldn’t. For this week’s “Remember
When” question, what was a dare called that was twice as challenging and used
when the first dare was refused? Email your answer to
www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a
DVD of the movie A Christmas Story.
Well,
it’s been another week trying to keep my balance. Until we meet again, as hard
as you may try it’s hard to have a big head when you keep making silly mistakes.
“Everybody
is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will
live its whole life believing it is stupid.” Albert Einstein
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