May is Stroke Awareness Month
My name is Kathy Howard. I am an Ellendale resident and a stroke survivor. I will be presenting stroke awareness information at the May 9th Ellendale Neighborhood Association meeting (7:00 p.m. at Abbott EMS, 2500 Abbott Place, St. Louis). I am looking forward to talking about stroke risk and prevention with my Ellendale neighbors. As a bonus, Abbott EMS will also be conducting blood pressure screenings during the meeting.
I am also the founder of ABC Brigade — a certified Missouri non-profit organization committed to stroke education, prevention, and fully living life post stroke.
Education is vital to stroke prevention and the key to a full and productive life after stroke. The goal of ABC Brigade is to become a major source of information, education, and assistance for stroke survivors and their families.
You can read about my personal stroke survival story here, but to summarize, after my stroke I had lost the ability to walk, my entire left side was like jelly, and I could not see anything to the left due to “left neglect” (not blindness but rather the brain not registering what I was seeing). My core was pretty much gone and I had difficulty holding myself up.
Through all the things that changed my life that night in 2008, I came to realize that there were many myths and foolish assumptions made about stroke and survivors of stroke. The good news is many people survive stroke and 80% of strokes are preventable.
Unfortunately, Missouri is 4th in the nation for the occurrence of stroke, ranking ahead of seven states located in the “Stroke Zone” in our southeast United States.
While our deficits are determined by where the brain is “hit”, many survivors, when given the opportunity, can live rewarding and full lives. The ABC Brigade is committed to stroke education, prevention and particularly living that full life post stroke. Today, my dream job and my main drive is to tell people who haven't had a stroke, don't wait until you have a stroke to make that your motivation to eat right and to move.
The following is a primer to get you on the path to survive a stroke before it could happen to you — and it could, just look at these facts about stroke:
Stoke Symptoms
When blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. This is a stroke. Every minute a stroke goes untreated and blood flow to the brain continues to be blocked, a person loses about 1.9 million neurons. Loss of neurons affects a person’s speech, movement, memory, and much more.
Symptoms of a Stroke include:
SUDDEN numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
SUDDEN confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding
SUDDEN trouble seeing in one or both eyes
SUDDEN trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
SUDDEN severe headache with no known cause
Can You Spot A Stroke? — Think F.A.S.T.
F – FACE: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A – ARMS: Ask the person to raise their arms in front of them. Does one drift downwards?
S – SPEECH: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase like, “The sky is blue.” Is speech slurred/strange?
T – TIME: If you spot any of these signs: It's time to call 911 immediately! Note the time of the first symptom. This information is important and can affect treatment decisions.
Temporary stroke symptoms are called transient ischemic attacks (TIA). These symptoms appear and last less than 24 hours before disappearing. TIAs generally do not cause permanent brain damage, they are warning signs prior to actual stroke and need to be taken seriously.
There are two types of stroke:
Hemorrhagic Stroke — Either a brain aneurysm burst or a weakened blood vessel leak causing blood to spill into or around the brain, creating swelling, pressure, and cell and tissue damage in the brain. Hemorrhagic strokes are less common, but are responsible for about 40 percent of all stroke deaths.
Ischemic Stroke — A blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for this type of stroke. Ischemic strokes account for about 87 percent of all strokes.
The ABC's of Stroke Prevention
A stand for A1c - The A1c test measures a person’s average blood glucose level over the past 2 to 3 months. This test shows the amount of glucose that sticks to the red blood cell, which is proportional to the amount of glucose in the blood. The A1C test alone is not enough to measure good blood sugar control. But it is a good resource to use along with your daily blood sugar checks, to work for the best possible control.
B stands for Blood Pressure – Systolic, or the top number and also the higher of the two, measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (when the heart muscle contracts). Diastolic, or the bottom number and also the lower of the two, measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (when the heart muscle is resting between beats and refilling with blood). Ideally, blood pressure numbers should be 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic). Blood pressure for people with diabetes should be lower than 130/80mmHg.
C stands for Cholesterol – Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells. It’s normal to have cholesterol. Cholesterol is an important part of a healthy body because it’s used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and serves other needed bodily functions. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and for stroke. Desired Total Serum Cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL.
D stand for Diet — Excess weight puts a strain on the entire circulatory system and also makes having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes more likely — all of which can increase risk of stroke. Find out what constitutes a healthy diet — fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains. Do your research then act on it. Your doctor can recommend dietary plans based on your particular needs.
E stands for Exercise — Simply get moving. No matter how overweight or out of shape you are, make a start — just MOVE! Walking is the single most effective form of exercise to achieve heart health. Please consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise plan.
Discuss with your physician what your target numbers in these three areas should be.
Visit www.abcbrigade.org for more information stroke and links to other stroke resources.
Besides stroke awareness presentations, the ABC Brigade also hosts the Stampede for Stroke — an annual 1-mile/5K event. This fall will be their 5th annual Stampede, held on World Stroke Day, October 29, 2016. The Stampede will take place at Tower Grove Park. More information about the Stampede can be found on the ABC Brigade website.
Last year, we had nearly 700 participants and 74 stroke survivors who either walked or ran… yes, ran! I would love to see my Ellendale community represented that day along with our goal to have 100 stroke survivors present!
####