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Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. The damage done by this interruption of blood flow is a top cause of long-term disability, and results in a loss of mobility for more than half of seniors who have one.
The good news is that getting prompt medical treatment can reduce or even reverse the damage. If you have the symptoms of a stroke – even if you think you maybe have symptoms but you aren’t quite sure – it’s time to get to the hospital without delay. If you have an emergency button alarm, now is the time to use it. Don’t hesitate to use medical alert technology to get the help you need right away!
Being prepared with knowledge about strokes can be a lifesaver if you ever have one. It starts by understanding the different types of strokes, the symptoms, and what blood clots have to do with it.
Understanding the Different Types of Stroke
Ischemic strokes, when a blood clot blocks a vessel in the brain and reduces blood flow, make up about 85% of all strokes. In fact, the word “ischemic” means “lack of blood flow.”
When a blood clot blocks a vessel, it can deprive the brain of oxygen, and part of the brain can die if the situation isn’t attended to immediately. The blood clot might also burst a blood vessel, which can lead to significant bleeding in the brain and widespread damage.
There are two types of ischemic strokes:
· Cerebral thrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms or lodges in one of the arteries that takes blood to the brain.
· Cerebral embolism occurs when a blood clot forms somewhere else in the body and travels to the blood vessels that lead to the brain.
The other type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. According to the American Stroke Association, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a weakened blood vessel in the brain bursts, leading to serious bleeding. That buildup of blood can compress the brain tissue.
There are two types of hemorrhagic strokes:
· Intracerebral hemorrhage happens when the blood vessel bursts deep within the brain.
· Subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs in the area between the inner and outer layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain.1
All types of stroke require immediate treatment. A stroke is a true emergency! If you suddenly feel the symptoms of a stroke and you have a medical alert pendant, press the emergency button alarm and within moments, trained professionals are on the line, ready to help.
The Signs of a Blood Clot
Though a stroke might seem to come out of the blue, sometimes a blood clot that can cause a stroke will provide tell-tale warning signs that allow you to get the help you need before a brain injury occurs. According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, you can remember the symptoms of a blood clot by the acronym STOP CLOT.2
· Swelling: If the blood clot is in a leg or arm, you will notice the appendage begins to swell.
· Tenderness: The area where a blood clot forms might be very tender to the touch. If the vein where the blood clot formed is rather deep, you might not notice surface tenderness, but you could experience severe cramps at the site.
· Out of breath: Blood clots that pass to your lungs become a life-threatening emergency. You might feel significant shortness of breath.
· Pass out: Feeling lightheaded, dizzy, and out of balance could be signs of a blood clot that has moved into your brain. Passing out is a sign something might be seriously wrong.
· Chest pain: You might feel pain in your chest or pain in your back with every breath.
· Leg discoloration: Most blood clots that cause serious problems in the body form in the legs. You might notice the swelling, tenderness, and pain in addition to a leg (or arm) that turns blue or very red.
· Overdrive: This refers to your heart racing for no apparent reason.
· Time: When you have a blood clot, time is of the essence. Get to the doctor right away – don’t wait to see if the situation gets better!
The CDC says that blood clots affect about 900,000 people and kill 100,000 people every year.3 Some of those die of stroke, but others might die of other complications, such as a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the lung) or a blood clot in the kidneys that makes it impossible for your body to filter out toxins.
The Symptoms of a Stroke
If the blood clot moves to your brain, a whole other set of symptoms shows up. The symptoms of a stroke come on suddenly and can be anything from very mild (“Am I really feeling this?”) to severe enough to incapacitate you.
The symptoms might be transient – and that can be confusing. You might suffer from at least one of these listed below but by the time you get to the hospital, you seem perfectly fine. It might make you wonder if you suffered a stroke at all.
That could have been a transient ischemic attack, also known as a TIA. These are usually caused by a tiny blood clot that passed into a vessel but didn’t hang around long enough to cause serious damage. These “mini strokes” can often be harbingers of a larger stroke and thus the situation demands the attention of medical professionals.
If you suspect you are having a stroke, remember this acronym: BE FAST.
· Balance: It might become hard to remain upright. Your feet might not want to work the way they should, or you might fall down when you try to walk.
· Eyes: Sudden vision loss, blurry vision, or seeing double could be signs that your optic nerve is being affected by a lack of blood flow.
· Face: An uneven smile is a classic indication of a stroke. Weakness and numbness of your face is a cause for serious concern.
· Arms: Can you raise both your arms? And if you can, does one drift downward no matter how hard you try to keep it raised? Weakness in one or both arms could be a sign of a stroke.
· Speech: Difficulty with speaking is another classic sign. You might have trouble talking or difficulty understanding others. Your voice might be garbled or your words jumbled up.
· Time: This is not so much a sign as a warning to get help right away. Depending upon how serious the stroke is, you have a period of up to four and a half hours to get help that might diminish the effects of the stroke or reverse it altogether. Remember, “Time lost is brain lost.”
With some strokes, you might not feel any pain. With others, you can experience a sudden and very severe headache that leaves you with no doubt something is very wrong.
If you notice any of these symptoms – or even if you think you do and you’re not sure – it’s time to get help. It’s always better to be safe with a “false alarm” than to ignore the symptoms and wind up with significant brain injury. An alert system for elderly adults can be a literal lifesaver in a situation like this. Press the button to get the help you need right away.
What to Expect at the Hospital
Once you get to the hospital, things will move fast. The clock is ticking!
You will likely wind up in the emergency department, where the medical professionals will do a quick assessment. A bedside neurological exam comes next. This might help doctors figure out where the blood clot is in your brain and what it is affecting.
You will almost certainly have an MRI or CT scan. These methods can show doctors where the blood clot is and the damage it’s done. Once they have that confirmation, they can render proper treatment.
The most effective and easiest treatment is a medication called tissue plasminogen activator. This drug breaks up the blood clot that is stopping the blood flow, but it must be given within 4.5 hours of the first symptoms of a stroke.
The second treatment option is a mechanical thrombectomy. This is usually the next step if you are outside of the 4.5-hour window. In this procedure, doctors thread a catheter through the artery in the thigh and guide it up to the brain, where the delicate equipment retrieves the blood clot.
If you get to the hospital quickly, the survival rate for a stroke is over 90%. The recovery time after a stroke takes into account the type of stroke, the location of it in the brain, and how much damage it did before the clot was broken up or removed. Many who survive a stroke will need physical therapy to assist them in recovery, and most patients improve significantly over a matter of weeks and months.
It is possible to recover from a stroke and go back to leading a healthy life. But remember that time is of the essence. If you notice any of the symptoms listed here, get help right away.
