Use the labels in the right column to find what you want. Or you can go thru them one by one, there are only 30,656 posts. Searching is done in the search box in upper left corner. I blog on anything to do with stroke. DO NOT DO ANYTHING SUGGESTED HERE AS I AM NOT MEDICALLY TRAINED, YOUR DOCTOR IS, LISTEN TO THEM. BUT I BET THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET YOU 100% RECOVERED. I DON'T EITHER BUT HAVE PLENTY OF QUESTIONS FOR YOUR DOCTOR TO ANSWER.
Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain!trillions and trillions of neuronsthatDIEeach day because there areNOeffective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.
What this blog is for:
My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.
Showing posts with label doctor irresponsibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctor irresponsibility. Show all posts
Gregg Popovich, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, suffered a mild stroke on November 2, the San Antonio Spurs said Wednesday.
Popovich had been out of action since then with an undisclosed health issue.
San Antonio said the incident happened at Frost Bank Center,
the home arena of the Spurs. Popovich has started rehabilitation and is
“expected to make a full recovery,” according to the team.
“At this point, a timeline for his return to the sidelines
has not been determined. During this time, the organization is grateful
to the extended community for providing privacy and space to the
Popovich family.”
Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson has filled in as interim head coach.
“I would say that he’s doing good,” Johnson told reporters
after the Spurs’ November 7 game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We’ve been talking. I’ve had my hands full with this and trying to stay
above water. So, have not talked details and I’m not sure about
anything.”
The San Antonio Spurs say Popovich is "expected to make a full recovery."
Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was optimistic about his coach’s condition following the game against the Blazers.
“We don’t hear a lot from Pop,” he told reporters after the
game. “They keep us informed as much as we’re allowed to know. So, I’m
not worried about him. I know he’s going to come back soon. We’re not
talking to him directly that much.”
Popovich, 75, is the oldest head coach in NBA history.
Currently in his 29th season – all of which he has spent with the Spurs –
he has 1,390 regular season victories, an NBA record. He has won 170
postseason games and five NBA championships.
The Spurs host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
That's because your stroke doctor KNOWS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT YOUR RECOVERY PROSPECTS!
Don't
listen to your doctors, they know absolutely nothing. They don't even
know enough to get an objective damage diagnosis, dead neuron area vs.
damaged neuron area.
This guy recovered better than me, I can't ride a two wheeled bicycle.
Geoff
Smith suffered a middle cerebral artery stroke and fell hitting his
head. His wife Jo Smith found him unresponsive in their living room and
realised he was having a stroke
Geoff Smith had half his skull removed after a sudden stroke (
A dad who had half his skull removed after a sudden stroke has beaten the odds to walk, talk and ride a bike again.
Geoff Smith, 54, had let his dogs
out into the garden when he suffered a middle cerebral artery stroke
and fell and hit his head. His wife Jo Smith, 53, found her husband
unresponsive in their living room and realised he was having a stroke.
Geoff was rushed to hospital and the family were told his chances of
surviving were just five per cent - and if he did he'd be left severely
disabled.
He
underwent a decompressive craniectomy to remove a large part of his
skull to allow for his swelling brain to expand. Geoff spent five and a
half months in neurological rehabilitation and was miraculously back
walking nine weeks after his stroke. Jo has continued to find intense
therapy for Geoff and says he is "70 per cent back to the old Geoff" and
is back to work one morning a week, walking and talking.
Geoff Smith and his wife Jo Smith in hospital (
Image:
Jo Smith/SWNS)
Jo, a full-time carer for Geoff, from Chelmsford, Essex, said:
"I was told he'd need four carers a day. Someone like Geoff should be
in a nursing home but he doesn't need this. Geoff is 70 to 80 per cent
back to the old Geoff." Jo - who is mum to Paige, 28, Josh, 26, and
Georgie, 22 - woke up to an "eerie silence" on March 28, 2019.
She
said: "I came down and found him in the lounge. He was sitting up but
unresponsive. He had a large laceration to his right side. His right
mouth had completely gone. I knew he was having a stroke." Jo doesn't
know exactly what happened but believe he had gone into the garden to
let the dogs out and fallen and hit his head - as they found blood on
the concrete post.
He had somehow got back indoors where Jo found
him. She said: "I screamed up to call an ambulance. I was screaming at
Geoff not to leave me." Geoff was rushed to Broomfield Hospital and Jo
was told the worst. She said: "I was told he either wasn't going to make
it or he'd need to have his skull removed.
Geoff was rushed to hospital and the family were told his chances of surviving were just five per cent (
Image:
Jo Smith/SWNS)
"After a CT scan they realised his brain had swelled way
beyond what they expected." Geoff was transferred to Queens Hospital,
Romford and underwent a craniectomy. Jo said: "Doctors said if they
don't do this he will die in two hours. The chances of him surviving
were very slim - five per cent.
"If he did survive he'd be left
severely disabled." Following the operation Geoff spent 12 days on and
off a ventilator - even managing to utter the words "I love you". He
came off the ventilator on April 11, 2019 and spent a further six days
in Queen's Hospital before being transferred back to Broomfield for four
weeks.
Geoff
then got a bed at Homerton University Hospital to undergo intense
rehabilitation. Jo said: "He couldn't walk. He started to get a little
bit of movement in his right leg. His speech was pretty much
non-existent. He was a shell of himself." Geoff made significant changes
in five months at the hospital and came home in August 2019.
Jo found found her Geoff unresponsive in their living room (
Image:
Jo Smith/SWNS)
He was diagnosed with aphasia - a language disorder which
affects how you communicate. Jo said: "He couldn't read or write or
understand language. He was cognitively impaired and very impulsive." Jo
had to continue therapy herself and has paid for it privately since
January 2020 but it's proved life-changing for Geoff - who receives
personal training from Neil Heppel at The Wellbeing Hub.
She
said: "His communication has improved immensely. He can talk in
sentences. He didn't lose his intelligence. All the words are in his
head but he has difficulty getting them out. He has progressed beyond
words. It's been phenomenal. He climbed Snowdon in 2022. He can
successfully ride a two wheeled bike.
"We're talking about Geoff
driving a car again - something he misses hugely." But Jo admits that it
has been hard but she had felt determined to keep going for Geoff. She
said: "A lot of that has been me. My job has been to rehab Geoff. I'm
not really a wife - I'm a therapist."
You'll notice there is NOTHING FOR YOUR DOCTOR TO DO! The doctor isn't giving you any protocols for recovery, you're getting mostly useless guidelines from your therapists. Guidelines don't guarantee recovery. Protocols can if they are properly written.
You may have heard of acting FAST—a
way to look for signs of someone having a stroke. Or perhaps you’ve
learned about the risk factors that contribute to strokes, like smoking.
However, what is less emphasized is
what you should do after having a stroke. What are the next steps? What
should you (or your loved one) do after this emotional, scary moment?
After having a stroke, post-stroke
care becomes essential for both the physical and emotional well-being of
the individual. The aftermath of a stroke may create challenges for
both the patient and their loved ones—but, with the right strategies,
precautions, and support from healthcare professionals and loved ones,
you can optimize your recovery and reduce your risk of future strokes.
Physical care
Physical care is an important part of
post-stroke recovery. The challenges the patient faces depend on which
part of the brain was affected by the stroke. Many may feel weakness or
paralysis on one side of their bodies. There may be difficulties with
balance and coordination, as well as changes in mobility and dexterity.
Physical and occupational therapy is an essential part of post-stroke
care in order to regain strength, mobility, and independence.
By working with a physical therapist,
you can learn exercises and activities tailored to your specific needs
and abilities. For example, these exercises may include:
range-of-motion exercises
strengthening exercises
balance training
It’s important that you follow the
instructions and guidance provided by your physical therapists and
follow your personalized plans. This can help with building gradual
improvement and rehabilitation.
Occupational therapy
In addition to physical therapy,
occupational therapy focuses on helping individuals regain independence
in daily activities such as dressing, grooming, and cooking.
Occupational therapists may suggest adaptive equipment or modifications
to the home environment to enhance safety and functionality.
Having a stroke can have lasting
effects when it comes to speech and communication. It can be frustrating
at first to have to re-learn certain qualities of speech that came so
easily before. Speech and language therapy may be necessary if the
stroke has affected your ability to speak, language, or swallowing
abilities.
Speech therapists are there to help guide you using exercises and techniques to improve communication and
swallowing function. They may also work with the patient to alter or
modify changes in your diet to help reduce the risk of aspiration.
Mental health care
Emotional and mental health care are
just as important as any of the physical types of care. A stroke is an
alarming, traumatic experience that can bring on a range of
feelings—fear, frustration, anger, and depression to name a few.
Remember—these are normal, safe feelings to have. Learning to cope with
them, address them, and sit with them can be a major part of the
recovery process.
It’s essential to get the proper
support for emotional wellbeing, whether that’s from mental health
professionals, such as therapists or counselors, or support groups
(online or in-person) that can help process emotions. Leaning on
friends, family, and loved ones is also important—learning to ask for
help when needed and not pushing yourself too hard to do it all on your
own can open up space in your heart for patience and compassion.
Finally, your lifestyle may need to
adjust after having a stroke to prevent further damage or strokes. These
preventative measures may include:
Attending regular check-ups and follow-up appointments with healthcare providers
Monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels
Taking prescribed medications such as antihypertensive medications or statins
Maintaining
a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean
proteins while minimizing the intake of salt, saturated fats, and
processed foods
Engaging
in regular physical activity within one’s abilities, such as walking or
swimming, to improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of
future strokes
Quitting smoking, if applicable
In summary
Every individual’s post-stroke care
journey is unique, and how someone recovers can vary from person to
person. Patience, resilience, compassion, and a positive mindset are
crucial in navigating post-stroke care.
I had to figure out on my own that a good chunk of my premotor cortex was dead when I got an MRI scan as part of a research project, correlating the dead area with pictures of brain regions. My doctor did nothing and told me nothing, didn't even tell me I had a stroke, I had a CVA instead, which I had to ask what that was. I was left in the dark on everything about my stroke. One other doctor when I asked how to recover premotor abilities just told me to do some exercises. Totally fucking worthless crapola from him.
Summary: The primary motor and primary
somatosensory areas of the brain are involved in controlling immediate
motor movements in real-time, while the premotor area appears to control
planned, sequential movements as well as reacting to and adjusting the
sequence when faced with unexpected changes.
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
In
a novel set of experiments with mice trained to do a sequence of
movements and “change course” at the spur of the moment, Johns Hopkins
scientists report they have identified areas of the animals’ brains that
interact to control the ability to perform complex, sequential
movements, as well as to help the mice rebound when their movements are
interrupted without warning.
The research, they say,
could one day help scientists find ways to target those regions in
people and restore motor function caused by injury or illness.
Results of the Johns Hopkins-led experiments were published March 9 in Nature.
Based
on brain activity measurements of the specially trained rodents, the
investigators found that three main areas of the cortex have distinct
roles in how the mice navigate through a sequence of movements: the
premotor, primary motor and primary somatosensory areas.
All are on the top layers of the mammals’ brains and arranged in a fundamentally similar fashion in people.
The
team concluded that the primary motor and primary somatosensory areas
are involved in controlling the immediate movements of the mice in real
time, while the premotor area appears to control an entire planned
sequence of movements, as well as how the mice react and adjust when the
sequence is unexpectedly disrupted.
As the animals perform
sequential movements, the researchers say, it’s likely that the premotor
area sends electrical signals via special nerve cells to the two other
sensorimotor cortex areas, and more studies are planned to chart the
paths of those signals between and among the cortical layers.
“Whether
it’s an Olympian practicing a downhill ski run or a person doing an
everyday chore such as driving, many tasks involve learned sequences of
movements made over and over,” says Daniel O’Connor, Ph.D., associate
professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine. O’Connor led the research team.
Such
sequential movements may seem commonplace and simple, he says, but they
involve complex organization and control in the brain, and the brain
must not only direct each movement correctly but also organize them into
an entire series of linked movements.
When unexpected things happen to interrupt an ongoing sequence,
O’Connor says, the brain must adapt and direct the body to re-configure
the sequence in real time. Failure of this process can result in
disaster — a fall or car accident, for example.
Neuroscientists
have long studied how mammals compensate when an individual movement —
such as reaching for a coffee cup — is disrupted, but the new study was
designed to address the challenges of tracking what happens when complex
sequences of several movements must be reorganized in real time to
compensate for unexpected events.
In the case of the Olympic
skier, for example, the skier expects to perform a planned series of
movements to approach and pass through gates along a downhill run, but
there will likely be moments when an obstacle disrupts the skier’s
trajectory and forces a change of course.
“How the mammalian brain
can take a sensory cue and, almost instantly, use it to completely
switch from one ongoing sequence of movements to another remains largely
a mystery.” O’Connor worked with Duo Xu, Ph.D., a former graduate
student in O’Connor’s laboratory, to design a set of experiments in mice
to track the brain regions that process the “change course” cue.
For
the study, the researchers first created a “course” for mice that were
trained to stick out their tongues and touch a “port” — a metal tube.
When the investigators moved the port, the mice learned to touch the
port again. Over the span of the course, when the port was moved to its
final location, the mice that touched it with their tongues got a
reward. All of this training was meant to simulate a repeated and
expected sequence of learned movements, much as the skier’s downhill
run.
To study how an unexpected cue can prompt the brain to change
course, the researchers had the mice perform what scientists call a
“backtracking trial.” Instead of moving the port to the next in-sequence
location, the researchers moved the port to an earlier location, so
that when the mice extended their tongues, they failed to find the port,
prompting them to reverse course, find the port, and progress through
the course to get the treat.
“Each sequence of port licks involves
a series of complex movements that the mouse’s brain needs to organize
into a movement plan and then perform correctly, but also to rapidly
reorganize when they find that the expected port isn’t there,” says
O’Connor.
During the
experiments, the researchers used brain electrodes to track and record
electrical signals among neurons in the sensorimotor cortex, which
controls overall movement. An increase in electrical activity
corresponds to increased brain activity.
The
team concluded that the primary motor and primary somatosensory areas
are involved in controlling the immediate movements of the mice in real
time, while the premotor area appears to control an entire planned
sequence of movements, as well as how the mice react and adjust when the
sequence is unexpectedly disrupted. Image is in the public domain
Because
many areas of the cortex could be activated when the mice moved through
the course in the experiment, the researchers used mice bred with
genetically engineered brain cells that, in certain parts of the cortex,
can be selectively “silenced” or deactivated. Thus, the scientists
could narrow down the location of brain areas directly involved in the
movements.
“The results provide a
new picture of how a hierarchy among neural networks in the
sensorimotor cortex are managing sequential movements,” says O’Connor.
“The more we learn about these interacting neural networks, the better
positioned we are to understand sensorimotor dysfunction in humans and
how to correct it.”
My
doctors never found the 80% blockage in my right carotid artery even
though they told me that artery had dissected and thrown a clot into my
brain. So they left me with a risk of further strokes until 3 years later when that artery completely closed up.
Accumulating
evidence highlights the existence of distinct morphological subtypes of
intracranial carotid arteriosclerosis. So far, little is known on the
prevalence of these subtypes and subsequent stroke risk in the general
population. We determined the prevalence of morphological subtypes of
intracranial arteriosclerosis and assessed the risk of stroke associated
with these subtypes.
Methods:
Between
2003 and 2006, 2391 stroke-free participants (mean age 69.6, 51.7%
women) from the population-based Rotterdam Study underwent noncontrast
computed tomography to visualize calcification in the intracranial
carotid arteries as a proxy for intracranial arteriosclerosis.
Calcification morphology was evaluated according to a validated grading
scale and categorized into intimal, internal elastic lamina (IEL), or
mixed subtype. Follow-up for stroke was complete until January 1, 2016.
We used multivariable Cox regression to assess associations of each
subtype with incident stroke.
Results:
The
prevalence of calcification was 82% of which 39% had the intimal
subtype, 48% IEL subtype, and 13% a mixed subtype. During a median
follow-up of 10.4 years, 155 participants had a stroke. All 3 subtypes
were associated with a higher risk of stroke (adjusted hazard ratio [95%
CI] for intimal: 2.11 [1.07–4.13], IEL: 2.66 [1.39–5.11], and mixed
subtype 2.57 [1.18–5.61]). The association of the IEL subtype with
stroke was strongest among older participants. The association of the
intimal subtype with stroke was noticeably stronger in women than in
men.
Conclusions:
Calcification
of the IEL was the most prevalent subtype of intracranial
arteriosclerosis. All 3 subtypes were associated with an increased risk
of stroke, with noticeable age and sex-specific differences.
