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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 8:21 AM Surviving Strokes 'Time loss is brain loss' By Janet Conner-Knox | Times Staff Writer The road back to your normal life can be quite challenging after a stroke. Medical research says the longer it takes to get help, the less likely a patient is to fully recover. Doctors also say that knowing the warning signs of a stroke can save your life, if you get help immediately. "We stress knowledge about strokes and swift action," said Gail Brewer, manager of quality and care condition at Wilson Medical Center. "People often have total recovery when they come to the hospital right away after an episode. Some people never get everything back, and waiting too long in some cases can contribute to that. Time loss is brain loss." Marsha Barnes can testify to that. She still has problems with fine motor skills three years after her stroke. Barnes, a hairdresser at Through the Looking Glass, said she didn't know the warning signs of a stroke and didn't know she had had a stroke. "I had a headache all week long, and I had red floaters, like dots in my eyes," Barnes said. "I thought I just had a migraine headache. And Saturday night I went to bed, but when I woke up about 2 o'clock in the morning I could not feel my arm." She said she pulled back the covers and was looking at her arm, but just couldn't feel it.
"My face looked drawn and the right side of my body was just dangling," Barnes said. "I thought to myself, well I must have had stroke. But I didn't have all of my faculties together, and I went and laid back down in my bed." She got up later and went to her son's room but wasn't able to talk or knock on his locked door and decided to go back to bed again. It was hours later that her son got up for the day and discovered his mother needed medical attention. But Barnes is lucky, although she waited many hours before getting attention. She went to a rehabilitation center and said she is doing pretty good. She still has to exercise her right hand, but Barnes is back at work. She said she still has problems with opening buttons on a blouse or anything that is considered fine motor skills. In the United States more than 780,000 people have strokes each year. More than 160,000 die from them. Wilson is in the heart of the stroke belt in the United States that includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and north Florida. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than 60 people in Wilson County have strokes each year. Because so many people have strokes, Wilson Medical Center's rapid medical response team has a new emphasis on strokes. Brewer said getting the general public educated about strokes is part of what the rapid medical response team also does. There is always a team at the hospital ready to respond to anyone who has a stroke while in the hospital or anyone who comes in with a stroke. "Strokes are a priority," said Dr. David Boerner, Wilson Medical Center vice president of medical affairs. "We give them the same attention as when a person comes in with a heart attack." On the team are a respiratory therapist, a nurse and a doctor. Boerner said the first thing the team wants to know is why the patient had the stroke because there are different types of strokes. There are two that are most common: an embolic stroke, when a clot has floated and blocks a blood vessel to the brain; and a hemorrhagic stroke, where a blood vessel erupts in the brain and bleeding occurs in the brain. Boerner said when a patient comes in, the rapid response team quickly assesses the status of the patient. "We have to find out if they have high blood pressure, or do they have heart disease or diabetes," Boerner said. "Different diseases can cause different kinds of strokes also. So we want to know early if we are dealing with a blocked artery or a hemorrhage." Boerner said that for some strokes medication needs to be given within four hours of the onset of the stroke, which is why time is so important. In the best case scenarios, the stroke team can see and assess the patient and begin medication within 30 minutes of his arrival. Boerner said with modern medicine, people who have a stroke because of a blood clot have a better chance than ever to getting their life back just like they did before a stroke. Boerner said although there is no guarantee of preventing a stroke, knowledge can help. He suggests knowing your family history, not smoking, staying away from salty and fatty foods, exercising regularly, and knowing the signs of a stroke. janet@wilsontimes.com | 265-7847 |
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