About Strokes
What is a Stroke?
Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in America. Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease which affects the arteries leading to the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts or is blocked by a clot. When that happens, part of the brain is deprived of the blood and oxygen it needs, so nerve cells start to die within minutes. And when nerve cells don’t function, the part of the body they control can’t function either. The devastating effects of stroke are often permanent because dead brain cells can’t be replaced.
Strokes can change the way a person thinks, speaks, sees, and moves. After a stroke, it may be harder to care for yourself or to have a job.
The good news is many people who have had a stroke can get back some or all of their skills. Speech and physical therapy can help.
Let’s see, where do I begin? Thanks for the updates! In August 2005 I had an AVM so I too am a Stroke Survivor. I have a wonderful husband who is a saint. I was only 49 when I had my stroke, so it’s been a bit of a challenge for me. I try to send a monthly e-mail update about the stroke and my progress so others know what’s going on. Never-mind the convenience but e-mail lets me communicate with folks. It’s still hard to walk and talk. So even though typing is hard, e-mail let’s me use vocabulary and grammar that I don’t normally get to use. The stroke did not affect my memory but did affect other skills. Vangi Uribe
February 6th, 2009 at 3:56 pm