Health topics for men and women,Stroke, heart health

Long Term Stroke Recovery Progress

2009-05-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

It has been over 7 years since I had my stroke. I was paralyzed completely from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, and I am here to say that with much hard physical and mental work it is possible to maintain a long term fully functional recovery from this type of stroke episode. My last MRI showed an area between the two hemispheres of my brain the size of a 50 cent piece that had died. But no perceptible long term disability has materialized from this, sure I tire a bit more easily then before and when I am very tired I tend to slur some words but nothing major. My ability to do physical work is not what it was so I moved into supervision and do fine there. What I mean by all of this is that from my experience if you have had a stroke you can come back from it and live a good life. Sure it will be a SOB to pull yourself back, pain and sweat,disgust and fear but damn it's a darn better thing than laying in a bed and giving up.

Drug companies and mystery illnesses

2006-10-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

If you watch any national news you may have seen as I did this morning the story on restless leg syndrome. It seems that the majority of doctors in the country had never heard of this illness until they were approached by a patient asking about the medication they had seen advertised on television. So either patients are more medically educated then their doctors or doctors need to watch more drug advertising so they can be aware of the new fantasy illnesses being created by drug companies or medical schools are failing to teach their students well enough. What? More likely than any of the above though is the possibility that the drug companies are not satisfied with multi-billion dollar profits and are creating illnesses out of thin air to market useless drug to gullible people. With seemingly good results.

Pecans and heart attack

2006-10-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

It seems that pecans on a daily basis can reduce you risk of heart attack. At least according to the study reported in the article that is linked to. I am not a big pecan fan but anything that will help improve the health of my cardiovascular system can't be all bad and is certainly worth a try. Also check out the article about almonds lowering colesterol levels. With so many wonder drugs on the market natural foods are often overlooked as being useful in relieving many of the problems that ail us much to the happiness and profit of the large drug companies.

Stroke recovery and finding life again

2006-10-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

In the process of healing from the destruction from a stroke if the correct therapies are followed after awhile it seems that life has completely returned to normal. The occassional periods of fatigue and exhaustion are easily forgotten and moved past. Only when you let your guard down are the small things noticable, a slight slurring of the speech when overly tired, a bit of dizzeyness when over doing things. Are these signs of a relapse or just the normal aftereffects of stroke that do not ever go away? I do not know, all that I can say for certain is that even with the MRI indicating a spot in my brain the size of a half dollar being dead that life goes on.

Stroke and emotional instability

2006-10-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

The marvelous thing about recovery from a stroke is that it is never complete or predictable.

From my personal journey on this road I know that one minute everything appears to be just fine and dandy and the next raving lunacey has taken over. And there seems to be no explanation for it. There eems to me to be something that effects the emotional control center when a person has suffered a stroke. I am sure there are reems of medical papers written on the subject, but what good is that when you are in the middle of an episode of no control?

Luckily this does not in my case last long and passes, but jezz what a pain, so move on and get over it. At least I can. Where others cannot.

Stroke Rehabilitation and Self-Confidence

2006-09-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you have experienced a stroke and have suffed lasting effects from it then you know first hand as I do that at times your seld-confidence level can be poor or non-existent. But that is no reason to give up. There may be a number of things that will no longer be a part of your life depending upon the severity of your stroke, the quickness of treatment, the methods of treatment and your response to treatment. Once you have taken stock of your situation and accepted the fact that things have changed it is possible to pick up and move on with your life. Nothing is impossible. I was paralyzed on one side, unable to speak clearly, in the beginining I was not able to physically able to do the work I had done my whole life. But I did not take to heart what I was told, that I should get used to it and sit back and be handicapped, I said bull and against advise I went back to work and sweated and hurt and felt foolish and weak and stupid at times but overcame it. It is true I am not in the same condition I was before the stroke and am not able to accomplish some of the things I could before but I can and do get up eveyday and go to work and co my job well. If anything I work smarter. And if you put your mind to anything is possible.

Genetic Modification and Cancer Treatment

2006-09-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

The study of and modification of DNA are and will continue to lead to some fantastic new methods for the treatment of many differing ailments. The linkd to article is a new and yet completly unproven treatment for melanoma a particularly nasty cancer. It is amazing how far things have come in the last few years in genetic research, but it is also amazing the possibilities that yet exist for new discoveries. It is a good thing that the present administration does not have as much to say about genetic research as they have had control over funding of stem cell research or countless cures would go undiscovered.

Reducing the risk of stroke

2006-09-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

According to a study published in this weeks issue of The Lancet. An increase in consumtion of fruits and vegetables from an average of three portions a day to more than five showed a reduction in the incidence of stroke by 26%. It is also stated that low intake of fruits and vegetables is a major modifiable risk factor contributing to the burden of ill health.

Soft Drink Companies settle

2006-08-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

A while back several softdrink companies were brought to task for supposedly selling beverages that contained more than the allowed limit of benzene in their drinks. Benzene which above certain levels causes cancer. They natually refuted this claim assuring all that their drinks were ( other than the normal side effects) perfectly safe. But wait now for some bizzare reason they are offering refunds to those that purchased their product and reformulating it so the benzene that was not present is for sure not present now. And naturally admitting no wrong doing. That admitting no wrong doing line sure gets a lot of large companies off the hot seat. Humm it seems that just the other day the Govner of Kentucy used it as well. So I must keep it handy for my personal use as well. The whole nation could make use of it. Come tax time, or stop sign running time. Little indescretions such as those.

Hard Knocks

2006-07-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

It is an amazing thing how you can be going along fine and all of a sudden something changes and bam it is like wow another stroke? No just a set back from the last one, it seems that there is never full and total recovery from a stroke, (at least not in my case). One day I was doing fine and life was great and the next morning a little stiff on one side and a tiny slurring of the speech is how the day starts and by the end of the day it has progressed to the right arm can no longer move freely and I sound as if I had drunk a fifth of whiskey. Jezz all from pushing it to hard and not taking care of myself, thinking that I was recovered and not recovering.

Cluster Headaches

2006-06-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

Cluster headaches are suden very severe, sharp, stabbing headaches that occur on one side of the head, usually in the temple or behind the eye. The eye and nostril on the affected side may be runny, and the eye may also be red. The pain often begins at night and may last from 30 minutes to a feww hours. The headache may recur several times a day. Attacks may last 4 to 12 weeks, then disappear for months or years. Cluster headaches are 5 times more common in men than in women. Many men who get them are heavy smokers and drinkers. Avoid alcohol and tobacco products during an attack. See your physician if you think you have cluster headaches or if you have persistent, severe headaches with no apparent cause.

Stroke Recovery

2006-06-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

The problem with recovering from a stroke is: It is never a done deal. Stroke recovery is an on going everyday process. You do not wake up one day and say I am fully recovered from the stroke I had. There are good days and bad days. You can be fully functional one day and capable of accomplishing just as much as before the stroke, and the next day it all seems to vanish as if there were no progress at all. This can at times be very frustrating and maddening. But it is just another step on the road to being functional.

Stroke revisited

2006-06-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

Well it seems that if you have once had a stroke and do not take good care of yourself, overwork, over stress, just do not generally realise that things in your life are not going to be exactly as they were before the stroke, you can end up flat on your back in a bed, wondering just what took place. Just as I have been for the past week. So if you have suffered from a stroke take my advice and reprioritise your life, do the things that are important to you well you still can. Life is not over just different from what it once was. Take it a bit slower, enjoy it more, savor every moment in the realization that some how you side stepped the big one and can continue on. If after a stroke you come out of it with all of your thought processes and the majority of your physical capabilities still intact then be happy. There are a large number of people that do not and are confined to a chair or bed and need someone to care for their every need.

Do You The Symptoms of Stroke?

2006-06-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the range of 500,000 Americans have strokes each year. Stroke is the third leading killer in the United States. Over 145,000 people a year die from stroke related causes. This is right behind coronary heart disease and cancer. Some people recover fully following a stroke, the majority though suffer from some type of lasting physical or mental disability. Truth be known stroke is the most common cause of disability in adults. Stroke follows only Alzheimer's diease as a cause of dementia. The Symptoms of Stroke are, 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 headaches with no known cause. Important: Sometimes stroke symptoms last only a few minutes and disappear. This may be a sign of a ( transient ischemic attack ) TIA. Do not ignore one of these "ministrokes". It can be a forerunner to a future, full-blown stroke. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms of stroke Seek emergency medical care immediately. If you have experienced any of these symptoms in the past see your Doctor as soon as possible.

Issues that repeat after a stroke

2006-05-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

I have found that even several years after having experienced my stroke that several physical problems reocur. At times there are problems with my muscle control on my right hand side. Weakness and ocassionally small tremors happen. These seem to happen more often than not when I have not rested enough and am overly tired. Also if I allow myself to become overly fatigued my speech moves towards a slurring mode of speaking. From my experiance I would have to say that there is never a total 100% recovery from the effects of a stroke. But you can and I have recovered fully enough to go on with day to day living in all it's shapes and forms, physically and mentally.

Osteoporosis

2006-05-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

80 % of people with osteoporosis are women. The condition is uncommon in men until after the age of 70. Women are more at risk because they generally have less bone tissue than men and they tend to lose bone quickly in the years right after menopause. Which is a whole different subject, my wife is in that phase and you thought PMS sucked, ha. Any way back to Osteoporosis. Reasearch has lead to the belief that this rapid bone loss may be linked to falling estrogen levels.
SYMPTOMS:
Backache.
Facture of the wrist, hip, or spine.
Gradual loss of height and stooped posture.
Loss of bone in the jaw.
Most people with osteoporosis have no symptoms until they fracture a bone.

Stroke Risk Factors

2006-05-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Some of the major risk factors for stroke can't be changed. But many others can.
Major Risk Factors You Can't Change
Age. The chance of developing a stroke goes up significantly after the age of 60.
This is true for both men and women.
Family history. If a parent or sibiling had a stroke , you are more at risk.
Gender. Men are more likely than women to have a stroke.
Race. African Americans are 2 to 3 times more likely to have an ischemic stroke and 2 1/2 times more likely to die from it than white Americans.
Diabetes, Having diabetes seriously increases the risk for having a stroke. If you have diabetes, it is critical that you control other risk factors as well as your diabetes.
Major Risk Factors You Can Change.
High blood pressure. This is the leading cause of strokes.
Smoking. Smoking doubles your risk for having a stroke.
High blood cholesterol levels. The higher your blood cholesterol levels, the greater your risk for a stroke.
Coronary heart disease.
Having heart disease can increase the chances of a blood clot forming.
Being sedentry. Physical inactivity increases your risk for stroke.
Being overweight. People with excess body fat are more likely to have a stroke.

Prevention
Don't smoke. Your risk for stroke drops dramatically within a few years of stopping smoking.
Control your blood pressure. Have your blood pressure checked annually. If it is high, follow your physician's advice on how to lower it.
Have your cholesterol checked every three to five years.
Keep your weight in check.
Exercise regularly. In addition to helping control weight, exercise can help lower blood pressure, relieve stress, and tone the heart and blood vessels.
Learn how to manage stress.
Follow a healthful diet. Ear more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and fewer foods that are salty or high in fat and cholesterol.
Ask your Doctor about taking an aspirin a day to prevent stroke.

Symptoms of Vision Problems

2006-05-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Do you know the common symtoms of vision problems you may be having and just putting off to getting another year older?
CATARACTS:
Cloudy or blurry vision.
Problems with light- automobile headlights or bright sunlight may seem glaring and uncomfortable.
Seeing halos around lights.
Colors that seem to fade.
Poor night vision.
Double or multiple vision (this symptom often goes away as the cataract grows)
Frequent need to change your eyeglass or contact lens prescription.
GLAUCOMA
Blind spots or loss of peripheral vision.
Sudden and severe eye pain.
Blurred or double vision.
Seeing halos around lights or sensitivity to light, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
Important many people with Glaucoma have no symptoms at all.
AGE-RELATED MACUlAR DEGENERATION
Blurred vision, often in only one eye.
Gradual loss of focused central vision.
Altered perception: straight lines appear wavy.

Recovering from a Stroke

2006-05-27T01:53:00.000-07:00

A crucial part of treatment for stroke is rehabilitation. Although stroke permanently destroys brain cells, it is possible to "train" other cells to take over certain functions, such as speech or muscle movement. Stroke rehabilitation should begin as soon as possible- often before leaving the hospital. Rehabilitation usually includes the folowing therapies:
Physical therapy to strengthen muscles and improve balance and coordination
Speech and language therapy to learn how to talk and communicate
Occupational therapy to improve eye-hand coordination and skills needed for everyday tasks, such as bathing and cooking.
Support and counseling to help adjust to the physical and emotional changes that follow a stroke.
The Link shows just one place that will lead to a better understanding of stroke and more resources to help.

Health Insurance Networks Drive Away The Best Doctors

2006-05-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

At least twice a year we are the recipients of an announcement from our heath insurance provider informing, us that one of the Doctors that we have been seeing is no longer in the network of health care providers we are members of. They have not signed back up with the network. If you have an ongoing condition such as recovery from stroke, like I have this can really become a pain in the butt, getting set up with a new Doctor, having all of the records transferred. Usually the first thing a Doctor new to you wants to do is have a whole new battery of tests done, MRI, lab work. And so it goes in the brave new world of corporations making medical decisions.

Lack of Sleep Causes Weight Gain

2006-05-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

If you happen to have insomnia you may also weigh more then the person who gets the average amount of sleep, according to a new Study.

May 24, 2006 (San Diego) — A new study presented here at the American Thoracic Society International Conference shows that middle-aged women who sleep 5 or fewer hours each night weigh an average of 2.5 kg more than those who sleep for at least 7 hours.

Cancer soft drinks and Benzene

2006-05-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

It appears that in a certain number of softdrinks the FDA has found the chemical Benzene, and the consumption of benzene has been linked to cancer. Leukemia specifically, and now the FDA is attempting to backtrack and say that the amount of benzene contained in the softdrinks is not enough to be concerned about. Humm and vioxx was also safe.

Prescription drug side effects that suck

2006-05-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

They say beware of prescription drug side effects, but you never know what they are until you have them. I was recently prescribed the drug Valproic acid for migraine headaches and my god already having GERD which totally ruins my stomach, this new drug is like having a stomach acid bomb dropped on top of the already high levels of acid. It is one too double a person over.

Ocular Migraines

2006-05-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ocular migraines, this was a new and unheard of term to me until wednesday morning. My regular headache came on about mid-morning and I reach for the prescription that the Doctor had given me, when my vision started to become very strange. The only thing I can relate it to is seeing in little chambers like they always show bees seeing. I thought it was pretty strange and then when it had not stopped after 15 minutes I started to think it was more then strange.
Needless to say I went to the Doctor and was told that this was another in the on going after effects of having had a stroke.

2006-05-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

The strangest thing after having a stroke is the different level of emotional reactions you now experience. Watching television is pretty much no longer an option, the smallest endearing moment can set a person to crying or send you off in a fit of anger. And their is really no control of it, maybe to minimize it but not completely shut it down.

2006-05-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

Vioxx in the news again. Merck refutes the recently released study saying that those who were taking vioxx are at risk for stroke or heart attack. it seems that previous studies show that former users of Vioxx can and have had a certain number of strokes and heart attacks for upto a year following their stopping the usage of the drug. Merck says this is only relevent depending on how you interept the studies. Well either these people had strokes and heart attacks or they did not.

2006-05-09T22:53:00.000-07:00

Did you know? If you are a women and your waist measures more than 35 inches, or if you are a man and your waist measures more tan 40 inches you are more likely to develope high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. If this this the case with you talk to your physician about the health risks of your weight.

2006-05-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me how complicated seeing a Doctor is once the health insurance company gets involved. First off the HMO only pays a portion of what the amount the Doctor charges. Secondly the insurance company only has certain Doctors in their network and then it seems that when the Doctor hits on a prescription drug that actually takes care of the problem without to many terrible side effects the HMO decides that it is not formulary so they won't pay for that one . The one you get is the one that produces dizziness, nausea,dry mouth and not being able to sleep at night. And to top it off the neurologist that the primary care physician sent you to is no longer in the network and you receive a bill for $6,000.00 4 months later.

2006-05-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

On Sat Jan. 26,2002 when I woke up I found that the right side of my body was paralyzed from head to toe. During the night I had suffered a stroke, being only 47 at the time I was not willing to admit to what had happened. I put it off to a bad sprain of my back and stayed in bed for a week, taking around 1000 bayer aspirin in the course of that week. I went back to work and fought my way through it, using my left hand, staying away from the owners of the company that I worked for as much as possible. For awhile they believed that I had taken to drinking, since my speech was slurred considerably for the first several weeks afterwards. My immediate supervisor and I were good friends and as long as the work was completed in a timely manner he was alright with it. In 2004 I began to have extreme headaches and finally had an MRI done, in which was pictured between the right and left lobes of my brain what termed an infarct. It looked to me like a white dead space about the size of a half dollar. And then the real fun with the Doctors began