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Egluntyne

Monty Don...

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Everyone should be aware of the symptoms of stroke if you catch them it can save alot of brain injury :cry:

 

We missed them with my mum (so did her GP :evil::evil::evil: ) and she had a massive one at only 59 :cry::cry::cry:

 

She is now disabled wheelchair dependant significant speech problems and can only feed herself :?

 

Poor Monty but they caught it which is the most important thing :(

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Somebody posted recently about an acronym to help with diagnosis.....

 

Was it S.T.R.O.K.E ?

 

Ask the patient to.....

Smile

Talk

Raise arms ?

??

 

Smile (shouldn't be crooked)

 

Talk (shouldn't be slurred)

 

Raise arms (both should go up together/equally)

 

Open mouth and sticK out tonguE (shouldn't be on one side)

 

 

Phil

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Poor Monty, perhaps Lesley and I should take some cake over to him.

 

I couldn't agree more with the need for spotting it early - if they get treatment within the first 2 hours, most of the damage can be reversed.

 

 

Is this really true?? I'm not so sure...

 

I always understood that the trick is to spot mini-strokes, so that the underlying cause could be treated and so prevent a major stroke.

 

if someone has a major stroke - I'm not sure what treatment within two hours makes a crucial difference - and it certainly isn't true that most of the damage of a stroke can be reversed if only it is treated within two hours (is it???)

 

I have known many many people who have had strokes - mini and major. With major strokes - even with immediate recognition - it is pretty much a lottery how a person will come out of it...

 

some will make a quick recovery - others will even lose the ability to swallow...

 

I think it's the spotting of the symptoms of mini-strokes that is key - so that the underlying cause (often high blood pressure) can be treated (not the stroke itself) - when u have the major stroke, then physiotherapy/speech therapy and occupational therapy are what happens - not treatment for the actual stroke itself....

 

early intervention after a mini stroke (lowering blood pressure and cholesterol etc with drugs - best within hours, yes) reduces the risk of a major stroke - but early treatment of a major stroke does not necessarily reverse most of the damage.)

 

Phil (tho - I am not a doctor, so I may be wrong!)

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I'm only repeating what I've read and been told. Most of my family are medics and when my Grandpa had his stroke, they spotted it really quickly, he got immediate treatment and practically all of the effects were reversed.

 

Not wanting to be a pedant, but for the sake of accuracy (thank you for bringing it up revnev), the first two hours are the most crucial for restoring important functions, any delay makes it that much more difficult for the effects to be reversed and for physio to have any real effect.

 

Any stroke, major or minor needs spotting quickly. Sometimes the symptoms are just something like slight confusion, or trouble finding the right words... I get that by the end of mosts weeks anyway :roll: Prompt treatment can often prevent it form getting any worse.

 

A man I used to work for had a stroke at work (this is many years ago), it was slight and the effects were hardly noticeable, but I spotted them and insisted on calling an ambulance, despite his protests that he was just tired. He's still alive now (and still a cantankerous old thing!). I'm just thanking my first aid training.

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I'm only repeating what I've read and been told. Most of my family are medics and when my Grandpa had his stroke, they spotted it really quickly, he got immediate treatment and practically all of the effects were reversed.

 

ok.. I think it sounded to me like you were saying that if a stroke is treated within two hours then most of the damage can be reversed. I'm glad it worked out for your Grandpa - but I know many people who have had major strokes and who have been treated immediately - but made very little recovery losing the ability to speak and swallow...

 

I wouldn't want anyone to EXPECT that if a relative had a major stroke - and were treated within two hours that they would then be fine - because, in my experience, this is far from always the case.

 

 

anyway - let's hope Monty makes a good recovery,

 

Phil

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I watched Gardener's World the other night and Carol Klein said that Monty was taking a break for a few weeks.

 

Hope he makes a full recovery.

 

 

I wouldn't want anyone to EXPECT that if a relative had a major stroke - and were treated within two hours that they would then be fine - because, in my experience, this is far from always the case.

Phil

 

Lets hope no one relies on this forum for treating strokes. It is a chicken forum afterall. :wink:

Edited by Guest
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As with any medical emergency...the sooner the appopriate treatment starts, the better the outcome is likely to be.

 

indeed - I totally agree. But in the case of a major stroke there is no certainty that if it is treated within 2 hours then most of the damage can be reversed, that simply is not the case, it is much more uncertain than that - quite often, despite prompt treatment, there is no discernible recovery at all.

 

as strokes are quite common - and many people on this forum will encounter one one day -I would not want people to imagine that something had gone wrong with their treatment - or that the hospital had fouled up if most of the damage was NOT reversed after prompt treatment.

 

some people will have major strokes - very promptly recognised and treated - and there will be no discernible improvement - and this would not be the fault of the doctors - it would be the fact that recovery from major strokes is a bit of a lottery.

 

Phil

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Lets hope no one relies on this forum for treating strokes. It is a chicken forum afterall. :wink:

 

 

ahh - sorry, I thought that's precisely what Lesley's question was - how would you recognise one so that prompt action could be taken...

 

Phil

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I read this in the newspaper this morning. It seems he had the stroke back at the end of March.

 

When you see healthy clean living people having strokes it makes you wonder if they didn't look after themselves would it have been earlier or is it just down to unlucky genetics?

 

My dad had a massive heart attack at 62, he is only 8 and a half stone and has never smoked doesn't drink and had a physically active job. Fortunately his problem was one blocked artery which was treated with a stent and he has been fine since.

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You are actually both right, but it does depend on the cause of the stroke. If due to a clot, there are certain drugs now that can break down the clot (if given within the first 3 hours). If due to a bleed it is harder to stop it's progress in time. The biggest problems are in determining the cause (unlikely to be done within two hours) and also a bit of a lottery depending upon where you live and what services are available :?

 

As you say it's a chicken forum after all so hopefully anyone wanting to know the ins and outs will go to a more expert site for information! :lol:

This one is quite good: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

 

Poor Monty, hope he is back up to speed again soon! :(

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Lets hope no one relies on this forum for treating strokes. It is a chicken forum afterall. :wink:

 

 

ahh - sorry, I thought that's precisely what Lesley's question was - how would you recognise one so that prompt action could be taken...

 

Phil

 

recognition yes, treatment no.

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