Be a TIE Fighter!

I probably should have run this on May the 4th, but things have been a little crazy. And I'm talking about a different kind of TIE fighter.

See, two things May has in common are Star Wars and Stroke Awareness Month. And there are two types of stroke. The one most people know about is hemorrhagic stroke; this is when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, depriving an area of the brain of blood and oxygen. This is usually very sudden and violent and produces the classic symptoms of facial droop, slurred speech, and weakness or paralysis on one side of the body as soon as it happens. This is the most recognizable form of stroke and also the most dangerous, difficult to control and repair, and most likely to lead to immediate death. If someone shows signs of dizziness, sudden terrible headache, or disorientation, ask them to smile, raise both hands, or say something. If only one side of their mouth goes up when they smile, they can't raise a hand, cannot form intelligible words or cannot find the word they want to say, seek medical help immediately - with stroke, time is vital and the faster help arrives the more the damage can be minimized and lives can be saved.

But there is another, sneakier kind of stroke, called Transient Ischemic Events (TIE) or Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA). It is the result of a blood clot traveling through the veins in the brain and stopping the blood flow temporarily. The thing about ischemic stroke is that it doesn't necessarily happen all at once. It depends on the size of the clot, where it is, and whether it's staying in one place or it's traveling through your brain and body. (These clots can also wander in and mess up your heart, or travel from the heart to the brain, wreaking havoc as they go.) As a result, ischemic stroke does not necessarily produce any of the above symptoms, or it may produce only one or two, or it may only produce them for a few minutes at a time.

My husband's first stroke was a series of TIEs that took place intermittently for over a week before we realized what was happening. He would occasionally lose his grip on something for a minute, experience intermittent weakness in his leg, which came and went within an hour or two at random intervals, or blank out on what he wanted to say for a minute, then continue the conversation. But because these issues didn't last very long, he didn't think there was anything majorly wrong. It wasn't until he tried to stand up and simply couldn't that he agreed to go to the hospital. The full extent of the damage was not visible until THREE DAYS after he had been admitted to the hospital and treated with statins to break up the clot. By then, he was paralyzed along his right side and was missing chunks of long-term and short-term memory.

It took him three years to largely recover his functionality and personality. And just as he was getting back to normal, another series of TIEs hit last month. These were even sneakier; there were no sudden bouts of weakness or disorientation as we had learned to watch for last time, just a slow, gradual decline of functionality. A gradual increasing tiredness and weakness that left him unable to stand. His stiff right arm suddenly going limp. Gradually increasing confusion and verbal incongruity. A growing inability to tell time or understand words, letters, numbers. Over the space of two weeks he lost himself again, and was right back where he started. Fortunately he is coming back faster than he did after the first stroke; his brain was still rebuilding itself and just got to work on the new damage, the way a kid whose LEGO castle in progress was just kicked over by a playmate just turns and starts rebuilding again.

Most people tend to think of stroke as an old person's disease. It's not. Stroke can happen to anyone, any time, at any age or physical condition. My husband had his first stroke in his mid-fifties. His stroke support group has a special junior division for stroke survivors under age 20, many of whom were high school athletes. One of his therapy partners was a professional soccer player in his early 30's who suffered a stroke on the field. All it takes is one stupid blood clot that can ruin your life in a matter of minutes.

So be a TIE fighter! Eat healthy, cut out salt from your diet, watch your blood pressure, get exercise, and watch for the signs of stroke in the people you love. The Stroke Foundation uses the acronym FAST:
F - Facial Droop  - ask them to smile, and if only one side of their mouth goes up, get help!
A - Arms - if they can't raise both arms, get help!
S - Speech - if speech is slurred, confused, or uses incorrect or inappropriate words, get help!
T - TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Get help FAST! EVEN IF THESE SYMPTOMS ONLY LAST A MINUTE. If you can get them to a hospital before the symptoms become pronounced or persistent, you stand a better chance of their coming out of  it with all or most of their functionality intact - and saving their lives. TIEs are sneaky bastards. Don't let them catch you with your guard down. Don't let them win!