Stroke
What is a stroke? – Simply put, a stroke occurs when there is bleeding in your brain, or when normal blood flow to your brain is stopped. This could be due to many reasons, and sometimes, an after-effect of other illnesses or disorders, as we will learn later.
What exactly happens to you? – As your blood is a key medium for the transport of substances in your body, block of blood flow means deprivation of essential nutrients in your brain. Due to this, the brain cells start dying – and this process may continue over the next several hours, if proper medical attention isn’t given.
How bad is it? – A stroke is a true emergency. The brain is undoubtedly the most important organ of a body, and continued damage to its cells, apart from leading to coma and multiple organ failure, can eventually be fatal.
What to do in case of a stroke? – Seek immediate medical assistance, as, the sooner the treatment is given, the more likely it is that damage can be minimized. Remember that every moment counts.
What tells you that it could be a stroke? – Strokes are not very easy to detect, but mostly one or more of any of the following signs or symptoms could probably mean that you are having, or about to get a stroke:
- Sudden weakness or numbness in your face, arm or leg on one side of your body. You will feel that your body is very low in strength.
- Sudden dimness, blurring or loss of vision, particularly in one eye. You might be facing a problem with a burning sensation in our eyes.
- Loss of speech or trouble talking or understanding speech.
- Sudden, severe headache – a bolt out of the blue – with no apparent cause.
- Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or a sudden fall, especially if accompanied by any of the other symptoms.
One might tend to ignore these signs as “just another weakness”, but as it’s always better to be safe than sorry, it is advised that you call 911, or your local emergency number immediately, incase of a sudden onset of any of the above symptoms.
Who is the culprit? – Just as with any other kind of major illness, there are numerous (some direct, some intricately connected) reasons that could lead to a stroke. Having a high blood pressure, having already had a stroke in the past, smoking habit, a history of illnesses like diabetes and heart disease – are the common factors that add up to the risk of having a stroke. Also note that your risk of stroke increases as you age. Hence, a healthy lifestyle, with a balanced diet and adequate exercise to the body, would mean not just minimizing the possibility of a stroke, but also reducing the occurrence of the risk factors, in the first place. So, take good care of yourself, for, if you don’t, the culprit could simply be just you!