'God is our refuge and strength'

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

-Psalm 46:1

The next few posts will include information about aphasia, a condition that occurs with many stroke patients. Aphasia is a language issue - it can affect speaking, understanding, reading, writing.

It's a subject I think about from time to time. I was struck with aphasia in my stroke. Through speech therapy, working with an unofficial "writing coach" at work, various teaching tools, including some designed for schoolchildren, I worked through this issue because God was my refuge and strength and never left my side.

Worked through, but not completely healed. Stress and fatigue can bring some of the issues back. Indeed, not  everyone recovers completely. But God will give you strength to see you through through troubling times. He certainly helps me.

Good news on the clot-busting front

I received tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in 1998 - early for the drug's use - and convinced that it helped in my stroke recovery. Went from unable to move my right side and unable to speak to getting back both.

A month or so later, I ran an 8-kilometer road race. After speech therapy, I went back to writing for a living. I do believe that my speaking skills are not nearly as good as before, but in all honesty, I am grateful to God for my outcome.

Most strokes are caused by a blood clot lodged in the brain. The drug works to dissolve the clot and speed recovery. Given that it's a powerful drug to prevent blood from clotting, it takes special training and good judgment to use the drug for the right stroke patients.

Thus, one problem is the reluctance of using the clot-busting tPA, even for patients would benefit. Recently, though, researcher found that more neurology residents are using the clot-busting drug:

Researchers found that the proportion of neurology residents who say they're comfortable using tPA rose from 73 percent in 2000 to 94 percent in 2010.

"This is good news," senior author Dr. Brett Cucchiara, an assistant professor of neurology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, said in a journal news release.

"It is imperative that neurology residents attain a level of comfort using tPA that will allow them to use the medication effectively in their clinical practice and guide other physicians in its use," Cucchiara noted.

With this news, I feel better already...

Optimism associated with lower risk of having stroke

“Our work suggests that people who expect the best things in life actively take steps to promote health,” said Eric Kim, study lead author and a clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Michigan.

Optimism is the expectation that more good things, rather than bad, will happen.

Previous research has shown that an optimistic attitude is associated with better heart health outcomes and enhanced immune-system functioning, among other positive effects.

Story of recovery and perseverance...

After reading this article about a Boise athlete not letting stroke keep him from his dreams,all I can say is - amazing recovery and an admirable example of determination. Reminds me of:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ...

 -Hebrews 12:1

An excerpt from the article:

That person is 34-year-old Justin Shields. The Four Summit Challenge will be the longest bike ride he’s ever done. For some, it may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but for Shields, it’s the culmination of years of hard work. In February 2008, a stroke would test Shields' limits, both physically and mentally. ...

Shields' recovery was long. He spent a month in the hospital, one week in the intensive care unit as well as countless hours in rehabilitation. He had to learn to do everything over again, from walking to talking.

“I didn't want to live without the use of my body, so that was really a motivating factor for me to continue on and overcome the obstacles,” said Shields.

But, Shields said some days are easier than others.

“There have been some bad days, I must admit, but for the most part I just look past them as I'll have to go through those periods of frustration in order to achieve my goal,” he said.

Two years after his stroke, Shields is once again working on realizing his dream of being an Ironman Triathlete.

A story about faith and stroke recovery

My trusty Google alert sent me this story - mixing stroke awareness, young stroke survivors and faith. It's about how a former basketball star is growing church and changing lives in Indiana:

“I remember him telling my family that I had had a stroke and that I needed to have surgery, but there was a 50/50 chance I might not make it off the table,” he said.

But [Chad] Hunter didn’t simply rely on modern medicine to get him through his physical ordeal. He took something much greater with him into that hospital room in February 2008.

“You have to have faith and trust God to help get you through the hardships of life,” he said. “With prayers things change.”

 Now, Hunter leads a congregation, giving back gifts from God.

Story of a 33-year-old...

Time to devote a few blog postings to a topic that is near to my heart - or better yet, brain: Strokes don't just happen to elderly people.

My age when it happened: 39. There are plenty of stories about people who have had strokes even younger.

Is this intending to scare people? Certainly not. Instead, it's important for people of all ages to be aware of stroke symptoms and know that it is important to get help quickly.


A recent story talks about how strokes can strike the young:

By age 33, Wichitan Bill Ramsey had suffered his second stroke. He hadn't even realized he'd had one at age 28 until he went to a doctor days after suffering the second one. ...

Both times, Ramsey said, it never would have occurred to him that he had suffered a stroke.
When Ramsey's doctor told him he'd suffered a stroke not once but twice, he had a hard time taking it serious.

"I laughed and said, 'I'm only 33.' " he said. "I thought strokes happen in older people."

'So do not fear, for I am with you'

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

-Isaiah 41:10

People with aphasia - a common outcome for stroke survivors that affects speech - feel isolated and therefore isolate themselves from others, according to a survey conducted in 2004 by the National Aphasia Association.

But nothing - no matter what in this life - can truly isolate one from God. The author in Isaiah said it far better than I can: you don't have to fear, you need not be dismayed. God is with you.

I certainly understand - to a degree - the feeling of aphasia, which afflicted me during my own stroke in 1998. For a while, I could not speak, write or read. I had trouble understanding what others were saying. Talk about feeling isolated.

But God never left me. In those days when my I needed strength, God was present. And God can be present for you.

Research looks at racial disparity and time

Currently, this blog theme is time. I saw several versions of this story that illustrates the great importance of getting help quickly for those suffering a stroke.

This article from The Washington Post talks about ways of preventing strokes and how time is important.

Study in D.C. hospitals reveals disparity in stroke treatment for blacks:

Researchers found that blacks are significantly less likely to get the stroke treatment medication tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) because they don’t arrive at the hospital early enough, and even when they get there in time, they often have other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, that make them ineligible for the medication. The drug increases the risk of bleeding into the brain. To be effective, the medication also needs to be given within three hours of the onset of symptoms.

“Based on our data, it appears that much of the explanation is due to things that happen before the patient gets to the hospital,” said Amie Hsia, the lead author and medical director of Washington Hospital Center’s Stroke Center. The research was conducted by Georgetown University Medical Center.

That is good news for patients and their families, because they can increase the likelihood of getting treated with a few simple steps.

At the first hint of symptoms, call 911 and get to the hospital quickly. Control risk factors, such as high blood pressure, “so that it doesn’t become a factor in [preventing] safe treatment,” Hsia said.

Educate yourself about stroke prevention

A few days ago, I saw a notice about a series of screenings by a commercial venture at a local church building. You've probably seen ads for this in newspaper inserts or in your mailbox. This bothers me a great deal.

Why? Because this type of screening, without advice from your doctor, is not an effective way to prevent strokes. For a total of $240, you supposedly get carotid artery screening, heart rhythm screening, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening and peripheral arterial disease screening.

Now, that sounds all well and good, except....


If you have zero stroke risk factors, you don't need these screenings. If you do have stroke risk factors, then you should have already talked to your doctor about what to do about these risk factors and what tests are needed.


If you don't trust your own doctor to provide meaningful help in that decision-making process, you need another doctor.

Follow this link to get details about stroke risk factors. For your future and the ones you love.

Those factors include cholesterol and high blood pressure - and if you don't know those numbers, that's a sign you need a visit to a doctor, not fly-by-night screeners. Circulation problems - a simple exam can give a doctor the information needed to justify additional screenings - the right ones. Another risk factor is diabetes. Again, there are specific symptoms of diabetes that should lead you to a doctor visit.

Educate yourself. Don't give in to scare tactics.

By the way, I don't blame the church allowing this company to use its building. I'm sure this was pitched very cleverly. But after you review the risks you think you need to take some steps to avoid a stroke, talk to your doctor instead.

Ambulance ride can make a difference

I've seen this happen with a family member - once, coming in to an emergency department by regular car, second time, by ambulance. She was seen a lot quicker when arriving by ambulance. That's key in care for stroke patients.

I was taken by this recent story about faster stroke care when patients come by ambulance:

(Reuters Health) - Patients with stroke-like symptoms get brain scans faster when they arrive at the hospital by ambulance than when they use a taxi or private car, a new study suggests.

Such scans are necessary to make a diagnosis, and doing them quickly ensures early care and better outcomes. ...

"EMS (emergency medical services) impact doesn't just stop at pre-hospital care, it can have an impact in the hospital as well," said Mehul Patel, from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, whose findings appear in the journal Stroke.

A valuable lesson you can take advantage of if you or a loved one is having stroke symptoms, when time suddenly becomes extremely important: Call 911 and get an ambulance.