Every community should have this

Something that should happen everywhere: Stroke victim Web site is launched:

A new website on stroke awareness has been designed and developed thanks to St Camillus' Hospital and the Limerick Stroke Support Club.

Approximately 450 people present annually to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle following a stroke.

This website aims to provide information about stroke and ancillary services to stroke survivors, their families and friends.

Stroke Doc - slightly off-beat but well-thought resource

A blog with the straightforward name - Stroke Doc - is a resource offering original postings and numerous links.

It categorizes resources aimed at everyone, then another set aimed toward experts.

Every now and again, it's good to remind ourselves a caveat the blog mentions: "The site contains general information only and is not intended to replace a physician's advice. Please consult a physician to address your specific health care questions."

Same is true for every Web site or blog. The Internet can't replace your own doctor(s). And for matters of faith, it can't replace a church home or pastor.

Beliefnet: Health and Healing

A Web resource worth checking out, especially the particular entry on stroke information on the Web site Beliefnet: Health and Healing.

Lots of other material that can be related to stroke survivors, family members and caregivers, including weight loss, fatigue, stress and depression, can be found on the main Health and Healing page.

All about stroke resources

An often-updated Web resource for stroke survivors, caregivers, loved ones and families: All About Stroke.

One good, educational article is about blood thinner medication - which clot-type stroke survivors often take - and the side effects. It covers aspirin, Aggrenox, warfarin, Plavix, heparin and enoxaparin, a particular form of heparin.

With the exception of enoxaparin (as far as I know), I've used them all and glad they're available to help with stroke prevention. The article does a good job of going quickly through the primary side effects to watch out for. Click on the drug names (or the photo of the pills) for additional links.

You can also sign up for an e-mail newsletter about stroke-related news from the site.

(Image from National Library of Medicine)

Another Stroke Awareness Month resource

One more resource for Stroke Awareness Month, this one from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It's a Web page dedicated to the month with several resources and links of helpful material.

NINDS Know Stroke home page

Another great resource for Stroke Awareness Month (or any time) is the NINDS Know Stroke home page from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health.

According to the Web site, "in 1999, the NINDS began developing the Know Stroke campaign to help educate the public about the symptoms of stroke and the importance of getting to the hospital quickly. The campaign includes outreach to consumers and health care professionals using mass media, grassroots outreach, partnerships and community education."

Internet Stroke Center at Washington University

Yesterday's post mentioned the Internet Stroke Center at Washington University in St. Louis. It's also connected with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which is next door to the university's medical school.

The Internet Stroke Center offers resources for patients and families, including basics on recognizing stroke symptoms, caring for stroke survivors and reducing stroke risk. There's a link to the latest stroke news. It's a good Web site to note during Stroke Awareness Month.

One of the more disappointed stories, from MedWire News, starts this way: "Only a fifth of people who suffer a stroke recognize the event as an emergency and go urgently to hospital, research reveals." That means, of course, four out of five people who suffer a stroke do not recognize the event as an emergency and go urgently to a hospital. We need to do better. Much better.

Here are the symptoms:

• Sudden numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Even if you suspect that's going on - to you or someone else - get to some help fast. As stated before, a false alarm is better than a funeral.

Being several days out of my effort to post to this blog almost every day and keep it active, I've found it gets easier every day and discovered some fascinating people and additional resources. And on that note, thanks be to God.

Risk assessment tool

Washington University's Siteman Cancer Center offers a tool to assess your risk for a stroke, so for Stroke Awareness Month, this is a good time to take the test.

Go through a short questionnaire (no fibbing!), and you'll get easy to understand results about your own risk.

This is from the Spring 2008 edition of Innovate, a magazine from Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University Physicians.

Stroke Awareness and Recovery blog

My Google alert for news and blogs found a Web site devoted to "Sharing ideas on caring and independence for stroke survivors and their families." The site, Stroke Awareness and Recovery, has a good entry about Stroke Awareness Month.

Lots of good resources from another blogger who is a stroke survivor.