The key is time and support for younger stroke patients

June 1, 2023 – On the morning of his stroke, Evan Parker wakes up feeling ill. He remembers having a cup of coffee around 9 am and having noticed a slight headache the past few days, but now it’s much worse. He felt “a wave just drifting over him” and went to get a glass of water.

When Parker arrived at his job at a farm produce retail company in Lafayette, Los Angeles, his boss immediately noticed symptoms of a stroke. And she said, “Oh my God, Evan, your face is drooping.” Parker dismissed her concerns. He was only 27 years old, and having a stroke was almost the last thing on his mind.

“I had no idea because I’ve never known anyone my age to make something like this happen,” Parker said. “The elderly that I knew had had strokes, it would happen while they were sleeping and stuff. A lot of the elderly that I knew had died as a result of that.”

“It’s really hard to get people to think about stroke to be concerned enough,” said Thabele “Bye” Leslie Mazoe, a national volunteer expert with the American Stroke Association. He said patients sometimes ignore their symptoms over time to seek emergency help.

Intermountain Healthcare in Utah built on the American Stroke Association’s FAST model to create the acronym BE-FAST: Balance, Eye, Face, Arm, Speech, Time to Stroke Symptoms, and Awareness:

• B: Balance – sudden dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
• E: Eyes – sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• F: Face – sudden facial weakness (does one side of your face droop?)
• A: Arm – Weakness of an arm or leg
• S: Speech – sudden difficulty speaking
• T: time – the time when symptoms began.

Leslie Mazowe said the most common signs of a stroke are changes in speech and face. Strokes that specifically affect the blood vessels in the back of the brain can sometimes be missed. But facial or speech interference occurs in about 88% of stroke patients, so it captures the bulk of them.”

“I think that’s one of the biggest things for my recovery; it was such a quick action on behalf of everyone involved in it,” Parker said.

Parker has recovered since his stroke in 2019. He dieted for a while and lost about 70 lbs. He said he has cut out sugar to maintain his weight and is taking a blood thinner daily. He also takes cholesterol medication as an extra precaution.

“I tell people all the time to watch their cholesterol and blood pressure,” Parker said.

When Parker came Toro dispensaryAnd Martin Shield has narrowed down the cause of his stroke to protein S deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that can cause blood clots.

Parker said knowing the signs of a stroke and acting quickly are crucial to surviving a stroke.

“Time is everything: The sooner you can get the right treatment, the faster you will be on the road to recovery, and the better you will recover,” Parker said.

She said, “I actually couldn’t even recognize the symptoms in myself at that moment — that my whole left arm was flat, hanging down at my side.” I couldn’t move my left leg. I was dragging her behind me.”

The hospital was only 4 miles away. Maki stayed in the hospital for 4 days and underwent surgery to close the hole in her heart. From her experience as a naturopath, she treated women who had a postpartum stroke, and knew that treatments such as surgery focus on avoiding a second stroke.

McKee also received speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Within a week, her symptoms were gone.

“To this day, I have impotence, I have decreased strength in my hands and feet, and then my smile is still not entirely symmetrical,” McKee said. “But other than that, you know, I was very, very lucky.”

Seven years after the stroke, McKee gave birth to two daughters. Sharing his insights into surviving a stroke, McKee said, “Time is the brain. As with every passing minute, there can be more damage that can be done to your brain; your whole body is controlled by your brain. And when I say that, I mean your ability.” To walk, to stand, to speak, to think, to have your perception and your memory.”

She said delays can often lead to disability.

Martin Shield said early treatment and access to critical rehabilitation services lead to a good recovery from stroke. However, she said there are disparities in patient access to both.

“Depending on your insurance company, whether they fund inpatient rehabilitation, for example,” said Martin Schild. “It depends on where you are from, whether there are any rehab facilities in your area, or whether you are physically separated from your family sometimes by hundreds of miles while you are in major rehab.”

She said people who can count on a support team are doing the best they can at any age when a stroke occurs.

We need more public health work and more resources dedicated to it. “This will be where we have the most impact,” said Leslie Mazoe. He recommended following a diet that reduces intake of salt, sugar and animal products and avoiding smoking.