No you're not, not yet, but I did. Last week. It's bad.

No sympathy needed or wanted, and especially no guff about "God's plan" or "lucky," but I learned something I really needed to know beforehand that they DON'T put in the Public Service Announcements, at least here in Montana. All I want from you is for you to read, learn, and maybe save yourself. And maybe if you're a strokee, tell me if I'm right.

The official "code" for stroke as on TV is, F A S T -- Face, Arms, Speech, Time. And even though my blood work shows nothing that would make me a "stroke candidate," I paid attention with the intent of spotting it and helping others get to the hospital, as some of my friends have stroked, some okay, some really not. So I've memorized FAST, right?

So, last Monday night at about 4 AM, I'm on deadline, cranking hard, up on coffee and Copenhagen, stress headache and my eyes get "computer fuzz," which I've had before, almost exactly the same way, same time, two or three times in the last two years. Heck with it, I'll walk home. Halfway through the walk, I feel dizzy and can't see squat, I got lost on a path I can easily walk in full dark with my eyes closed. Got home, thought maybe I should FAST myself, and I did. Recited the Preamble without a hitch, did a couple pushups, checked my face (I could only see half at once), did a drunk test on myself, I was fine, not a bobble. "Heckit, I'll sleep this off as usual." Couple Aleve, to bed, as I'd been fine after sleeping things off before. Maybe I should have chugged some aspirin, because in the AM I was still blind in half my field of vision in both eyes and aspirin is the first thing they give you in the ER. Still am. Sucks.

Off to the ER, too late. 20 grand later, with a couple of snapshots of my head the only take-home besides the bill and the "You've Had A Stroke You Poor Thing" handouts.
In sorting the handouts, there's, you bet, a FAST card, like that's gonna help now? But in the full size sheets, there's another checklist, this one translates as B E F A S T. Well, Bang Me Thuot.
The B and E stand for BALANCE and EYES. Bang Me Thuot, TWICE.

With plenty of time to contemplate, I finally realized the FAST narrative is focused on spotting strokes in others, not in yourself. Had I known about the BE part before FAST, maybe I wouldn't be utterly screwed for the rest of my life, because the B and E is what happens to YOU when YOU'RE HAVING A FACKING STROKE.

And it's especially important for us in the outdoors where there's nobody around to help.

First, the B. If you're walking around, stone cold sober and you start feeling a bar buzz, that's your BALANCE. I felt like I'd had two drinkies, and I hadn't touched a drop in two weeks prior. PAY ATTENTION.

Second, the E. That's eyes. We've all had fuzz outs and tunnel vision, right? That's migraine, because it's a ROUND fuzzout that looks circular, while your center is still okay. Kind of like crawling the scope wrong, that's not a stroke.

In a stroke, you lose ONE side or the other off the vertical crosshair, you can only see half the prairie dog, and BOTH EYES blind in the same part of the sight picture of each. You'll lose the horizontal crosshair on either side, not both, of the vertical. The vertical line between "see" and "blind" is unmistakable, and will move with your eyes.

Put another way, if you look straight at something and can only see half of what you're looking at and expecting to see, split vertically, YOU"RE HAVING A STROKE.

What do you do? Swat aspirin, call help and get to the ER by the fastest possible means, warp speed, period, or you are F0ed beyond belief. Utterly f ed. The life I envisioned for the years I have left is GONE.

Thing is, if I'd ever heard of BE FAST, not just FAST, I'd be telling you about a close call. Don't be me, BE FAST. I slipped through the "public education" cracks on this one, and it's a gaping canyon with my life splattered on the rocks at the bottom. Trust me, the public health/public misinformation "experts" who decided FAST didn't need to BEFAST, or that the public is too stupid to memorize BEFAST, will feel my pain, very soon. I fully intend to quietly find out who was responsible for the production of that advertisement, and they will never, ever forget me.

Glad that you were able to write this.

Sometimes parts that the stroke screwed up start working better in time.

Hope it does for you.

Me and my Father in law were going to a gun shop in Hobbs NM,while stopped at a stop sign i noticed that he was trying to get to his nitro and could open the vial.

never made it to the shop i got him to the hospital and they gave him a shot of something and shipped him off to the big city.

He never said thank you.

The reason i knew was my Father went to a doc appointment and on the way home told Mom he was tired and wanted to take a nap.

After 20-30 minutes she had a hard time waking him up.

She got him to the hospital and they had found he had a blood clot in his brain.

He took months to get some kind of normal life back but he made it.

Don't give up HOPE.

Thanks for sharing...runs in my family and I'll be doing my due diligence on this.

Great advice Dave! 👍

I have no doubt that with your ability for self-awareness rather than the more common reaction,denial, that you’ll make giant strides improving on whatever affects the stroke left you with. Your post was better composed and more lucid than half the posts here

I’ve seen post stroke patients with major Hemiplegia enjoy a remarkable “recovery” of what was considered “permanent”. About the only time “permanent” is applicable in the cases of stroke is death. Keep a good attitude and don’t give up.

I look forward to many more years of reading your posts. God bless.

Dave, If I may ask, how old are you?

Didn't have the vision symptom..my co worker spotted it. I felt off got badgered into going to the ER. you're having a stroke yup it sunk in. Mine was real mild I had a headache before I went to.bed so took 2 aspirin probably what saved me from a major loss of function. 20 k and then some. The cardio doc came to see me the next day asked me a bunch of questions which led to a sleep test. Yup sleep apnea bad, now use a cpap. Before he left my room he said you have lost strength on your right side and need PT. I asked how they determined that? He said remember the nurse asking you to squeeze her 2 fingers? I said yeah he said your grip is weak sure sign of strength loss. I told him I didn't want to hurt her he laughed and said can t be done and stuck his 2 fingers out and said squeeze these. I did and he decided I didn't need any PT
Advice to a group of people who are experts by their own admission about everything ? If you are on bp meds make damn sure you take them without FAIL everyday and take a 81 mg aspirin with your men's plus 50 multi vitamin. Watch your weight, regular exercise everyday. Your doc says to crap you say where , when and how much. Getting old ain't for sissies it tough to age and decline some never make it. Mine happened in sept of 2014 when I was 59, I am 66 now ,hitting on all 8. Carefully watch your own denials everyone who has a stroke and survives it without loss just thinks they happen to some one else and find out that not so. Mb

Well done Dave get well

Great info, thanks. I hope you can, or soon will be able to, do whatever you once did.

I been on the lookout for these symptoms, I even took an 8 week semester on cpr, stroke, first aid.

I thought I was having a stroke recently. My legs went all numb on the crapper, stood up eyes went black.

Was just constipated.

I’m glad youre going to be ok.

I had 2 bigguns , one while asleep, 1 driving down the road. I knew something wrong on the one driving. when I Had the sleeper, my wife walked by and took one look at my eyes, and called my neurologist, she got me to the er.

Thanks for the info Dave.

Supremely glad you are alive to tell us about your experience.

I already have aspirin in my "goin' to town" pants pocket, need to remember to get some in the yardwork pair too.

Going to town pants and going to town velcro E-Tonics

I can’t recall the number of MI’s or DOA’s I encountered over the years that occurred while the patient was on the toilet but it’s very common for people to have an MI from intense and repeated valsalva maneuvers. Glad you survived.....😁

God bless you, Dave. You will improve.

Bruh,

quit with the E-tonics.

I'm a goin' to town snow sandals type of boomer.

Valsalva? Is that like Kegel muscles for your butt?

Slum is constipated alla time and his bud Rene is FOS half tha tyme.

Ace, a sudden drop in blood pressure makes you feel the urge to have a bowel movement. That's why so many are found dead in the bathroom.

Had a half blind TIA couple of months ago. Vision returned after three days.

Rest rings.

Look at a turd as see indentions ever so often. Rest rings. Gotta get another bite...

It’s like bearing down on the toilet to drop a Biden 😳

I too had a TIA a couple months ago. Vision went to chit cooking dinner and asked wife for a hand, I laid down and she secured things then came in the room and said "in my car or 911" into her car and off to ER. 24 hrs a CT scan ,MRI , Echo cardiogram ,Carotid ultrasound and lots of Heparin later no bleed or other damage. Lecture about my daily aspirin and upping my cardio daily.
























i a

Side pass what you doing for cardio? Mb

Frig.


Glad you are still with us Dave.

Ace, I'm 61, and up until Monday, absolutely nothing worth noting medically, either treating or medicating. I had COVID and never even needed a hanky.

There's a couple other surprises I got from the MRI and CT scans, in essence, 45 year old time bombs left over from cancer treatments (4000 rads of glowing goodness) back in the 1970s. It's likely the biggest, nastiest surprise caused the stroke and it isn't cardiovascular in origin. The radiation fried both my brain lining and a heart valve, it seems. But the observations of the stroke event are real, and I had no idea what I was experiencing was anything other than "getting old."

Just thought I'd say something about balance and eyes, because it's not being taught.

strokes run in my family

I figure its whats gonna expedite my end of life, whenever that comes. Hopefully not for awhile.

When you feel unstable and can't focus take an extra blood pressure pill and 4 aspirin. I had my first wake up call in 2009. And after everything was said and done I came to the conclusion that there's nothing that can save or prevent you from a stroke.
Life is good live it while you can.

I was 58 when I had mine.
That was good advice Dave, if only had then. Keep up the faith.

Dave, thank you for pointing out the balance and eye symptoms. I didn't know that. I sincerely hope that whatever effects you are experiencing from your stroke lessen with time.

My dear mother had a horrible stroke at the age of 47. She was in a coma for 6 weeks.

It's a good idea for us old folks to carry a couple of aspirins, chew it if you have to.

Dave, Do you ever take your blood pressure?

Stationary bike and fast walking. Retire tomorrow or tomorrow is my last day of work. Will be joining a gym if any are open and adding elliptical and rowing to the mix 4 days a week.

Interesting on the aspirin. Im an EMT and we are taught not to give aspirin if we suspect a stroke because it can make the bleed worse?

Prayers for you complete recovery, Dave!

I know you must be having a hard time right now.

Thanks for the post.

Hoping the best for you, Dave. Get better!!!

I cannot (did not) read your post . It’s a day to day ordeal for me. Hard for me.

Been so since the nightmare began Dec. 28, 2014.

Again. I truly wish the best for you AND your loved ones.

Well, you come across as fully okay mentally, which is great. Sorry to hear this happened to you, and thanks for the information. I will take it to heart. Don't give up on getting over most of any deficit that you have. It may well all (or mostly) clear up in time. Best of luck to you in that regard.

Dave glad to read you are ok / on the mend. Thanks very much for the detailed information.

Long known medical fact: For every 5 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) reduction in diastolic BP, your incidence of stroke is cut by 34%.

this will help > tobacco is not good for anyone >> get rid of the Copenhagen

Excellent advice here.

Dave, thanks and best to you.

I'm sitting here with a Skoal in my lip...but I've been thinking about quitting. I've read that quitting can immediately lower your BP by 10 points.

Different kinds of strokes; hemorrhagic and ischemic. Obviously, a hemorrhagic stroke is a bleed - a brain bleed - and aspirin being an anti-platelet, would thin the blood and make it flow much easier making the stroke worse. Ischemic stroke is a clot (platelets are sticky) and aspirin can reduce the chance of getting a second. Getting to the ER quickly so they can do a CT is so very important.

To further complicate matters, there are good clots and bad clots.

Thrombolytics are used (think Drano for the artery) in the ER to help clear an ischemic stroke. They have about a 3 hr window.

This should drive home Dave's point that time and quick action is paramount. Get to an ER as soon as possible. That first Golden Hour is everything.

I might just add a word of caution on the aspirin and maybe someone with more medical knowledge can chime in.

Strokes come in two flavors, blockage or bleeder. In the case of blockage (which is probably the majority of strokes), aspirin is a good move. However, in the case of a bleeder (hemorrhage) the aspirin will make it worse.

It might be a moot point though as I believe the damage from a hemorrhage are typically pretty severe and the options to treat it are pretty limited . I lost my dad to a hemorrhage and the doctor said that even if they were in the operating room and ready to do surgery, there's very little chance to have a good outcome.

This is a timely posting as I've been feeling crappy for a while now.

I'll be 55 in July and I made the decision to do a "health intervention" on myself and start making some lifestyle changes. I travel almost weekly and it's really been starting to take a toll on my health since I turned 50 and it's come to a point that is completely unsustainable. I weigh more than I ever have, I'm tired all the time (probably sleep apnea as I now snore like a freight train), I'm not getting near enough exercise and my eating habits need to change.

I had an annual checkup last week (actually been 2 years, because of COVID restrictions) and they started me on blood pressure medicine. I had a burst eye blood vessel a few weeks back that can be an indication of high blood pressure. The doctor recommended a sleep study, but I told them to hold off and we'll see if I feel better when I lose weight.

With my traveling lifestyle, it's hard to have any kind of schedule as my work hours are hard to control. I think I can get a handle on the eating habits, by starting to stay at suites that have kitchenettes, but trying to fit is some exercise is going to be a bit of a chore. Hard to get motivated to exercise when you start your day at 5- 6am and work a 12 hour day.

If I understand it right. Nicotine constricts your blood vessels. Makes your heart think your going up stairs all the time.
Hasbeen

I quit dipping 17 years ago by using nicotine gum. I started with the highest concentration and over the course of a few months, stair stepped my way down until I was just chewing regular gum. I eventually got tired of chewing gum.

Very important!!!
Heart attack, yes. Stroke, no.

Stroke could be a clot or a bleeder. Only way to know is go to the ER.

If it’s a bleeder, aspirin might well aggravate the situation.

Dave, chin up, 'tis not what it seems today. I lost both retinas by the age of 50 and had enough TPA due to blood clots to make the docs very, very nervous. Seven years ago, I thought "the fun life is over", all my goals will remain unmet, yada, yada, yada.

'T weren't a lot of fun, and one episode alone was well north of $100K (that TPA stuff works, but it's pricey). Thing is, though, the body is incredibly adaptable, and the brain is as well. We all go through phases in life, and what we think our "golden years" will look like when we are in our forties is nothing like what we want in our sixties. Interests do change, naturally, and we adapt to limitations almost without noticing it.

Close to a decade later, life is good here, different, and maybe not feeling as bullet proof as before. But still having a blast at the farm, and enjoying watching the kids starting to think about grand kids.

So, chin up, it's not going to be what you think will be today. It's just another adventure.

Damn, glad you pulled through, good thoughts for a full recovery.

Older Gent that worked at the feed store was home sitting in his chair Christmas Eve night, he was waving a finger back and forth across an empty palm, his Wife asked, what are you doing? he said, i want to save this on my phone, she freaked, jumped up to get her cell and call 911, she heard the thump of him hitting the floor behind her after just a few steps to get her phone.

We "have" no "guarantees" gentlemen.

Exactly, Gunner.

Dave, it isn’t all gloom and doom from here on out. I was in St. Paul with my dad when his left side quit working. He was about 80 at the time and back then I didn’t know about that 90 minute window that they talk about for getting him to an ER. I got him into the car and drove five hours home. Dad made a full recovery and lived another twelve years just fine. A wake up call to be sure.

I'm not telling you what to do but if I were you I'd get that sleep study at the earliest possible time. If you do have sleep apnea a C-pap will do wonders for you.

I know... I know... I just can't stand the thought of sleeping with scuba gear on. I'll reevaluate after I drop 20 lbs.

Good luck in your recovery. Thanks for the reminder regarding balance and vision

Sorry to hear this. Good luck in your recovery.

Exactly! Time is of the essence once a stroke occurs. I watched a PBS seminar several years ago about strokes. Three of the speakers were neurosurgeons from Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic, and the fourth speaker was a young woman who had suffered a stroke. She spoke of the symptoms and what happened to her. It was not pretty.

Aside from many valuable pieces of information, all three of the neurosurgeons stated emphatically how important it was to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. They also said to NOT drive -- or have someone drive you -- to the emergency room at the hospital. Call 9-1-1 immediately and tell the operator you're having a stroke!.

(Of course, there could be exceptions to this, but not many.)

The paramedics who arrive already know what is happening and they will also call/radio the hospital to alert the proper doctors what has happened and they are delivering a stroke patient to them in a few minutes. A stroke team will be waiting to immediately treat the stroke victim in accordance with their proper procedures.

If you go to an Emergency Room, you'll be losing a lot of time to check in, wait, and lose those precious minutes wherein the stroke doctors and nurses could be helping you.

My father died from an hemorrhagic stroke and my wife died from a stroke and complications of Alzheimer's dementia.

Observe BEFAST. Believe you or your spouse is having a stroke? CALL 9-1-1 immediately!

Best of luck to all who have suffered strokes.

L.W.

I don't care how old you are or how healthy you are if you sit in front of a computer all day you are at risk of having a stroke. I've had jobs that required a lot of time on a computer but I always flexed the muscles in my legs and butt while I was sitting. I also got up and walked around occasionally to "stretch my legs". If you want to prevent another stroke then you need to start taking a baby aspirin every day, stop using nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, lose weight if necessary, get your blood pressure down if necessary and exercise.

I had a TIA (transient ischemic attack) on the morning Jan 6 of this year. I woke up and my left arm was so week I couldn't push myself up to get out of bed. I finally rolled out of bed and stood up. I was very dizzy but was able to walk to the bathroom and look in the mirror. My vision was blurred and when I smiled and the left side of my mouth wouldn't go up. I was sure that I was having a stroke because my father died of a brain bleed years ago and he told his neighbor that he was having the worst headache he ever had before he passed out an went into a coma. I chewed up 5-6 aspirin and called 911, by then I was slurring my words. They got to my house about 10 minutes later and by that time my left leg was so week I couldn't walk. I crawled to the front door to let them them in. I told them I had just taken a bunch of aspirin. I was inside the emergency room 20 minutes later. They immediately gave me a CTA scan and all my symptoms were gone before the scan was complete so my attack only lasted less than an hour. They did a brain MRI and admitted me for 24 hour observation. I had a heart sonogram and was checked out by a physician and a physical therapist the next day. I was discharged right after lunch and I was never told that I had to wear a face mask by any of the doctors or nurses the whole time I was there.

I saw my Cardiologist a few days later and we both agreed that my TIA was caused by high blood pressure and since my attack lasted less than an hour the I probably won't have another one. My blood pressure slowly crept up last year because of Fauci's fake pandemic lies and all the election fraud. I was spending 3-4 hours on my computer every morning reading about it and drinking a whole pot of coffee. It's real bad for your health to be pissed off all the time. I seldom drink alcohol so giving up caffeine and alcohol was easy. My blood pressure returned to normal (120/70 or less) about 2 weeks after I cut out caffeine. My resting heart rate is still 60 or slightly less so I'm in real good shape for a 78 year old man. I thought I was bullet proof but don't think so now.

Like. Charlie Foxtrot said it depends on what type of stroke it is!

True ,but 90% of strokes are from clots.

This + 10 it did for me. Mb

Only if it's a hemorrhagic stroke,which only account for 13% of strokes.

87% of strokes are Ischemic,which is caused by an occluded artery or rarely an occluded vein.

I hope you fully recover Dave.

Honestly, given our demographic here, as sportsmen alone much of the time, or otherwise out and about, I wish there were more views. This was a bomb out of the sky for me. Back to top.

I suggested aspirin because of the percentages between bleeders and clotters, which I already knew. If you're on "blood thinners" already, make sure to ask your doctor NOW (you're already seeing one, already "under care" ) so you're able to ask if you're a "candidate" and make the right preparations if so. Me? I don't even know my blood type yet. And if you've had TIA, keep in mind the next one might not be "transient." And if it isn't, it WILL rank among the worst things that ever happened to you.

Im not qualified to give any sort of medical advice, so here is my story. Take it for what its worth. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis a year ago. I've always been active. Guiding almost year round for 34 years now. Anyway long story short I quickly found out that RA is nasty.

Took them a few months to officially diagnose me, but I pretty much knew what I had a couple of months before the doctors told me. During those months I did a lot of research myself. Found a lot of interesting stuff on low carb, then found Paleomedicina in Hungary. Changed my life.

Everything we have been told about diet is wrong. They wanted to put me on some real nasty drugs. Anyone with RA knows it shortens your lifespan by 10-15 years. The drugs are a big part of that. Anyway I changed my diet. All I eat most days is meat and fat. Nothing else. Took about 5 months to heal my gut, but I was feeling better in the first two weeks. Today I feel 30 years younger. Its hard to explain, but I urge anyone who takes their health seriously to do their own research. Google low carb down under, or low carb doctors, and go from there. It will change your life. I never took any medications, and dont to this day. My symptoms are gone, and thousands of others like me have had the same experience. Medical science says RA cant be cured. Maybe, but the inflammation markers in my blood is now gone and just a year ago it was off the charts.Although my BP was never worrisome, it was high normal. Today its 120/65. My diet did all that. They are even treating cancer with the keto diet now.

Excellent advice right there. Call 911 instead of driving yourself or having someone drive you.

Get well. We adapt to our .circumstances, you will too. Thanks for this from all us

I'm bumping one final time, but in retrospect, calling 911 and a meat wagon makes a lot of sense. They were pretty effing desultory in the ER, they didn't slam anything into my bloodstream, it wasn't any sort of emergency. I didn't even get any kind of aspirin until at least an hour after arrival.

The point here though is, RECOGNIZING the stroke for what it is. I didn't because it isn't being taught properly. I had three real chances, and missed every one. Many get "transient" strokes well before the one that destroys everything, and if you're getting transients, that's a no-shyte, BFD not to be ignored or slept off. You need to KNOW.

Did you have a CT scan before they gave you aspirin?

There's a reason for that. How long before your ER arrival did you have the stroke ?

I've had four.

Mr Skinner I wasn't to thank you for this thread and GREAT advice.

Great public service announcement OP.

But please, everyone, take medical advice on the internet with a HUGE grain of salt. It's usually worth what you pay for it.

Wow, Dave.

Thanks for the PSA.

Well huh, I thought it was an accusation.


Not what I thought the thread was going to be about at all!