Cause of stroke What caused your stroke?

[fishndad]

I think mine was stress. I was married to a very bi-polar alcohol & prescription addicted person that didn't want to get better. So I stayed at work 12-16 hrs a day, fish when I could, & went home to sleep. Very stressful. I wanted to go, but stepdaughter begged me to stay as long as I could. I had my stroke & the wife didn't even know it for two days. She made it miserable during recovery. Glad I was friends with the Chief of Police. Maybe that's why I tried so hard to get back what I could. Then one day she came at me with a butcher knife & that's when it was out the door for her. Changed jobs, live alone with my cat, & now I'm waiting for retirement.

[chico1313]

Mine was caused by having a heart cath, came out of it with worse headache I've ever had. Different meds since January but headaches are worse and lasting 24 plus hours sometimes. Really glad for this forum, I have to admit, I'm kind of scared of another stroke after reading some posts. My first neurologists first words were " it's not if but when you are gonna have another one. Got rid of him immediately, nothing good from him next 15 minutes. Thanks everyone !

[becky1]

Good thinking, Chico! Just what you needed to hear right then. That neuro's bedside manner is beyond inexcusable! Becky

[dusti22]

Know I am way behind on this one as it has been a long time since I posted. I have had a total of 6 strokes ( possibly 7). I had my first major stroke at age 29 and my second at age 31. Mine affected my left side with paralysis, loss of thought process, balance and some speech. I have had 4 minor strokes since then. They believe mine was from a bad car accident that I had at age 16. I was on my way home when it happened and went to work the following day. At work I lost the feeling in my left side and dropped the files I had in my hand. Back then they did not have the knowledge or technology that they have now and they sent me home and put me to bed for two weeks. I am very blessed. It took me two years, on each one of the major strokes, to be able to function and work again. Now after many, many years most would not know that I had had a stroke unless I am tired. I still have memory problems and headache (have had migraines since the accident). But have led a pretty full life. I normally work as an insurance adjuster but have been out of work for 8 months. Luckily, I am an artist and do digital airbrush animal portraits and painting on my computer. This has been a lifesaver for me as it keeps me focused and helps with the stress. I have completed several animal portraits since the beginning of the year as well as several animal paintings/illustrations. I am also a caregiver to my honey of 25 years, who also had two major strokes but was not able to fully recover or return to driving and work. He is my best friend and my soul mate and wouldn't trade him for the world. I still have stress so am concerned about maybe having another one, but just say alot of prayers as without me my honey nor my pups could make it.

[dusti22]

Hi Chico! You did the right thing. You don't need the negativity. Have you found another neurologist yet? If not do find one. There are some good ones out there. And most of all hang in there!

[dusti22]

fishndad... that was a rough situation! Hope all is going well now for you.

[JustSally]

My luck was running out. Mainly STRESS was the problem but, there were a lot of other factors that were at work and I just reached the breaking point. I broke and am still cracked (ha ha).

 

I also have a better doctor, now. My previous doc told me to DRIVE to her office (15 miles) when I told her I thought I'd had a heart attack or stroke during the night! She's been replaced.

[JustSally]

I have been reading all these posts and am additionally convinced that "they" are right - medicine is just being "practiced" and hasn't been mastered! :jig:

[Sandy2663]

My stroke was caused by a spike in blood pressure that caused a bleed about the size of a marble. I wasn't on BP med b/c my blood pressure only registered high when I encountered a white coat in the doc's office. Now I am on BP med and baby aspirin just to be safe.

[videogal1]

According to the vodoo medicine practiced in 1967 my "cold" was actually viral pneumonia. The virus went wild, spread from lungs to inner ear to brain, causing it to swell, turning grey matter to mush. Hello stroke. Not very common...Some present day neurologists say its impossible...after all this time it hardly matters....

[thejule1]

Well I think I replied to this topic 2 + years ago. lol Larry has an occluded left side artery and the one on the right is about 60% blocked. He is left side affected which confused the doctors at the time. They wanted to do a stent after 6 weeks of recovery but I wanted another opinion considering the surgery risk. The vascular surgeon at another facility said he didn't think the stroke was caused by the blocked artery as it would be an occluded left artery blocked causing right side affect. He did not recommend surgery as he also thought this was not the type of blockage to cause the stroke, and here we are 3+ years later. We have the dopplar scan every six months. So far, we watch and wait.

 

Julie

[Linnie]

Hi....My first stroke was a ruptured cerebral aneurysm on left side, the second was a large blood clot on right side. Since I have no memory of the ambulances and hospitalization, I have to rely on what I was told. Was shopping with friends in a mall, suddenly grabbed my head and dropped to the floor unconscious. Was taken by ambulance to local hospital, and after the medical staff took too long to understand what had happened, I was taken by ambulance to another province where there was a hospital with a neurological ICU. Severe subarachnoid hemorrhage. Needed to medicate me to lessen the swelling in my brain before the neurosurgeon could perform the surgery (8+ hours) to clip the aneurysm. Apparently after this surgery, no improvement....the following week, the ICU staff had to get the neurosurgeon back to me ASAP b/c I was having seizures. Large blood clot on right side of brain, so second surgery to remove clot. Was in a drug-induced coma, on life support for 48 hours, with a 20% chance of survival. I beat the odds!!! My family was told that when I would be discharged from that hospital (6 weeks), I would be transferred to the Rehab Unit in the hospital closer to home, but no beds available....sent home. This is where my vague memories kick in....couldn't speak, needed 24/7 care. Didn't understand anything. Very long recovery period, and didn't have a full recovery, but I certainly can still enjoy life.

 

Because of the 2 surgeries, when I hear that song about "I've looked at love from both sides now" (?) I sing along "You've looked at my brain from both sides now" LOL

[clyvers]

hormones was cause of mine. I had a hystectomy at age 25 im 44 now. went from taking pills to having pellets inserted just like they do for birth control. the 2 strokes were in my brain stem, never thought this could actually happen. but on road to recovery after almost three months, very thankful to be here..

[ComaSurvivor]

My stoke was caused by hypoxia (low blood oxygen). I had pneumonia and was in the hospital when I "coded". I was revived and placed in a coma and moved to ICU. A lot more stuff happened after that.

[mikem]

I think mine was stress. I was married to a very bi-polar alcohol & prescription addicted person that didn't want to get better. So I stayed at work 12-16 hrs a day, fish when I could, & went home to sleep. Very stressful

fishdad I can relate to that my farther was a angry alcoholic my mother dies of a stroke then a year later he drunk had a accident and became paralyzed , so being divorced he moved in with me and I tried to take care of him but he still managed to do what he wanted I put up with a lot of stuff like if he got angy with something not going his way while drinking would call the police. even on Christmas day once so I worked a lot and went fishing after work some days till he was asleep , then one day rather then go home early I did errands to not come home early in the bad time of day to finnaly rturn and find that he had fallen into my pool in his scooter and drowned whiskey bottle floating in the water near empty I ended up selling my home and buying a new place it was very stressful and a year later I had my stroke even though it was from a heart PFO

[follys]

I have had 3 ischemic strokes the first two 1.5 years ago and the last a month ago. all were mild although left leg is moreaffected than left arm. can fortunately still walk. the diagnosis is "small vessel artery disease" which I think is saying I had strokes and they really don't know. mri can tell you that you had a stroke but not whether your arteries are diseased. I think the field is in its infancy its going to remain there unless they come up with some new and different diagnostics.

 

until then we live in the stroke world with in my case the clear possibility of another. must focus on where I am now, not where I might be sometime in the future. given enough time in future I got a pretty good idea of where I am going to be.(lol)

 

david

[Guest hostwill]

Gavin,

Mine was caused by Atrial Fibrillation, which I acquired from Agent Orange in Vietnam. the top part of the heart was fluttering, while the bottom pooled blood, caused a clot, and wiped out my right Parital lobe.

I was unable to walk, speak or move legs or arms.

 

-Will

[LadyRose]

It's believed that the long episode of my AF (atrial fibrilation) earlier in the day formed a blot clot that went to my brain (embolism). I had my first follow-up since returning home) with my cardiologist just yesterday where I asked him why it had been decided to not put me on Warfarin before my stroke and although I knew it was not helpful to ask a question like that after the fact (since what's past, is past, and cannot be undone), I'm glad I asked. He explained that he was following the guidelines of an assessment called CHAD and according to the asessment ( because I was otherwise healthy) the side affects of warfarin would have been riskier then not being on it at all; he also said that when he received the phone call about me, he cried because he felt so awful that it happened to me. I guess now I'm just a statistic, maybe one that should throw the assessment system off balance.

[HostStephen]

Hi Gavin,

My stroke was probably caused by high blood pressure. It was runing around 200/100 in the days just before to my stroke. That was July 1,1997.

host stephen

[Spi]

I had an unruptured aneurysm surgery. The stroke happened during the surgery. I had two seizures the same day but after the surgery.

[Pearls]

Mine was a bleed brought on by severe coughing. Have normal blood pressure.

[EmmettsGrandPa]

According to the Neurologist, mine was caused by a piece of plaque going up my right cartiod and blocking a vein.  I to had a bad experience by an ER doctor at time of my stroke.  She actually came to my room after I was admitted and accused me of only wanting pain medicine and faking.  I do not take any pain mediation.  Don't know where she got that idea.  After I complained, she had to come to my room and apologize. 

 

They say a doctor is in a medical "PRACTICE" for a reason. 

[bribrius]

I guess from what I have been told, probably smoking, too much meat (cholesterol?) and maybe drinking. I wouldn't be surprised if work stress was a factor too I was putting in lots of hours.

who knows though really. I have had some head/neck injuries as well in the past it could be a combination or gambit of things I haven't been given a definitive answer to that.

Recently they brought up me having cervical ribs too, but didn't really say if there was a direct connection. Got me. seems like they are throwing everything on the table and guessing at this point.

[lmctrouble]

Mine was caused by something getting caught in a stenosis in one of the arteries in my brain. I'm a type 2 diabetic but other than that I had no risk factors. My cholesterol was always well within normal parameters, my blood pressure has always been on the low side, I exercised regularly to help control the diabetes and I have never smoked. The only thing that was out of whack before the stroke was that I was recovering from a rather bad cold. It reminds me of that old song from "HEE HAW" - if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

[gwl99]

No one, including Drs and therapy people, know why I had a stroke. I had a clot going up a little artery, not a main one like normal. I lived a pretty healthy life. I eat a lot but it was usually good for you stuff. I'm strange I like that stuff and Jack stiff too . It was strange having a brainstem stroke at 32, but what is-is. My wife and I, because of my plumbing job, think I got sick and the bacteria damaged my heart too not only a stroke. Good thing though they found my thyroid cancer early because of all the test and when they removed my thyroid they found another slow growing cancer too. So that's good. Now I just need to see when I need a new heart valve. They say it mummers.