I think trying to prevent strokes would be like trying to prevent lightning from happening. You've heard alot of people say they "earned" their stroke - by smoking, drinking, overeating, not exercising, not managing high blood pressure or high cholesterol. But, there are just as many who didn't drink or smoke, exercised regularly, appeared to be physically fit, didn't have high cholesterol, who stroked anyhow. Same goes for heart attacks.

That's why we live each day to the fullest and appreciate the fact that we are alive, no matter what our limitations! Tomorrow I could walk out to get my mail and get struck by one of the speeding demons who drive 50 mph in a 25 mph zone near the mailboxes. We don't know when our number is up, so why not make the best of each day until it happens.

Sarah

Scooterman. Oh how I share what you want. I wish I could say I believe it would happen. I was one of those people who exercised regularly and lived an active lifestyle. Some how I ended up with a tear in an artery that was kind enough to throw clots into my brain. It is still a mystery how the tear happened. My neuro said he has seen this lately in people who live active lifestyles. I think that as time goes on the affects of a stroke will be able to be reversed longer and longer after the actual stroke. Now they say they have good luck if you get to the hospital within 3 hours. I heard on the news they are working on a new drug, made from snake venom, that could expand that window to 6 hours. That still would not have helped me though. I didn't know I had my frist stroke until 24 hours later when I had a second.

Keep on blogin

AJ

I agree with you about them being able to reverse the affects of a stroke longer and longer after the actual stroke and the will be a wonderful thing! I don't think they will ever be able to prevent them from happening....maybe predict better with more invasive tests, but not totally prevent.

Jean

hey scooterman:

call me selfish or whatever I m generally not interested in finding out how to prevent it, I want them to cure it, I reached in hospital in 1/2 hour of my stroke and they never administered the wonder drug TPA they all list so highly on in all magazines. so what interests me is how to reverse the effect of stroke or cure it

Asha

Asha,

I agree, they need a cure as well. The thing about the TPA is they have to be sure your stroke is caused by a clot. Sometimes they have a terrible time trying to figure out if you are having a stroke, let alone the cause. Some people even get sent back home.

My reason for saying prevent is, I had just finished my annual physical in December 2003, which I did every year since retiring from the Army in September 1979. The doctor's comments were, "Sir, you are in great health for another year, you passed everything, we will see you again next year about this time."

Well, 30 days later, January 15, 2004, I had a stroke. Obvously, I was devestated. My thoughts were how can this be when my health was just declared good. Now two years later, my thoughts are how can something like this be prevented, assuming you are in good health.

Sarah,

You are right too, there is really no way any one person can be screened in such a way to detect all the possibilities that can cause a stroke then get treated so a stroke won't happen to them. That was my case, and hearing the doctor say I passed my physical gave me the feeling I was in top shape for a 62 year old retired soldier.

Two weeks before my final tests, I passed all my cancer test, postate, colon and skin. Then heart, vision and blood test for HIV, AIDS and others. Now I have a stroke and they say I have a bleed from high blood pressure. Unbelieveable to me.

Fred

since stroke, like cancer, is a syndrome, and not a discrete disease with a definite cause (like Type 1 Diabetes),one would have to tease out all of the various "diseases" that can lead to a stroke and then ascertain which one of those can possibly prevented with the medical knowledge available today. therefore, to ask the question of stroke prevention would probably take a book to just ask that question.

since i stroked from an autoimmune disease, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, the question of stroke prevention for me is different from someone who stroked from an A-V malformation or a PFO or cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease.

you would have to develop a potentially infinite number of screening tests for the potentially infinite number of reasons for people having a stroke, and you would always miss at least one reason.

now that i've started to boggle my own mind, i think that i will shut up and end this post.

sandy