This is a continuation of my earlier post. Feel free to read the first part here.
I've heard of people coming down with stroke all of a sudden. Many of these started by slumping at first. In this case, slumping did not happen. Looking back now, it appears the symptoms have been there all along. It just appears to have peaked on this particular day. According to reports, strokes can be classified into 3, namely:
- Ischemic stroke
- Hemorrhagic stroke
- Transient ischemic stroke
The first one is caused by an insufficient blood supply to the brain which could be due to a host of factors such as atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, heart disease, carotid artery disease, diabetes, or any other disease that limits blood supply to the brain.
Hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a burst or a leak in one of the arteries carrying blood to the brain. The leaked blood puts pressure on the brain cells, causing damage. This can happen as a result of high blood pressure or aneurysm. This is the type of stroke that starts with a sudden slump.
The transient ischemic stroke, from the name, is a temporary ischemic stroke that lasts for a short period. The affected persons can recover fully but must take caution against future occurrences that could be more prolonged. It is transient because the blood supply to the brain resumes as a result of a change to the initial conditions that limit it.
In the case of my dad, after being admitted, he regained the functionality of certain body parts the following day. He even stood up to brush his teeth. This means his must have been a transient ischemic stroke. what could have caused this for him among the possible causes identified by medicine?
From the possible causes, I suspect either a heart disease that has to do with a faulty valve or a carotid artery disease. Why did I choose these two? I will explain.
Around 2017, my dad started having unexplainable faintings. Like, he will faint all of a sudden without any prior symptoms and then wake up without any intervention. This was happening at irregular intervals. After a series of to and fro the hospital and tens of diagnostic tests, the doctors unconvincingly diagnosed him with a faulty pacemaker and recommended that an artificial pacemaker be installed in his body. This, my dad vehemently refused.
Since then, the condition has been managed with local herbs and alternate medicines. Interestingly, the faintings stopped after a while. Perhaps the faulty pacemaker didn't really go away and led to the ischemic stroke incidence.
In addition to a likely faulty heart pacemaker, my dad also nurses a multi-nodular goiter in his neck. After a series of tests (which could be tiring, to be honest), he has accepted the goiter to be a part of him. And since it isn't growing bigger than usual, we felt there was no cause for alarm. Could it be that the goiter is hindering the blood supply to the brain?
Beyond being paranoid, even medicine says this is a possibility. Finding the exact cause of my dad's ischemic stroke could be a daunting task here in Nigeria due to limited technological and human power. The good news is that he was discharged after 3 days of admission and walks without support now. However, I understand that serious caution should be taken with his physical activities and should be placed under 24-hour observation. He's over 75 years old now and we can only hope that he spends a few years more with us.
Thank you all for reading.
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