Medical information

[nedsurf]

I didn't want to hijack Jim's thread so will post this here. We recently went through an almost identical health crisis with my mother-in-law having a massive stroke and passing. The point of posting this is that while in the hospital the doctor advised us that she had Atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), and that this was the cause of her stroke. Nobody had any idea that she had this issue, so it went untreated. If you suspect you may have an issue, or if you have not had an EKG in recent years please talk to your doc. Sucks to be on blood thinners, but it's a lot better than the possibility of a stroke. It's more common than you may think.

 

[shapewright]

Bob Bahne of Fins Unlimited passed away Tuesday morning of previously undiagnosed heart ailment.

 

[Syncro]

So I'm a cardiac/neuro ICU nurse, and yes frequently we see patients with undiagnosed A-Fib seemingly random have a stroke. One way without a EKG/ECG is to feel your pulse either on your carotid or your wrist. Each pulse should feel even and about the same interval between the pulses. A pulse that is uneven isn't alarming but could warrant a trip the primary care office. Strokes are frequent from Afib because atriums chambers in the heart aren't being efficient and squeezing all the blood to the ventricles, instead it has the potential to swirl there and form clots. From there this clot can leave the heart toward vital organs ie brain.

Also remember BEFAST acronym
B -Balance - loss or change in balance
E -Eyes - blurry vision or blindness spots?
F -Face - Drooping or numbness
A -Arm - Singular side weakness
S -Speech - trouble or slurred speech
T -Time - time is important call 911

We can do a lot for patients who have had a stroke but the most important thing is time. It dictates what we can do!

Stay out of the hospital, treat things before they become larger issues and keep riding waves fellas!

 

[nedsurf]

Bob Bahne of Fins Unlimited passed away Tuesday morning of previously undiagnosed heart ailment.

Hard week, sorry to hear this. Be safe Jim, offer still stands if I can be of assistance.

 

[pablo66]

More important than recognizing an arrhythmia in your self is the importance of recognizing a stroke in others. google F.A.S.T. learn CPR

• F = Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?

• A = Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

• S = Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred?

• T = Time of onset and time to call 911

 

[fluidworks]

So I'm a cardiac/neuro ICU nurse, and yes frequently we see patients with undiagnosed A-Fib seemingly random have a stroke. One way without a EKG/ECG is to feel your pulse either on your carotid or your wrist. Each pulse should feel even and about the same interval between the pulses. A pulse that is uneven isn't alarming but could warrant a trip the primary care office. Strokes are frequent from Afib because atriums chambers in the heart aren't being efficient and squeezing all the blood to the ventricles, instead it has the potential to swirl there and form clots. From there this clot can leave the heart toward vital organs ie brain.

Also remember BEFAST acronym
B -Balance - loss or change in balance
E -Eyes - blurry vision or blindness spots?
F -Face - Drooping or numbness
A -Arm - Singular side weakness
S -Speech - trouble or slurred speech
T -Time - time is important call 911

We can do a lot for patients who have had a stroke but the most important thing is time. It dictates what we can do!

Stay out of the hospital, treat things before they become larger issues and keep riding waves fellas!

I am a ER nurse and former paramedic and second everything said here. Some strokes we see come out of the blue blue but 95% have precipitating factors.

 

[dingpatch]

My watch tracks for A-FIB. But otherwise, due to my Stem Cell Transplant last year the VA/Vanderbilt keeps track of me monthly and I otherwise get most physical "tests" done every six months because my case is being "tracked". I'm very "lucky" to have such coverage except that I had to be "unlucky" to get it.

 

[Veterano]

A-Fib=Stroke. I got a Watchman implanted. https://www.watchman.com/en-us/home.html

 

[Veterano]

Top because the Watchman I brought up may be something people here that have been diagnosed with A-Fib may want to talk over with their doctor.

 

[SeniorGrom]

I had a TIA and a stroke 12 years ago (60 years old). A couple of the symptoms in BEFAST. Positive diagnosis came from MRI brain. In the battery of tests performed during and following they also found thyroid nodules and a somewhat common heart defect (20% of the population) a PFO or hole in the heart chamber. Before birth apparently 100% have it but closes after birth when breathing air. It was decided NOT to surgically close this hole partly because of it’s location but also size. My description isn’t technical because I’m not in medicine. Long term no lasting effects and been off all blood thinners except baby aspirin for many years. Of course I have a list of doctors seen regularly and routine tests.