So. I had a stroke. More accurately, I had a TIA - transient ischemic attack, also known as a mini-stroke, and it wasn't the first time this had happened to me, but it was the most severe attack I've had. Sometime in early October, 2012, a figurative bolt of lightning struck me while Jeff and I were in the kitchen fixing dinner. I saw a flash of light, felt off-the-chart pain for about a second, and then the left side of my face and head went completely numb and stayed that way for several days. I could still speak and think coherently, so I thought it wasn't an emergency - little did I know that most attacks that happen in this manner ARE emergencies with the likelihood of a full-blown incapacitating stroke happening within 24 hours of a TIA. If this ever happens to you, go to the emergency room immediately!
I continue to have a dull headache every day with numbness on the left side of my face, along with double vision, extreme vertigo and "brain fog" - it's taking me much longer to comprehend what I'm reading/seeing/doing than it had in the past
I made an appointment with a neurologist but had to wait until November 15 to actually see him. I used that intervening time to research "bolts of lightning to the head" and was rather dismayed to see brain tumors - along with strokes - pop up on Google. Ugh. But the doctor confirmed it was a TIA, so off to the testing facilities he sent me: blood work, MRI and MRA, and a carotid doppler.
Meanwhile, the doc told me to take a daily baby aspirin to open up the blood flow in my veins. I told him that I was taking a daily regimen of willow bark: 2 capsules 400 mg. each, twice daily. He asked me what willow bark is, and I said, "It's what aspirin used to be made from before it was synthesized." He said, "I don't know. I'm not sure what all is in it." I looked at him in amazement and retorted, "Bark from the willow tree. That's all that's in there - willow bark!" He sheepishly told me that he would feel more comfortable if I started taking baby aspirin anyway, and I told him I would (and I am - I want to do exactly as he instructs, but I'll also continue to take the willow bark!). I'll be researching holistic therapies for stroke, and meanwhile, I'm eating broccoli and kale every day as a start to opening up the veins. I'm also convinced that my daily willow bark regimen is what prevented me from having a full-scale stroke. It's kept my blood from clotting abnormally (though obviously not enough, it's definitely a lifesaver!).
Another thing that saved me was my diet. I spent years and years eating unhealthily at times, and it's only been the last 7 years that I've taken nutrition seriously. This just shows that it's NEVER too late to start eating healthily, y'all! Stroke victims are advised to go on a DASH diet to lower their blood pressure. The daily food intake is broken down to this:
4 - 5 cups raw veggies and fruit OR 2-1/2 cups cooked veggies/fruit
2 - 3 cups low fat/no fat dairy
7 - 8 servings of grains: serving size: 1 slice bread; 1/2 cup oatmeal, rice, etc.
2 - 3 tablespoons oil (olive, etc.)
6 oz. meat
4 - 5 servings of nuts (handful per serving) OR beans (1/2 cup per serving)
I don't know about you, but this seems like a LOT of food, so I've modified it somewhat by fixing fresh/frozen fruit with kale and carrots juiced; an omelet cooked in a tablespoon of olive oil and consisting of celery, at least a cup of mushrooms, onions, two garlic cloves, turmeric, 1/2 cup of black beans, a cup or more of cilantro, chopped broccoli, coconut milk; oatmeal with a generous shake of the cinnamon jar and dark buckwheat honey. I'm not a big dairy eater, I rarely eat meat, and I'm totally uninterested in eating that much grain - ugh. I've added freshly grated ginger to my nightly cups of green and chamomile teas, along with some more cinnamon, and I'm now taking a daily supplement of CoQ10 (100 mg. twice daily), the white willow bark (2 capsules of 400 mg. each, twice daily), and 5000 mcg sublingual (under the tongue) Vit. B-12 to combat high blood pressure and clogged arteries. I also take other supplements, but those 3 are probably the most important when it comes to arterial health. I also found that Hawthorn - 1200 mg. daily - is supposed to be excellent as well, but I have not tried it. The ginger, dark honey, fruit/veggies, chamomile tea, baked potato, garlic, turmeric, mushrooms, cilantro, onions, broccoli, celery, black beans and coconut milk/oil are all foods/spices/herbs known holistically to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. You should avoid licorice, ephedra, ginseng and, interestingly enough, rosemary essential oil.
A quick note on the length of time to actually get an appointment with a neurologist, get the tests completed and get the results back: From the first day of the TIA to getting the results back from the doctor will be a little over two months. If I had had a large stroke, this would absolutely be unacceptable. However, I had a mini-stroke, and I did not go to the emergency room. Why didn't I go? Because it's way too expensive. For those of us who have insurance, we all know that most policies won't pay for much of emergency care. The insurance companies like for their clients to have all their medical needs pre-approved, no matter what policy you may have. First of all, I haven't been to a GP in years - the last doctor I went to was my rheumatologist, and that was two years ago. If you go to the emergency room, the hospital wants to know who your primary care physician is, and they usually coordinate treatment through him or her. If I had had a full stroke, many of these tests would have had to be pre-approved, and indeed they're all being pre-approved even with the TIA. While I know many medical tests are unnecessary, the medical tests and protocol for certain illnesses/diseases are pretty straight forward. Stroke is among the most common event in today's world - the protocol to treat strokes, along with the tests to confirm a stroke has happened are universally accepted by the medical establishment as vital and necessary. But try to face an insurance industry in which profit is above even a patient's wellbeing, and therein lies the dilemma. We really, REALLY need universal care, y'all! The way sick people are treated by insurance companies is abominable and a direct consequence of "for profit" healthcare. There's no telling how much I'll have to pay out of pocket for all my tests and doctor's visits as it is (my doctor charges $400 per visit - wow), but to be denied care or to not seek care because you can't afford it, as many people are, is truly a national disgrace.
