Neuro Note - CVA
For my first "Neuro Note", I decided to look into the topic of Cerebrovascular Accident or a Stroke. I find strokes incredibly interesting because a stroke never effects two people the same. I started growing interest about strokes when I was a rehabilitation technician and one of the OT's had a stroke speciality. I would always ask her questions, and she did a great job teaching me how/why she picked a certain activity with a patient.
I picked the video titled, "Having a Stroke as a New Mom Changed Everything but I'm Treating It Like a Gift" by Kelly Bryant. Katherine Wolf, a 26 year old wife and mother of two, discusses how an unexpected brain stem stroke changed her life. Along with face paralysis and hand dysfunction, she has to use a wheelchair and cane for outings. Instead of letting the pain and despair of the stroke affect her, their family decided to live it the "best" way possible. She suffered her stroke from the rupturing of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is a rare congenital defect. One she didn't even know she had. Our brain stem controls our breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and all of the body's motor functions. In this video, Katherine always discusses how tricky it was to watch her child be taken care of by other people. They navigated this new normal so well, that they as a family, weren't done growing. They had another baby together. The last thing they discussed was how they both work for their nonprofit, Hope Heals, which is a camp for families with disabilities
I found this video so uplifting. Katherine was an aspiring model and her husband was about graduate from law school. They also had a brand new baby to add to the equation. They could have looked at this situation in one of two ways: 1). Let's give up; our lives will never be the same! or 2). Our lives will never be the same, but that is okay, and we will find a new way to be "normal". This family chose to fully embrace option two. This family shows us that no mater the trials or diagnosis, their is always a way to find a positive aspect. It might not be easy at all, but it is worth it.
Based on lecture and our diagnosis snapshots, we have learned that strokes and their prognosis are hard to predict. Most people can get better after a stroke, but some people can't. Katherine also had some of the classic stroke symptoms which included: paralysis or numbness to extremities, dizziness, and trouble speaking. Also, from class, we have learned there is no particular test for strokes. Her doctors more than likely did a combination of a physical exam, blood tests, CT scans, MRI, Echocardiograms, and the smile test to see if she had paralysis to her face. Since Katherine had a rare genetic defect, I think it would be important to teach her children the importance of stroke prevention strategies like exercising regularly, having a healthy weight, not using drugs, and also no heavy drinking.
Here is an additional resource from Healthline that gives extra details about strokes in general: https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke#types
I picked the video titled, "Having a Stroke as a New Mom Changed Everything but I'm Treating It Like a Gift" by Kelly Bryant. Katherine Wolf, a 26 year old wife and mother of two, discusses how an unexpected brain stem stroke changed her life. Along with face paralysis and hand dysfunction, she has to use a wheelchair and cane for outings. Instead of letting the pain and despair of the stroke affect her, their family decided to live it the "best" way possible. She suffered her stroke from the rupturing of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is a rare congenital defect. One she didn't even know she had. Our brain stem controls our breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and all of the body's motor functions. In this video, Katherine always discusses how tricky it was to watch her child be taken care of by other people. They navigated this new normal so well, that they as a family, weren't done growing. They had another baby together. The last thing they discussed was how they both work for their nonprofit, Hope Heals, which is a camp for families with disabilities
I found this video so uplifting. Katherine was an aspiring model and her husband was about graduate from law school. They also had a brand new baby to add to the equation. They could have looked at this situation in one of two ways: 1). Let's give up; our lives will never be the same! or 2). Our lives will never be the same, but that is okay, and we will find a new way to be "normal". This family chose to fully embrace option two. This family shows us that no mater the trials or diagnosis, their is always a way to find a positive aspect. It might not be easy at all, but it is worth it.
Based on lecture and our diagnosis snapshots, we have learned that strokes and their prognosis are hard to predict. Most people can get better after a stroke, but some people can't. Katherine also had some of the classic stroke symptoms which included: paralysis or numbness to extremities, dizziness, and trouble speaking. Also, from class, we have learned there is no particular test for strokes. Her doctors more than likely did a combination of a physical exam, blood tests, CT scans, MRI, Echocardiograms, and the smile test to see if she had paralysis to her face. Since Katherine had a rare genetic defect, I think it would be important to teach her children the importance of stroke prevention strategies like exercising regularly, having a healthy weight, not using drugs, and also no heavy drinking.
Here is an additional resource from Healthline that gives extra details about strokes in general: https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke#types
Reference List:
Bryant, K. (2019). Having a Stroke as a New Mom Changed Everything, but I'm Treating It Like a Gift. Parents. https://trib.al/uGTWe77
Holland, K. (2019). Everything You Need to Know About Stroke. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke#takeaway
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