Stroke and Sleep

Some sleep problems can lead to stroke...so I've been reading. I'm pretty worried about this since my dog has had insomnia for the past month. I'm not sure why she's having such an issue and neither is the vet. All I know is, now I'm stuck with a dog on Prozac (which doesn't seem to be helping).

In the meantime, I am suffering from sleep deprivation. I don't get more than 3 hours of sleep and my head has been hurting every day. In doing a little research without trying to scare myself, I've found that there is a connection between sleep and stroke. Some strokes are caused by lack of sleep and some sleep issues are caused by stroke. You already know by now that I am terrified of having another stroke and sometimes am a little too crazy with the research and end up freaking myself out but this seems to be something I should pay attention to.

Webmd says that getting too much sleep makes you at risk for a stroke! Another website says if you snore you can get a stroke, I mean come on. It seems like no matter what you do, you're at risk of a stroke! I think I'll call the doctor this week and go in and just hear straight from the horse's mouth what I am and am not at risk of. This could partly be why I can't fall asleep...well that and the Dumbo eared cutie in the picture above.

Guest Stroke Blogger: Meet Heidi

Meet Heidi, a 21 year old stroke survivor. Heidi has been kind enough to share her story in the hopes of helping others like herself. I am blown away by her bravery.

Heidi suffered her stroke in September 2011.

Below is her story.

I was home alone when it happened. After losing the ability to control my arms and legs, I was somehow able to call my parents (who live 5 miles from my house) and they called 911. All my vitals were fine so the EMTs said I could stay with my parents and have them watch over me that night. My parents said “No, you’re taking her to the ER.”. After several hours at the ER the doctor told me I had a severe case of vertigo and to check with my general practitioner in a couple days. I saw my doctor 3 days later, told him I wanted an MRI, and waited some more. 2 days after I had the doctor visit I had my MRI, they detained me there while they read the results then sent my straight to the hospital to get on a blood thinner. I was admitted for 3 days while they did tests on my to try and figure out why I had a stroke.

They found the issue; a hole between the two upper chambers of my heart (Atrial Septal Defect) and decided I needed open heart surgery. I had surgery December 1st and am still trying to get back on my feet. The doctors are confident the problem is fixed and I don’t have to worry about a thing. I still worry; I think that’s natural.

I wasn’t on medication. I am not unnaturally overweight. I have always been active; I was on a recreational soccer team when it all happened. There is no family history of this. I have never had health issues. I am young! BUT I am so grateful this happened to me; it saved my life. The hole in my heart, if it had gone undetected, could have done major damage and maybe killed me. I get a second chance. I am going to take full advantage of this as soon as I am recovered from surgery.

Now I feel so-so. For how much trauma my body has been through in a very short amount of time, I feel great! When I get tired everything gets a little funky; my speech gets twisted, my coordination is a little worse, I can't make numbers make sense when people tell them to me, I just have some silly little quirks now (trying to stay positive!). I'm just super lucky; my stroke affected both sides of my brain so if it had been any bigger it could have done some very serious, life altering, damage.

Heidi, I'm so happy this was found before like you said, it could have gotten worse. Recovery time is slow but rewarding. Remember to celebrate everything! Small victories! Second chances are the best chances. :)

Daddy Therapy

My mother has a habit of closing things really tightly as if there is poison inside the jar or flowing from the faucet of everything she seals. Since my right side is not as strong as my left from the stroke, it is often very frustrating to not be able to open these things.

Today I once again explained that I can't open faucets when she does this. I truly believe that sometimes she forgets I went through what I did which is kind of nice sometimes, I guess. This creeps in when I am tired and slur and she asks me if I'm drunk and I have to again remind her of what happens when I just can't focus on sounding proper when I'm too sleepy to care.

This morning I spoke to my father and vented my frustrations to him. It was only after I got off the phone that I realized that he too must have gone through this having his stroke a little over 10 years ago. Just as my mom forgets I went through this at moments, I forget my Dad did too. It's always interesting to speak to him about my troubles or frustrations with recovery because he almost never puts his own experiences into the conversation. He takes the Daddy card and listens intently and tries to make me feel better which he almost always does. Next time I have one of these moments, I have to remember to ask him if this ever happened to him and remember, I have my own little support group right in front of me.

I'm Looking For You!

Are you young and strokey?
Have you suffered a stroke at a young age? Are you looking for a place to tell your story and get support?

Comment here! I'd love to hear you story. We're in this together! Let this be a community for you to share your experience and inspire others :)

Coco the Clot
Although dangerous to us, she carries a sign
indicating self-loathing.

I Miss My Brain Sometimes

The weirdest thing...
Sometimes when I'm lost in my mind, I get to a point where I'm traveling through the tunnels and have to stop. I stop at a door, some part of my brain I can't get to anymore because it's locked and I don't have the key. It's a small piece of my former self I can't access no matter how hard I try. What's behind there? Stuff I forgot, things I can't remember? I visit my mind like this every couple of days in the hopes that one day the door will open. Maybe if I knock loud enough, it will hear me and let me in.

Aspirin Therapy

Since leaving the life I had with blood thinners last March, I have been taking baby aspirin every day to prevent future clots. Recently, my Mother asked me if I could get off the aspirin. I don't know, I feel very comfortable taking the aspirin even if it is for the rest of my life. It has become a bit of a crutch for me. I feel like if I don't take it and miss a couple of days, I'll immediately go into shock and stroke out.

My Mom seems to think that if I DO continue to take it, I'll end up injuring myself. I've been doing some research online and found that it's pretty dangerous to just stop taking aspirin. According to the Mayo Clinic, your body can really go into rebound mode and trigger a blood clot! 

I hope someone out there reads this and is able to pass along this info to someone they know. Who knew something as simple as taking daily baby aspirin could hurt you?

Happy Healthy New Year

Happy New Year! It's 2012 and like most people, I have started off the year with hopes of becoming more physically fit. I have made it to the gym 3 times since I have been back in the country and have no intentions of stopping. Many say that by February, our resolutions of physical fitness die down and the gym becomes a memory. Let's hope that doesn't happen to me!

The same can be said of YOUR health. There is not one of us who can honestly say they have no room for improvement because we should all be constantly trying to better ourselves especially with our health. I'm going to start adding fish oil tablets to my vitamin regiment. I have long been frightened to take additional supplements since I really thought I was pretty healthy before the stroke. I took Green Vibrance every morning, stretched etc etc. I have slowly been adding vitamins and other things I used to do in my former daily routine to my new life. This is the year to be at your best health ever! I know, I sound like a page out of an exercise magazine but I'm serious!

When I was on vacation, I ran into a childhood friend who is very close in age to me. He suffered a heart attack the year before I had my stroke. Both of us found ourselves in an in depth conversation about drugs such as Plavix and Warfarin. We paused for a second because we realized we sounded like our parents! Both of us standing there, survivors of disease, laughing about who's taking what and in agreement that maybe we went through what we did so we wouldn't have to suffer later in life. No suffering this year, no hospitals, only routine doctor visits!

Here's to your best health best you ever this year. I'm looking forward to it :)