'Oh my God, I wish you were there. We had so much...' Wait a minute, what's going on? I can't speak. Oh no, I can't move! Perhaps it was the after effect of a very turbulent flight? Tried to sip on water, but couldn't swallow.
What on God's earth is happening to me? I heard my husband frantically speak to his friend. He kept repeating this sentence to his friend "Azmat is having a stroke." I was wondering if he had gone totally mad! Well, thankfully he was on the ball and rushed me to the hospital. I was taken to the hospital, which is 10 minutes from my home. Upon reaching the hospital, I had no recollection. The only word I could say at that point was "No!" The good news is that the sooner you receive treatment the higher the chance of recovery. It may minimise the long-term effect of stroke and improve recovery outcomes.
Act fast. I had a multitude of questions. Am I going to have another stroke? What to expect at the hospital? Prevention, recovery, the list goes on and on!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists three main types of stroke:
1. Ischemic stroke (caused by blood clots)
2. Hemorrhagic stroke (caused by ruptured blood vessels that cause brain bleeding)
3. Transient ischemic attack (TIA) (a "mini-stroke," caused by a temporary blood clot)
I suppose different stroke for different folk! Every day I had people visiting the hospital, calling, emailing inquiring about my health. I was very fortunate to have so many people caring and praying for my wellbeing. God listened! However, God also says he helps those who help themselves. Time to pull up the socks and get working.
The good news is that each one of us has the natural ability to heal. The body can heal itself. It can do so because it has a healing system.
Sadly there were no resources readily available. I was very fortunate I had contacts all over the world, and they were ready to help and share information. A lot can be done for recovery and I promised myself, if I ever come back to 'normal' I would share and create awareness for stroke survivors and their families and hence this website - www.falij.com was created.
The website outlines specific information on modifying lifestyle to increasing your healing potentials - including food facts, nutrition, vitamins and supplements, recipes, exercise, physiotherapy, yoga, breathing, meditation, speech therapy, recipes and a directory of hospitals and physicians equipped for stroke treatment.
It was a shock to everyone. How does a 'young' person have a full blown stroke as mine. I don't smoke, I exercise, am health conscious - how could this happen to me? As it turns out there are no reasons for my type of stroke. Doctors term it as a cryptogenic stroke - which basically means there are no known causes. As far as I am concerned, this is a fancy way of doctors saying they have no clue of the cause. So am back to square one. I would love closure and determine the cause so it will never happen again. Life is not so simple as it turns out. So education is key for prevention.
I spent 11 months researching, trial and error, discussed stroke with specialists all over the world, spoke to many stroke survivors - basically reached out to anyone who was willing to share information. I had so many questions, so few answers. I was scared of the unknown. I had a new best friend, PTSD. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Stroke survivors experience a multitude of psychological issues - fear, anxiety, PTSD etc. I wanted to speak to other survivors and voice my concerns. However, I found no support groups. The plan is to eventually set up a support center.
According to National Institute of Mental Health, the definition for PTSD is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.
It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This "fight-or-flight" response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger.
Every day was a new challenge from blood thinners, blood tests, foods to avoid, headaches. I am so grateful to my very patient and meticulous neurologist for not blocking or permanently deleting my number! The amount I pestered him. What futile questions I was asking!
My recovery was unusual given my magnitude of the stroke. Initially the doctors said, I may not be the same person when I would regain consciousness. The statistics for total recovery were not promising. According to the National Stroke Association it is a mere 10%. However this does not mean I cannot strive to recover. Stroke patients are called survivors, and rightly so. It takes every ounce of courage to motivate and accept the challenges survivors face on a daily basis. But we must do it, not only for ourselves but for our loved ones.
I woke up to another world, a different world. A world where I was dependent on everyone to speak, read, write and walk for me. I was told that I had this condition called Aphasia and will require a speech therapist. My husband and kids had to respond on my behalf to my text or WhatsApp messages. I felt helpless and useless. Slowly I devised a system to respond to at least to my text messages. I did word counting and I still do it but not as frequently. The more practice and determination you have to more it gets easier. I now fully understood the phrase, 'practice makes perfect.'
Where is Azmat I thought to myself - I miss her! The strong, confident, determined girl was lost and was replaced by this sad, panic stricken, fearful--No! No! I am not liking this Azmat at all. She has to go! I had plenty of time lying in bed at the hospital to find Azmat - and my quest began. I remembered my favourite quotes I use in yoga class and motivation workshops. I repeated my favourite mantra, 'you are stronger than you think.' By the time I was discharged I had a collection of affirmations and daily goals. I set realistic daily goals for myself. Recovery is a slow process but nevertheless it is attainable.
The neurosurgeons and neurologists I had showed my reports to all over the world were of the same opinion. "Is this your MRI?" "Who is the patient" they would ask me.
One of them, said, "What did you do to recover?" I explained I do yoga. He now refers his patients to me for yoga therapy and meditation. His patients love the yoga therapy and find it very beneficial.
According to Lauren E. Elson, M.D., Harvard Health Publications Editor,
"Yoga helps to improve balance, flexibility, strength, and co-ordination and furthermore it can help reduce your risk of heart disease and may be the perfect way to relieve migraines, fight osteoporosis, MS, IBS, or fibromyalgia and can undo the harmful effects of stress.
Relaxing breathing techniques you can practice anywhere so you can stay calm and release tension.
That's not all. One study showed how yoga increased the flexibility of blood vessels by 69%, and even helped to shrink blockages in arteries without the use of medications!
Plus, the meditation component of yoga may even help to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and fight age-related declines in memory."
Then unless I mention my medical history, others do not suspect it; in fact those I do tell are quite surprised to learn that I was ever seriously ill. They are fascinated by my unwavering confidence through my ordeal. My advice? What would I want to tell others facing grave medical crises? There may be different ways to healing for different people, but there is always a way. Keep searching!
1. Last August (It has been 11 months). Doctors say I suffered a cryptogenic stroke, which essentially means there is no known cause. I refer to it as a "stroke of bad luck!" (Pun intended).
2. Determination, courage, patience, gratitude and plenty of love and support are the only ingredients for the recipe to recovery.
I was blessed with a support system thanks to my amazing sisters and cousins- they 'took charge' in every way possible to help me gain control of my life again. They were God sent. Recovery would not have been possible without their help. My husband and my little rockstars aka my kids were brave souls. Myriads of friends and co-workers all over the world were praying and are still praying for my well being. Thanks to all this positive collective energy that has helped me heal.
3. I think I have recovered 80%. It has taken me almost a year. Recovery is a lifetime process, however the initially recover takes place within one year.
4. According to WHO 2012 Stroke which is also called Brain Attack is the second leading cause of death in the world. The first being heart attack(7.4 million) and stroke being the second (6.7million) per year.
Do you know?
Highest incidence is reported in the Pukthoon population which is around 4.8% of their population which is highest in the world for any given population.
Stroke mortality is 11-30 %. About 12% mortality in a year of discharge, and 65% suffer morbidity in one of stroke complications and become dependent 89% on activities of daily living. A stroke happens every 40 seconds.
(The writer is a certified nutritionist, licensed holistic practitioner and universally trained and registered yoga instructor.)
============================================================
Table 1. Age distribution Frequency of stroke and
mortality rate of patients with stroke.
============================================================
Years Stroke % Mortality %
============================================================
<31 3.5 10.7
31-40 8.1 21.8
41-50 22.6 30.6
51-60 28.6 30.3
61-70 21.6 46.5
71-80 11.18 29.2
>80 4.27 55.9
============================================================
Comments
Comments are closed.