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I Had a Stroke at 33

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Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#131

Post by romaniv »

pllbnk wrote: post #5
huhtenberg wrote: post #2

Remember this - You have FOUR HOURS to get a person with a stroke to the emergency. If you do, their chances of survival are dramatically higher.

I think many people that haven't personally faced what a stroke is in one way or another don't realize how dangerous and life changing the disease is. Also, they don't understand how to detect it. I have seen it several times. The first time it happened to my grandfather, nobody in the family realised what's wrong only that he seemingly was losing memory and repeating things he just said. Several hours passed until w…

Problem is, there are tons of other diseases that look like stroke. Migranes, epilepsia, etc. IF you have one of those, going to ER every time you have something weird going on will suck you dry of money and your doctor will probably start treating you like an hypochondriac. There is no subsystem in US health care to handle this. Your primary care physician probably sucks and not available when you need them the most. ER does not care, prone to misdiagnosis and like to dope people on drugs before figuring out what's wrong. Been there, seen that, and it makes me really angry.

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#132

Post by ozy23378 »

modsrm wrote: post #129
ozy23378 wrote: post #112

> As a result, my left brain, the expert at numbers and language and logic and reasoning, a part of it suffocated and died. My right brain, the specialist with regard to color, music, creativity, intuition, and emotions, therefore could not talk to my left brain. This popular myth of broad specialization of the hemispheres needs to die. The author lost credibility there.

After you read it, is this all you have to say? Lost credibility? The author is telling her story, she is not writing a scientific paper.

I have to admit that I finally stopped reading after "My heart freaked out. My heart didn’t want to be closed. It didn’t want to be touched."

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#133

Post by wdewind »

weddpros wrote: post #57

I was 32 when I had a stroke (March 4th, 2003). It was a different kind of stroke, affecting a different part of my brain, essentially related to vision. I was half blind, but I only realized something was "strange" when I saw myself in the mirror: I had only one eye. My brain knew I should have two: I was half blind. The first diagnosis was migraine with aura (blindness in my case). But the aura should have lasted n…

> Before that, looking at trees (and other complex objects) was "painful"

You are the only other person I have ever heard describe looking at complex objects as sometimes painful. This happens to me sometimes, mostly with very complex and disfigured cartoon faces. Very strange. I have never had someone understand what I'm talking about when I try and describe it. Do you have any idea what causes this effect?

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#134

Post by mikeash »

ryanSrich wrote: post #55
offbrand wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is health insurance not an option?

I do have health insurance but it only covers around 47% of my medical costs (at least when I go for a primary care visit, I suspect they might even cover less for a more expensive procedure). I understand that my coverage is not all that common, although most providers do an 80/20 split. So for a procedure costing $100k (an ambulance ride and a few nights in the hospital would easily run this high) you'd have to pay…

Don't "suspect," know. Your insurance will have an extensive description of their coverage. You should go read it, and if you find it to be inadequate, you should go shopping for new stuff. This is really important and not something to ignore.

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#136

Post by josefresco »

Pxtl wrote: post #130

> Each night, I took the box of Lovenox syringes and carried it to my husband, sobbing. “It’s time for my shot,” I said, tears streaming down my face. > Each night, he pinched skin on my belly as I screamed like a toddler and he injected the medicine. Her husband sounds like an awesome guy - taking care of her in that state sounds incredibly difficult. > My husband and I decided to get a divorce. > “I think in hindsi…

I actually found this to be the most interesting/least covered aspect of the article. I wanted to know more about the husband, and how he dealt with (or didn't) the ordeal.

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#137

Post by skierscott »

muraiki wrote: post #75
skierscott wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm glad to know that my experience helps people gain further understanding of strokes/brain injuries. After my severe traumatic brain injury, I'm trying to do the same thing. Brain injuries are so broad and so complex and dangerously invisible. I would guess this is the one unifying thread between us. This is a solid A-level piece. Good job on both the writing and content.

I've only had a mild traumatic brain injury, but it's been about 1 3/4 years and I still have some symptoms. I could emphasize with a lot of what was written in the article. You're right in saying that these injures are complex and invisible... and I would say that that is true as much for the people around you as it is for the person experiencing the injury. Even for someone who understands the symptoms conceptually…

> I've only had a mild traumatic brain injury

"only". All brain injuries are incredibly frustrating.

Adding on the advice, if you have others close around you, please listen to them and take their advice even if it's painful. This was positive for me and I'm glad I did it... but man it was painful. I felt powerless and helpless and couldn't grasp the full details of the situation. When everyone around you is saying the same thing, they're saying it for a good reason.

The largest lesson I've learned is that there's nothing fundamentally wrong with someone who has a brain injury. They manage their deficits like any sane person would. Yes, their deficits will show through but that doesn't speak to who they are. That's their injury showing itself and they're doing their best to control it.

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#138

Post by dragonwriter »

huhtenberg wrote: post #2

Remember this - You have FOUR HOURS to get a person with a stroke to the emergency. If you do, their chances of survival are dramatically higher.

Gatsky addresses this in more technical terms [1], but this is more an issue of long term outcomes if they survive than of survival. Not that this is less important (some people would say it is more important!) -- just different.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8348741

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#139

Post by Pxtl »

josefresco wrote: post #136
Pxtl wrote: post #130

> Each night, I took the box of Lovenox syringes and carried it to my husband, sobbing. “It’s time for my shot,” I said, tears streaming down my face. > Each night, he pinched skin on my belly as I screamed like a toddler and he injected the medicine. Her husband sounds like an awesome guy - taking care of her in that state sounds incredibly difficult. > My husband and I decided to get a divorce. > “I think in hindsi…

I actually found this to be the most interesting/least covered aspect of the article. I wanted to know more about the husband, and how he dealt with (or didn't) the ordeal.

Also this:

> People have asked if anyone around me could tell I was having a stroke. “Weren’t you acting weird?” they’d ask, and my husband’s mouth would turn into a thin line, and my friends who joined us for New Year’s would lower their eyes.

How long would that be hanging in the back of his head, eating at him about what he could have done differently?

Re: I Had a Stroke at 33

#140

Post by Tenhundfeld »

zrail wrote: post #70
ryanSrich wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you mean the insurance company has a limit for what they pay? [1]? I can't find a source for the limited co-pay that I think you're suggesting. 1. http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/limits/

It's called "out of pocket limit". After you meet your deductible the insurance company will pay for every covered cost except for the copay and coinsurance. Once you've met your out of pocket max they will pay for every dollar of every covered cost.

Except prescription drugs. I am not fully informed on how the ACA affected this, but it used to be that insurance plans could exclude certain classes of prescription drugs from out of pocket max.

This is how many people are financially ruined by long-term chronic illnesses. For some less common diseases, medications can easily cost >$10,000 per month – which might not be covered by your health insurance for various reasons or only partially covered. Read the fine print.

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