World Stroke Day 2014

WORLD STROKE DAY: Wednesday October 29, 2014

Today is World Stroke Day and it is also 4 months after Dom had his stroke!  The journey through rehabilitation and recovery has been long, and at times felt never ending.  The light at the end of the tunnel has teased us by coming closer and moving further away.  Specialist appointments result in a barrage of feelings from anger and frustration to elation and positivity.

Over the past month, through a host of specialist appointments, we have discovered that Dom's stroke resulted in a number of factors aligning at the same time - factors which were unpreventable.  I think this is the hardest part to accept - that we couldn't have done anything to prevent his stroke, and that there is not a lot we can do to prevent another one except ensure he takes his Warfarin.  Its the helplessness that is the hardest to process.

As a wife I want to take care of my husband, look after him, make him happy, love him for my whole life.  Some days it feels like stroke is the dreaded rain cloud hanging over a day of outdoor fun.  Its not something I can forget, seeing him in the hospital - so sick, and me being unable to do anything to change that for him.  I would do anything to switch the roles, to have the stroke so he doesn't have to go through all this.  Although when I think about that properly, Dom would probably prefer it not be me that had the stroke - I can be a moody bitch at the best of times, let alone when I'm sick or injured.

The World Stroke Organisation http://www.world-stroke.org/  is using the 2014 World Stroke Day for their 'I am Woman' campaign:

"The World Stroke Organization (WSO) is calling for immediate action to address the global epidemic of stroke. 

The “I Am Woman” campaign reinforces the fact that while stroke does not discriminate between sexes, women are more at risk of

having a stroke and in many cases are the primary caregiver to an affected husband, father, partner, daughter or son."

http://www.worldstrokecampaign.org/get-involved/campaign-advocacy-brochures.html

 Objectives of the World Stroke Campaign and World Stroke Day - http://www.world-stroke.org/advocacy/world-stroke-campaign

• Raise awareness on the profound and universal impact of stroke on human life and suffering;
• Increase understanding of the solutions that exist. Prevention is the most readily applicable and affordable part of knowledge. Key actions must be made to encourage healthy environments to support healthy behaviors.
• Translate knowledge into action. Transdisciplinary teams must be encouraged to develop expertise and translate evidence into practice. Establish simple but comprehensive stroke units. Stroke units have long proven their worth, even in their most basic form.  And, work towards building a healthcare system that responds to the needs of each individual living with the impact of stroke.

Generate a movement that stimulates collective responsibility and action. Families, community-based groups, professional societies, national governments and the international community all need to support the delivery of programs and services to all persons affected by stroke, as well as fight for better access to basic health services.

- See more at: http://www.world-stroke.org/advocacy/world-stroke-campaign#sthash.Q6Ft89ul.dpuf



1 in 6 people will have a stroke in their lifetime.  Women are at greater risk than men of having a stroke, but women are also more likely to be carers of a stroke survivor.  So today, World Stroke Day, take a moment to think about your loved ones and how 1 in 6 could effect you and the ones you love - what are you going to do to prevent becoming a stroke statistic?

Unite with me and Dom in the fight against stroke.  Contact me if you would like to purchase a Stroke Solidarity String or purchase directly from the Stroke Foundation - funds raised are donated to the Stroke Foundation.




I am woman...stroke affects me.  But I am thankful for the second chance Dom has at life, we will not waste it.  Help me raise awareness to fight stroke by sharing this blog with everyone you can.

We are still raising money for the Stroke Foundation via our Everyday Hero account; please donate if you can, and share this link so others can also donate: 

http://challengestroke.everydayhero.com/au/jessanddom 

Our Wedding Day - January 7, 2012.

Stroke Week: Raising Awareness through Dom's Journey.

On Wednesday September 10 Dom & I got up nice and early to go into RMH to attend a presentation Dr Matt was giving on Dom’s stroke.

It was an amazing experience to sit in a presentation being delivered to professors, doctors, surgeons, scientists, registrars, medical students and I’m sure a whole host of others we weren’t even aware of!  We got to meet and thank Professor Davis, and also Mo, the Neurosurgeon responsible for the successful hemicraniectomy procedure on June 27. 

Dr Matt explained that he chose to present Dom’s case as it was Stroke Week and he thought it was a great way to contribute to raising awareness about stroke.  Dr Matt explained Dom’s background - you know the key stats i.e. age, pre-existing medical condition etc.  He then went on to detail Dom’s journey from his arrival in the RMH ED right through to his transfer to Rehabilitation, stopping to explain all the CT scans and MRI/MRVs in between!  I had a strong understanding of this whole process as Dr Matt was remarkable in ensuring I was kept up to date and informed about each scan and what they were considering in the early stages of Dom’s treatment.  Although I’d explained all this to Dom (and of course he read my blog!) it was a fantastic chance for him to hear about it all straight from the Dr! 

Dr Matt showed these CT scans along with many more.  As you can see the clot is quite obvious (of course once I knew what I was looking for it became obvious - kind of like a pre-natal ultrasound I suppose...it all looks like a black & white mess until the obvious is pointed out!) 

This scan shows the affected area of the brain - this isn’t a bleed, although there is a slight one, this area is the part of Dom’s brain that was affected due to the clot.

This scan is after the hemicraniectomy – as you can see quite a large section of the skull was removed and now that it’s out of the way, the brain has swelled to outside the area enclosed with the skill!  This was obvious after the surgery – one side of Dom’s head and face appeared to be swollen – turns out it was!

It was amazing to see this pictures as part of Dr Matt’s presentation and very educational!

Dr Matt went on to show these video's he took of Dom six days after surgery.  It shows how severe the paralysis was (although movement had begun to return when Dr Matt recorded Dom).  It also shows how confused Dom was.  When Dr Matt asks how long Dom has been in Australia for Dom begins to go through his numerical process where he would normally solve this type of problem by taking the current year, 2014 and then subtracting the year of his arrival from it.  He continues to repeat ‘2014’, and he either cant remember his arriving in 2000, or he is unsure what to do after determining ‘2014’.  This is hard for me to watch because as Dr Matt moves on and asks the next question I can see in Dom’s eyes that he is still thinking about the previous question and trying to work out how long he has been in Australia for.  He is unprepared for Dr Matt’s next question and cannot move on from the previous question.  It’s almost like he gets stuck and can’t let it go to continue answering other questions.

This visit to RMH was Dom’s first since being transferred to rehabilitation.  It was good for him to go back – he remembered sitting in the wheelchair in the cafeteria with his visitors.  He remembered going up and down in the elevator when we would ‘escape’ Stroke Ward for a break and fresh air.  This visit gave him a bit of closure as he was able to ask questions and continue to piece the memory fragments and bits and pieces from my blog to form full days.