Days before a stroke you may start having loss of vision in one eye or both eyes, dimness in your eyes, trouble speaking or understanding, numbness or weakness in your face, arms or legs.
The golden hour after a stroke is the first 60 minutes after the onset of the stroke when there is the greatest risk or chance to restore blood flow and save any threatened tissue.
Strokes often happen in the bathroom due to the water during showering or bathing causing abrupt changes in your blood pressure which induces ischemia in your cerebral blood vessels.
This can drive a stroke or even heart attack or cardiac arrest in the bathroom.
People with a history of high blood pressure or even myocardial infarction should always used caution when showering or bathing.
You sometimes but not always lose control of your bowels during a stroke as a stroke can damage the part of the brain which controls your bowel and bladder.
Some people become bladder incontinent and or bowel incontinent after a stroke but not everyone does.
You can have a stroke while sleeping and may not even be aware of it until you wake up in the morning.
A stroke would sometimes but not always wake you up.
You may wake up and feel the effects of the stroke later but the stroke does not always cause you to wake up right when it happens.
You can feel a stroke coming on as a stroke will most commonly cause sudden numbness and or weakness in the face, arm or legs and especially on one side of the body.
Other signs of a stroke include trouble speaking, sudden confusion, sudden trouble seeing in one or both of your eyes and difficulty understanding speech.
The time of day that most strokes occur is around 6:30 AM.
The 5 warning signs of a stroke are.
Numbness or weakness in the face, arms and legs.
Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech.
Trouble Seeing in one or both eyes.
Trouble Walking.
Dizziness or balance problems and severe headache without a known cause.
The warning signs of a stroke are Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg; Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; Trouble seeing in one or both eyes; Trouble walking, dizziness, or problems with balance; severe headache with no known cause.
If you experience any of these warning signs of a stroke or you think you or someone is having a stroke call 911 immediately as a stroke is a medical emergency.
Some people who have a stroke will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke.
A study found that 43% of stroke patients experienced mini-stroke symptoms up to a week before they had a major stroke.
A stroke which is also called a brain attack is a condition that occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
In either case, parts of the brain become damaged or die.
A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.
It is possible to still have a stroke while on blood thinners although the blood thinners can help to lower your risk of a stroke, heart attack etc.
Unfortunately, blood thinners can reduce the risk of clot-related stroke only to increase the risk of stroke related to bleeding and blood vessel rupture.
To prevent unwanted complications from blood thinners, patients may need to make lifestyle and adjustments moving forward.
The safest blood thinners on the market include Pradaxa (dabigatran), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eliquis (apixaban), and most recently Savaysa (edoxaban) which work by preventing pooled blood in the heart from clotting.
Unlike warfarin, the newer drugs are safer and easier for patients to use.
The side effects of blood thinners include heavy periods, bloody or discolored urine or feces, nosebleeds, bleeding gums and prolonged bleeding from a cut.
The safest blood thinning medications are the newer blood thinners which are Pradaxa (dabigatran), Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eliquis (apixaban), and most recently Savaysa (edoxaban) — which work by preventing pooled blood in the heart from clotting.
And unlike warfarin, the newer drugs are safer and easier for people to use.
The most common blood thinner is Warfarin and also the following.
rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
dabigatran (Pradaxa)
apixaban (Eliquis)
edoxaban (Lixiana)
There are two main types of blood thinners.
Anticoagulants such as heparin or warfarin (also called Coumadin) slow down your body's process of making clots.
Antiplatelet drugs, such as aspirin, prevent blood cells called platelets from clumping together to form a clot.
The major side effects of taking Warfarin include.
Severe bleeding, including heavier than normal menstrual bleeding.
Red or brown urine.
Black or bloody stool.
Severe headache or stomach pain.
Joint pain, discomfort or swelling, especially after an injury.
Vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee grounds.
Coughing up blood.
Foods that should be avoided when taking Warfarin include Kale, Spinach, Brussels sprouts, Parsley, Collard greens, Mustard greens, Endive and Red cabbage.
You can eat bananas while taking Warfarin.
However avoid green bananas but ripe bananas are okay to eat while on Warfarin and poses not health risks.
You should avoid grapefruit and other citrus fruits while taking Warfarin and avoid or limit the intake of the following foods when taking Warfarin.
Kale.
Spinach.
Brussels sprouts.
Parsley.
Collard greens.
Mustard greens.
Endive.
Red cabbage.
Warfarin prevents blood from clotting so it may take longer than usual for you to stop bleeding if you are cut or injured.
Warfarin is used to treat people who have had a previous blood clot, such as: a blood clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) a blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
Some side effects of taking Warfarin include.
Severe bleeding, including heavier than normal menstrual bleeding.
Red or brown urine.
Black or bloody stool.
Severe headache or stomach pain.
Joint pain, discomfort or swelling, especially after an injury.
Vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee grounds.
Coughing up blood.