Stroke recovery
Quick action, follow-up treatment helpBy Katie Jacobs, For the Mirror
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Fact Box
Get the facts
n Symptoms include weakness on one side of the body, facial droop, mild headache, tingling in an arm or leg similar to sleeping on a limb.
n Women are statistically more likely to have a stroke, and everyone is at a higher risk after age 50.
n You're at higher risk if you have pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
n Stroke is the number one cause for disability in the United States and the third highest cause of death.
n You can call Altoona Regional's stroke program at 814-889-3249 for more information on stroke facts and statistics.
(Source: Dr. Steve Li and Janet Ashurst)
There was no warning headache and none of the characteristic tingling sensations. One minute, Karen Seymore of Sankertown was watching TV in her bedroom, and the next her right side was completely paralyzed.
She had suffered a stroke.
On Sept. 26, Seymore, 51, was taken to the Altoona Regional Health Sys-tem, Altoona Campus. She received a TPA, or tissue plasminogen activator, which is a "blood-clot buster" medication that attempts to reverse strokes, according to Dr. Steve Li, a physician specializing in neurology at Altoona Regional.
Seymore was one of more than 600 stroke victims that came to Altoona Regional last year, according to Janet Ashurst, a stroke coordinator at the medical center.
Each year, 780,000 strokes occur in the United States, with one every 45 seconds, she added.
Seymore's symptoms came on suddenly. After she realized her right side was paralyzed, she also found her face was drooping and her speech was slurred. Her husband was able to recognize the symptoms of a stroke and she was rushed to the hospital.
Physicians have three hours from the onset of a stroke to administer a TPA, Li said. The drug can dissolve the clot and flood the affected area with blood. But after three hours, the tissue beyond the clot dies and weakens. If the tissue is dead, it could collapse from the sudden blood flow and cause internal bleeding.
Ashurst said three hours isn't a lot of time to call an ambulance or arrange a ride to the hospital, and tests have to be run once the patient arrives.
"By the time they hit the door to the time the CAT scan is read is 45 minutes," she said.
Although Seymore was administered the TPA within the three-hour window, it didn't completely reverse the stroke. It did, however, help make her recovery easier, Seymore said.
"Had she not had the drug, her deficits would have been much more devastating,"Ashurst said.
Seymore has some residual effects from the stroke. She still has weakness in her right leg and doesn't have complete use of her right arm. She walks with a brace.
Ashurst said recognizing the symptoms of a stroke and getting to the hospital on time to get the TPA is the most important thing a stroke victim can do to ensure a fast recovery.
"Some people wake up and think they slept the wrong way on their arm," she said. "It's one of the classic signs [of stroke] and they think they've slept on their arm."
Ashurst and Li both said they've seen patients come in with severe speech or limb problems and after they receive the TPA are speaking easily and are back to work within a few weeks.
Seymore goes to therapy for two-hour sessions three times a week at Mainline Medical Associates in Cresson. Her therapy includes both strength and balance training. Immediately after her stroke, she was unable to balance on her feet because of the weakness on her right side.
Seymore expects to be in physical therapy for another six months.
"You ... have a lot of do with the (your own) recovery," she said. "Your outlook influences your recovery a lot."
Seymore said having to depend on her family has been one of the hardest parts of having a stroke. However, she said she has lots of reasons to continue her recovery.
"I have a young granddaughter," Seymore said, "and she helps keep me motivated."
