Think FAST - Woman's fast response to stroke meant quick recovery

Dr. Alaraj treats stroke patients and wants to raise awareness for the devastating disease




I’m doctor Ali Alaraj, I’m one of the
vascular neurosurgeons at UI Health. A stroke
is the sign of symptoms of having weakness
or paralysis from an accident inside the brain.
It could be from a blockage of an artery that
cut off the blood supply to that part of the
brain. Or it can be from the bleeding from
a weak artery like an aneurysm or because
of high blood pressure. A stroke is more and
more common in a younger age group right now
with increasing obesity, hypertension, diabetes.
It’s much easier to treat a stroke before
it happens, than to wait and try to fix the
problem after damage already occurred. If
you have a mild problem with speech or a mild
problem with your hand, weakness, the worst
headache of your life, don’t let it kind
of go. You have to go and seek medical attention
because that might be an early warning sign
of an aneurysm rupture. FAST is an acronym,
which is made by the American Heart Association
as an abbreviation for symptoms for acute
stroke. Fast stands for face weakness, arm
weakness, speech difficulty and T is for the
time. And it’s important to incorporate
time because time matters in this particular
situation. So it’s very important to be
24 hour on call for those patients and provide
treatment at any time of the day. What we
offer here at UI Health is a comprehensive
approach to treatment. The outcome ultimately
depends on the result on every single person
who is performing a part of that chain. Living
with paralysis, with being dependent on a
wheelchair is a major change to one’s life
and to their family. To walk in the clinic
and see a patient that stands up when I see
them and they don’t want to shake hands
they want to give them a hug. That is the
most gratifying thing ever that you can restore
functionality for a human being. This is what
makes UI Health what it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYq-db9Q8M4


AFib & Stroke: Know the Risk.




In the next hour, 15 people will suffer a
stroke.
3 of them will not walk without assistance.
3 will have to go into nursing homes.
4 will die.
And these strokes will strike every hour of
every day. If you have an irregular heartbeat
called atrial fibrillation, the clock is ticking.
Even if you are already taking medication,
make the next hour count.
Go to 15everyhour.com. Get the facts. Talk
to your doctor about which treatment is right
for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPnZ0Kalltk