Response to Stroke of Insight

Kathy's medical problems are related to both her sensory neurons and her motor neurons. Her sensory neurons because when she scrapes her knee she does not feel the pain, and her motor neurons because she cannot stand up.

At 62, she watches what she eats and exercises so that she has the stamina to keep up with her two young grandchildren. So when one day when Ellen suddenly felt dizzy, had trouble speaking and felt numbness in her face, she knew she needed help fast; she was having a stroke. Ellen’s doctor at Virginia Mason had talked with her about the warning signs of stroke and with the help of her family, luckily she was able to get to the hospital quickly and receive treatment. Ellen’s recovery has gone well and she credits her outstanding care team at the nationally recognized Virginia Mason Neuroscience Institute and Stroke Center. Today, Ellen is back home enjoying her family and playing with her grandchildren, thanks to her physicians and donors like

In her “Why Was The Patient Walking on Pins and Needles?” (2015), Lisa Sanders asserted that through many medical tests, a neurologist could not find the diagnosis for a woman’s diseased brain. Sanders supported her position by using a woman’s medical story to illustrate how complex the brain can be. Sanders’ purpose was to explain how the world is composed of undiscovered illnesses in order to catch everyone’s attention on the diseases that humans can have. Given the medical facts that was used in the article, Sanders was writing to a short sighted audience to advise them about the possible phenomenons that could happen to their body.

The health issue that this artifact discusses is the significance of knowing and recognizing the warning signs of a stroke. The American Heart Association has made it their mission to provide unlimited health information and research in the hopes of eliminating cardiovascular diseases as well as helping society in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. “Stroke is the number 5 cause of death and a leading cause of

She craved minimal stimulation as her brain on overloaded with sensory processing. In the beginning, she would have to sleep for six hours to allow herself twenty minutes of energy. As time passed, her energy level increased significantly. Furthermore, she needed a calm atmosphere that her mother was more than happy to provide for her. Taylor’s mother monitored the visitation time, the sound of the television, and picked up the ever-ringing phone. When she could not remember what something was, her mother facilitated creating the new memory. For example, Jill could not recall what “a tuna” actually was, so her mother made it for lunch to help her know. The mother was such a help, as she was integral in generating new sensory input such as color and puzzles. Since it was her brain’s left hemisphere that received the damage, reading and math were two exceptionally difficult feats. Taylor’s mother helped her along with learning these abstract concepts. After the surgery to remove the remnants of the arteriovenous malformation, she prepared herself to perform a presentation at a college. She watched the videotape of one of her past presentations repeatedly to help regain public speaking skills. Although she did not understand some of what she was saying, she taught herself the words and the pronunciations of the most difficult ones. She presented the information with success. Months after the stroke, she allowed herself to return to working at the Brain Bank. She began with online tasks, which turned into driving to the hospital a few days a week. Then she attended her 20 year high school reunion, which helped her relearn lost memories. After that, she made the decision to step down from being on the NAMI Board of Directors. She, with the help of her guitar, presented her short speech to over 2,000 members. One year after her stroke, she moved to her hometown. It was there that she was

The autobiography, Over My Head, by Claudia Osborn, gave a glimpse into the life of a former Doctor. The book started by giving insight into Claudia’s life including her challenging career, whom she spent her days with and how she used her free time. Based on the title of the book I was expecting her to suffer from a traumatic brain injury, but I had not anticipated her reaction to it. Although I was aware of some disorientation after the incident, and even some memory loss, I was unaware of her disorientation to the life she once knew. Initially, when Claudia did not realize she had any memory deficits, I was convinced it was due to denial. She was a doctor, I would have thought she would understand her injury and recognize that her injury was as severe as it truly was. Later on in the book, I realized that she was not completely in denial, but truly thought there was nothing truly wrong with her. This could possibly be due to her perspective that nothing bad would happen to her. Every one sees something bad happen whether it is a car accident, cancer, or a traumatic brain injury and they think, “ It won’t happen to me.” In Claudia’s case, it is an extremely frightening and frustrating situation.

Led by our chairs Samantha Sangabi and Julia Roh, our Power to End Stroke initiative has worked to break the barrier that lies between the community and the signs of stroke. With the help of the B.E.F.A.S.T method we have been able to reach out to the community and provide patients with the tools to detect and take preventative measures against stroke.

Dr. Bolte Taylor made a list of things she needed the most from the people around her during her recovery process which can be summarized as the desire to have people support and believe in her recovery. Something that may hinder the recovery of stroke victims is the treatment itself. While it had to be Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s decision to recover, she was much more willing to put forth effort when her caregivers gave her direct eye contact and spoke to her gently and were generally kind people. She would tend to shut down when people seemed to be in a rush or seemed frustrated. It is also important that the people treating stroke victims know what they are capable of.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015) every year there are 800,000 individuals who have strokes. There are 610,000 first time cases and 185,000 recurring stroke individuals. It is important for caregivers to note that the increased risk of another stroke is higher after the first (CDC, 2015). It is also critical for the caregiver to ask questions of the physician, such as what aspects physiologically and emotionally have been affected and treatments

My name is Shankar Pattabhiraman, and I am an incoming senior at New Albany High School. I will be graduating in June of 2016, and I am thinking of pursuing a chemical or biomedical engineering major in college, or possibly biochemistry or neuroscience. My career goal is to become a physician, or perhaps a physician scientist. I am especially interested in neurology-related fields, and this interest has been reinforced in several ways: participating in the 2015 National Brain Bee Championships competition in Baltimore, MD, volunteering at Riverside Methodist Hospital in the Neurocritical Care Unit and the Stroke and Brain Center, and helping Tony Hall and his friends who suffer from neurological disorders and diseases. I chose to study ischemic strokes because I am interested in neuropathology, both clinically and through research. In addition, through my volunteering at RMH, I have worked with patients who have suffered from strokes, and while the symptoms’ onset is sudden, the events leading up to the stroke are long-term but rarely treatable.

Aneesh Singhal, MD, author of Recognition and management of stroke in young adults and adolescents, from the Clinical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology states

Stroke is a leading health care problem worldwide; ‘living with stroke’ is a real challenge both stroke survivors and their caregivers face.

Synopsis: Outlining Jill Bolte Taylor’s The Stroke of Insight “Who are we? We are the life-force power of the universe, with manual dexterity and two cognitive minds. And we have the power to choose, moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world.” - Bolte Taylor, J, (2008, Feb)

In many cases, strokes can be diagnosed, prevented and treatable. Symptoms of a stroke can occur quickly and may cause: sudden numbness, tingling, or weakness, or paralysis in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of your body. Sudden: vision changes, trouble speaking (slurred speech), confusion or trouble understanding simple statements, problems with walking or balance, severe headache. It's recommended to call a doctor or 911 even if these symptoms last for a short amount of time because a transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke may have occurred. The transient ischemic attack may be a precursor to a stroke occurring soon. Catching these symptoms can dramatically increase chances of prevention additional damage to the body (2).

Viewing this week’s final Ted Talk presented by Jill Bolte Taylor reinforced for me the importance of understanding how physiological processes gone awry can directly impact one’s occupational functioning and overall sense of contentedness with life. Moreover, I recall having experienced a profound sense of sadness on behalf of Jill, followed by the determination to live a more occupationally balanced life when viewing this Ted Talk for the first time; I could not fathom what it must have been like for Ms. Bolte Taylor to experience a left hemorrhagic stroke firsthand and cope with the aftermath for over eight years. I was also amazed at her ability to quickly recognize the signs of her impending stroke