The article talks about TPA also, which is great. But did you know that aspirin does better than TPA? [Yes, I am aware of the fright generated by the hemorrhagic/ischemic stroke difference, but hemorrhagic strokes are far more rare than ischemic. Also ischemic stroke often displays clear symptoms, e.g., one-sided paralysis, etc. Yes, please spare me the details[I know you won't]).
An acquaintance had a left-side ischemic stroke recently in my presence. Suddenly he couldn't get out of his chair; left arm, leg, face, tongue immobile. Everyone else present refused to treat it as an emergency:"He'll break out of it in a minute!". I put a 325-mg aspirin in his mouth, instructed him to chew it and push it under his tongue. After 10 minutes he could move again and continued to improve all day.
After a day his significant other finally found a doctor he liked and got this miserable creature an appointment a week out for an MRI.
So, after a week he gets tests that confirm he had a ischemic stroke. The doctor in charge prescribed blood pressure medication, which is good, but no suggestion for aspirin, baby aspirin, warfarin or other medications.
But by then he had take aspirin 325-mg each day for a week, which I hope flushed the tubes out.
Such is the sorry state of medical knowledge and care in the USA.
Remember that aspirin can save your ass. I always carry some in my pocket.
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[ 2.0 ms ] story [ 11.6 ms ] threadAn acquaintance had a left-side ischemic stroke recently in my presence. Suddenly he couldn't get out of his chair; left arm, leg, face, tongue immobile. Everyone else present refused to treat it as an emergency:"He'll break out of it in a minute!". I put a 325-mg aspirin in his mouth, instructed him to chew it and push it under his tongue. After 10 minutes he could move again and continued to improve all day.
After a day his significant other finally found a doctor he liked and got this miserable creature an appointment a week out for an MRI.
So, after a week he gets tests that confirm he had a ischemic stroke. The doctor in charge prescribed blood pressure medication, which is good, but no suggestion for aspirin, baby aspirin, warfarin or other medications.
But by then he had take aspirin 325-mg each day for a week, which I hope flushed the tubes out.
Such is the sorry state of medical knowledge and care in the USA.
Remember that aspirin can save your ass. I always carry some in my pocket.