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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : June 17, 2014 6:38 PM IST
Notwithstanding all the flak, your obsession with selfies might not be that bad. It can actually save your life! Stacey Yepes, 49, from Ontario, lost all feeling on her left side while driving home after running some post-work errands recently. She grabbed her phone and videotaped herself to show doctors what had been happening to her. The video shows Yepes describing her symptoms: the left side of her face is drooping and her speech is slurred. She said she cannot move her left arm or leg.
She got herself to Mount Sinai Hospital in downtown Toronto where a doctor said he believed she had been experiencing transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). The physician referred her to the stroke unit at Toronto Western Hospital, where tests confirmed the diagnosis, Huffington Post Canada reported. 'We have never had a patient do this before. I guess for a patient who wanted someone to believe her symptoms were real, it was absolutely incredible,' said stroke neurologist Cheryl Jaigobin. 'When we saw the video selfie, we were absolutely convinced that her deficits were clearly because of a mini stroke or a TIA,' he added. (Read: Stroke: 15 risk factors you should know)
What is stroke?
Also known as a cerebrovascular accident, stroke is a medical emergency that arises when arteries that supply blood to the brain get affected. As a result a part of the brain doesn t receive sufficient blood supply. Without blood and nutrient supply, the brain cells get affected and can die within a few minutes. Stroke often results in long-term dysfunction of the body part controlled by the affected brain area. There are two main types of strokes: ischemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused due to a block (blood clot) in the blood vessel whereas a haemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding through a tear in the blood vessel. Damage occurred by has a huge impact on various aspects of life and well-being. A single stroke can makes a person age by 36 years. People who survive a stroke need rigorous treatment and rehabilitation methods to achieve full recovery. Strokes can be prevented with healthy diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes. Stroke can be more damaging in women and hence women can refer to these guidelines for stroke prevention in women. In this section, you ll find useful articles like identifying symptoms of stroke, improper hypertension medication and risk of strokes, role of oranges in preventing strokes and latest drugs reversing the effect of stroke. (Read: Stroke causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention)
With inputs from IANS
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