One Year Stroke Free

If you check the archives of Planet Lactose you can't help but be struck, pardon the pun, by the fact that the posts abruptly stop on August 14, 2005 and don't start up again until December.

The reason is simple. On August 15, 2005, one year ago today, I had a stroke.

It was, to my very good fortune, about as mild as real strokes go. In fact, I walked, limping only slightly, into the emergency ward and announced to nurse on duty, "My right side isn't working." Anybody who's ever complained about long waits before seeing a doctor should try that trick. I was in the ICU before my wife got back from parking the car.

My doctor's jaw hit the floor when he found out that they sent me home that night. A CT scan didn't find the stroke. That took an MRI the next day. I walked into that room as well. I never stopped walking at all. Even so, my symptoms kept getting worse for at least 24 hours. By the end of that time, my right hand wasn't good for much. Typing? Well, I could hit a space bar. Keeping up the blog left-handed didn't seem like it was very important at the time.

Once you've had a stroke, you see, you have a nine times higher risk of another stroke.

So a lot changed. I started physical therapy and exercise one week after the stroke. The sooner you get started, the better your outcome is likely to be.

I've been on a bunch of medication and my blood pressure and bloodwork looks a lot better today than a year ago.

And I eat differently. Lot fat, whole grains, lean protein, small portions, lots of fruits and vegetables. It's not a diet. It's the way I'll eat for the rest of my life.

A long life. With lots of blog entries.

Check me out on August 15, 2007.