The 8 Modifiable Risk Factors Of Stroke

The information posted here and the links connect to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Prince Edward Island.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the folks there for making this important information available for us to share.

Do YOU know the 8 modifiable risk factors of stroke?

 Stroke prevention

You can't control your family history, age, gender or ethnicity. But fortunately, you can do something about other factors that could increase your risk of having a stroke such as obesity, diet, diabetes, smoking, over drinking, inactivity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

Stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Without oxygen-rich blood, brain cells begin to die. If the blood supply is not restored, the affected part of the brain dies, causing disability and death.

Help prevent a stroke by learning more about the risk factors you can do something about and those you can't control.

Risk issues you can do something about

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High blood cholesterol
• Heart disease atrial fibrillation
• Diabetes
• Being overweight
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking

and two bonus issues

• Stress
• Women's unique issues

Risk factors you can't control

• Age
• Gender
• Family History
• Ethnicity
• History of stroke or TIA

What is your risk?

Are you at risk? Take the Heart&Stroke Risk Assessment^TM and get a personalized risk profile and a customized action plan for healthy living that includes tips, tools, recipes and much more to help you reduce your risk.

For more information on stroke prevention, please read our brochure Taking control: Lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke.

I am a eight year stroke survivor.

Read my story

Join my Net Friends  

Till next post.

Smiles :o)

Gary

Stroke Recovery And A Healthy Lifestyle

A Special Hi to Stroke Survivors and Caregivers

As you may or may not know one of the keys to stroke recovery is healthy living while watching our weight and maintaining a healthy diet. I would like to share with you a tool that I have been asked to test for our Stroke Education and Awareness committee. It is found on the Canadian Heart and Stroke site and is called the Healthy Weight Action Plan.

Click here to access the Healthy Weight Action Plan

Heart & Stroke Healthy Weight Action Plan  The Heart&Stroke Healthy Weight Action Plan™ is a 12-week, step-by-step program that will support you in achieving healthy habits  and a healthy weight—for life. The Healthy Weight Action Plan will: Identify your risk of heart disease and stroke. Provide tips, advice and support to help you lose weight. Help you create a personalized action plan for healthy living.  I have also been asked to test another diet tool by another well known  organization but you will have to wait till after I try it. I will put up a  future blog post on it then. I hope you enjoy using the Healthy Weight Action Tool as much as I am. Smiles :o) Gary

FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2008

Meet Kyle Jay a Brain Stem Stroke Survivor...

Hi Everyone

In March of this year (2008) I was introduced by Cathy Sinclair of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of PEI to a young man from our community by the name of Kyle Jay.

Cathy introduced me by way of telling me that Kyle had suffered a Brain Stem Stroke and was "locked in". He and his family were in a hospital in Halifax (200 miles away) and could I be available to be contacted by them and help them with access to getting support from the stroke community.

So after an email introduction to Kyle's mom Darlene I began to get the word out to the stroke community and stroke survivors and caregivers started to respond to my request to contact Kyle through his FaceBook group, email or a personal visit.

Thank you every body for your support. Kyle has been moved back to te Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown where he continues to make good progress with his recovery.

He was moved into the Rehab Unit on Monday where I got to visit (and meet him for the first time) him Monday evening and his dad (Garth) snapped this picture of us together.

Here is a link to my Stroke Network Blog where I have been re posting Darlene's FaceBook posts so that Stroke Network Members that don't have a FaceBook account could follow Kyle's progress.

Here is a link to Kyle's FaceBook Group so you can learn more about this amazing young man.

Kyle is an amazing young man through his "can do" attitude, his great smile and laugh, support of his family, friends and community as well as members of the world wide stroke community Kyle is accomplishing the impossible. (recovery from a brain stem stroke and a "locked in" condition)

Yes Kyle is a real life inspiration to all stroke survivors everywhere. "Yes We Can"

Smiles :o)

Gary

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2007

Introduction

It was August 9th, 2002. A bright sun shiny day and I spent the entire day with my two daughters visiting from Charlottetown as well as my sister and her family visiting from Vancouver, B.C. and Saskatoon, Sask.

We enjoyed a wonderful family day topped off by going out for an early dinner at a nice local Italian restaurant.

I am very fortunate to have that memory as August 9th, 2002 would prove to be the last day of my life.....Pre Stroke!

After dinner the kids headed back to Charlottetown, my sister settled in for a quiet evening at home and I changed into my security uniform for a night security job that I had been doing on weekends for the past four years.

Everything seemed to be very normal. No one suspected that within twenty four hours I would be fighting for my life in a Moncton hospital bed and the odds were that I might very well not win.

For that part of the story you will have to wait for the next post.

In the meantime here is a picture of me with my two daughters Krista and Karol, my sister Irene and my grand niece Carlie. The picture that you see here was taken about 4:30 p.m. on that same day in August. (it is the last picture taken of me before the Stroke ...just around 18 hours pre stroke)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2007

Recovering Abilities

What are these abilities that need to be recovered? Do you need a list?

Well let's start with a short list for now and we will expand as we go along.

The ability to stay awake longer than ten seconds at a time.

The ability to just use the bathroom without being bedfast with pads, the catheter and flipping (like a fried egg )to have my pad changed.

The ability to eat without someone feeding me.

The ability to talk without the slur.

The ability to bathe myself and brush my own teeth.

The ability to move my Left hand that I write with, shave with and wash my face with.

The ability to sit up in my wheel chair rather than in the recline position.

The ability to transfer from bed to wheel chair without two nursing staff having to attend me. (every time)

The ability to stay in my wheel chair longer than an hour because of the unbearable fatigue that smothers me.

So that will be the first batch of lost abilities that I will work on recovering.

So how did you loose all of those abilities you ask.

Let me tell you my story, A story of abilities that were lost in a moment of time and takes a journey of years and years of time to recover only some of them. So

My name is Gary, I am a stroke survivor and this is my story.

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Garlic Salmon Over Spinach....yum!

 

Hi again

Diet is another very important part of recovering from and prevention of Stroke.

Here is a great web site by Posit Science that promotes Brain Healthy foods... Enjoy!
 

Brain-healthy foods in this recipe

Salmon is chock-full of DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid with the most evidence for brain benefits. Almost any salmon is a good choice for the brain, not just because of high good-for-you DHA levels but also because of relatively low levels of bad-for-you mercury. Wild salmon is probably a better choice than farmed salmon, due to lower levels of PCBs. Spinach and garlic may add to the brain benefits of this recipe!

http://www.positscience.com/about-the-brain/brain-healthy-activities/thinkfood/recipe-02


Gary

Canadian Led Stroke Study Reveals Surprises

Welcome,

Canada is breaking new ground in world stroke research and the study findings are providing surprises.

Seemingly healthy Canadians under 50 are unknowingly walking around with pre-existing brain damage that puts them at increased risk of a full-blown stroke, Canadian researchers are warning.
In a study believed to be a world first, Montreal researchers who investigated 168 stroke patients age 18 to 50 discovered that 29 per cent had old brain lesions — small clusters of dead brain cells.

To learn more and watch the video click here: or copy and paste the link below into your browser.

http://www.globalnational.com/health/Silent+brain+damage+points+greater+stroke+risk+study/3127740/story.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+canwest%2FF8169+%28Global+National%29

Smiles :o)

Gary

Hypertension tops list of stroke risk factors

Hypertension tops list of stroke risk factors

 

“The findings showed that those on the fruit- and vegetable-rich diet experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure,” says Barr. “Those on the diet with milk products as well showed an even more significant reduction.”

High blood pressure is the single biggest driver of stroke risk and potentially lethal damage to the brain, according to a major Canadian-led global study that shows 10 risk factors account for 90 per cent of the risk for stroke worldwide.
Five of them — blood pressure, smoking, diet, abdominal obesity and lack of regular exercise — were singled out for their magnitude of risk.

To learn more and watch the video click here: or either click the link below or copy and paste it in your browser.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Hypertension+tops+list+stroke+risk+factors/3169829/story.html#ixzz0rWiSPGDz

Smiles :o)

Gary

Save A Life - Watch The video!!!

Welcome

Stroke awareness is very important! Do you know what a stroke is?

You can save a life simply by watching the video, and posting the web address of this post to your Twitter feed or your Facebook account. Just copy and paste this link address. Thanks!


http://princeedwardislandstrokerecovery.blogspot.com/2010/06/save-life-watch-video.html




Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and the number one cause of long term disability.

Don't forget to pass along the link so that others learn the warning signs of stroke too.


http://princeedwardislandstrokerecovery.blogspot.com/2010/06/save-life-watch-video.html


Smiles :o)

Gary

Stroke Nursing News - Spring 2010

Welcome

One way to stay up to date on the latest happenings on stroke in Canada is to become a regular reader of the newsletter publication "Stroke Nursing News"  - Enjoy!!

Go to the "Canadian Stroke Strategy" newsletters to read other issues of the newsletter.

Smiles :o)

Gary

Stroke Recovery Secret Number One...

Hi and welcome back

This post will reveal the First Secret to Stroke Recovery - Attitude!

Why Attitude? Well, there is a saying that goes like this - "Change your attitude and you change your life"...Wayne Gretzky

Attitude is the most important factor to attain our goal of  "being the very best that our body will allow us to be".If we have a positive attitude and really work toward our goal it can be simply amazing as  to how our bodies will respond.

I would like you now to view this ten minute video of a presentation given by Mr. Zig Zigler. Mr Zigler is known world wide as a marketing expert and author  of many books such as "Meet Me At The Top"

This video may be presented from a marketing point of view but the principals contained within it can be applied to the challenge of stroke recovery.



Than you for taking the time to view Mr Zigler's video. I hope you found it to be of value and you are welcome to return to this post as often as you would like to view it again.

I would like to encourage you to tell me your thoughts on the power of this video to influence your life in a positive way by leaving a comment on this post.

So the first tool in the Stroke Recovery is "Having A Positive Attitude". Learn to appreciate what you have in your life. Do not pine after the things that you have lost. Practice this technique over and over until it becomes second nature to you.

If you are a recent stroke survivor I hope that you or your caregiver will become a follower of this blog. For more information on what we are trying to accomplish with this blog please review the post "Welcome To Prince Edward Island Stroke Recovery".

Wishing you well in your journey to recovery,

Smiles :o)

Gary.

Welcome to Prince Edward Island Stroke Recovery

Welcome to Prince Edward Island Stroke Recovery.

This blog (web log) has been created to share information with and support the stroke community of Prince Edward Island. It is also my personal hope that the national stroke community of Canada as well as the International stroke community will benefit from the information provided through future posts.

I have been a stroke survivor for the past nearly eight years having suffered a hemoragic stroke in August of 2002. During those eight years my recovery progress has been slow but steady. I continue to recover even though the health care professionals at the time were not optimistic that there would be any recovery beyond that magic cutoff time of six months.

Times are changing in the world of stroke and I will attempt to share the secrets of my recovery through the future posts of this blog.

To give you (the reader) a sense from where I plan to share this vital information I am going to direct you now to a web page that I created a couple of years ago. The page was actually created ahead of it's time but steady progress is being made in the direction of the information on this page.

I have not shared this information on the web before but rather provided any information through a previous blog that I had created several years ago called "The Signs Of A Stroke"

I will be directing future readers of that blog over here and plan to post any future posts about stroke and my personal journey here.

As you are waiting for posts to appear you can find me on the web by searching "Gary Gray pei" in the Google search engine. You can also visit my "home page"

Thank you for visiting my Prince Edward Island Stroke Recovery blog. I hope you become a follower of my posts and we can share our experiences by simply commenting on any of the posts that you wish.

Smiles :o)

Gary

p.s. To visit my previous posts on my "Signs Of A Stroke" blog they are still available here