Management Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • ABOUT
  • KIMSOM
  • TRAINING
  • MEMBERSHIP
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • News
  • Special Features
  • Leadership
    • Perspective
    • Smart Leadership
    • Strategy
    • Tactics
  • Business
    • Money Matters
    • Smart Solutions
    • Investing
    • Personal Finance
    • Wealth Creation
  • Management
    • The Big Idea
    • Office Diary
    • Hands on Management
    • Future of Work
  • Lifestyle & Travel
    • Wellness
    • Travel
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
magazines
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • News
  • Special Features
  • Leadership
    • Perspective
    • Smart Leadership
    • Strategy
    • Tactics
  • Business
    • Money Matters
    • Smart Solutions
    • Investing
    • Personal Finance
    • Wealth Creation
  • Management
    • The Big Idea
    • Office Diary
    • Hands on Management
    • Future of Work
  • Lifestyle & Travel
    • Wellness
    • Travel
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
No Result
View All Result
Management Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Health

Seconds Count! Managing stroke recovery for your patient

Denis Kiptoo by kimmag
August 1, 2019
Reading Time: 10 mins read
0

An impending stroke has signs, but how many people know of them

RELATED POSTS

The Wholesome Wonders of Vegetarian Food

Producers of Kenya’s Main Export Might be Facing the Next Epidemic of their Time and Place

The C-Suite Needs an Empathy Injection

BY GRACE ESHIWANI

Friday, 15th March 2019 will be exactly 3 months since we laid my grandmother to rest. She passed away 6 months after suffering three massive strokes. As a family, we are still trying to come to terms to with this loss especially since we thought she was getting better. It is human nature to seek closure and try to find answers to what might have transpired. Is there anything that could have been done? Grandma was a generally healthy woman, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure, but she attended regular clinics, and everything was under control or so we thought. She woke up one Sunday with a terrible headache; she said she felt as if her head was coming off her neck. She was hesitant to go to the hospital but opted to visit a clinic where she received some treatment. This, however, did nothing to stop the headache which only grew worse with time. In hindsight this should have been our first clue that things could really be wrong. We sought further medical attention in Kisumu and a few tests were done and we went back home. She collapsed a few hours later while in the house and was rushed to a private hospital in Eldoret. Many hours after the headache began; we were informed that she had suffered her first stroke and the long dreadful journey began. She later had surgery, lost her speech completely and her entire body paralysed as both her left and right parts of the brains were affected.

In my quest to seek closure and answers to the constant nagging question, “Could we have done things differently?” I decided to seek answers from Dr Boniface Musila, a physician at The Karen Hospital. 

This could be stroke

A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is reduced or interrupted which ultimately results in starving the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to brain cells causing them to die off. There are different types of strokes depending on the cause of blood flow disruption to the brain. For instance ischemic stroke is as a result of a blocked artery, a haemorrhagic stroke is caused by a burst blood vessel which results in a bleed in the brain while transient ischemic attack is caused by temporary blood disruption to the brain and does not cause permanent damage to the brain.

According to Dr Musila, symptoms of a stroke include a severe headache that may or may not be accompanied by reduced consciousness, dizziness or vomiting. Lack of co-ordinated movement is another symptom. One may experience loss of balance or trip when walking. One may also experience paralysis or numbness in the arm or leg. This often affects one side of the body; in addition to this one may notice drooping of the face when they smile, may have trouble following conversations and may also have difficulty seeing.

Buy JNews
ADVERTISEMENT

“You should get to the hospital as soon as you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms,” said Dr. Musila. “The treatment options and time taken before treatment begins will determine the prognosis and recovery period of the patient,” he reiterated.

Face-Arms-Speech-Time

What should you do if you suspect that a relative or a friend could be having a stroke? You need to act FAST. This is an acronym for Face-Arms-Speech-Time. Examine the individual’s face and ask them to smile, examine to see whether there is a droop and an unusual smile. For the arms, ask him or her to raise both arms and observe whether they are able to raise both. Ask the individual to repeat a phrase and observe how the speech is; is it slurred or unusual? If the individual checks for any of the aforementioned, then you need to act very quickly and get them to a medical facility for treatment. 

Risk factors

There are several risk factors which predispose one to stroke; such as uncontrolled blood pressure. The most terrifying thing about high blood pressure is that it has been dubbed the Silent Killer. It does not have any symptom and many at times it is diagnosed during Wellness Check-up or when damage has already been done. Smoking is another predisposing factor, it is advisable to stop smoking or exposing oneself to secondary smoke. Being obese or overweight also predisposes one to stroke. Sedentary lifestyle caused by lifestyle changes is another big contributor. Consumption of processed foods high in salt and fat leads to high cholesterol which in turn lines up on the inside of blood vessels causing narrowing up of blood vessels. 

Individuals who are 55 years old are more likely to suffer from stroke than younger people. 

Dr Musila advises that to prevent stroke people should exercise and get to a healthy weight, avoid processed foods, quit smoking and exposure to cigarette smoke and ensure that one’s blood pressure is controlled. 

What stroke does

Stroke often leads to several complications which may include but is not limited to; loss of memory, difficulty in articulation which may require assistance from a speech therapist and paralysis of part of the body which may be rectified through physiotherapy focusing on the affected muscle.

Had we known all these, would we have acted differently? Definitely! 

Grace Eshiwani is the Communications officer at The Karen Hospital. Email: graceeshiwani@gmail.com

ShareTweetShare
Denis Kiptoo

kimmag

Related Posts

The Wholesome Wonders of Vegetarian Food
Health

The Wholesome Wonders of Vegetarian Food

September 13, 2023
Producers of Kenya’s Main Export Might be Facing the Next Epidemic of their Time and Place
Cover Story

Producers of Kenya’s Main Export Might be Facing the Next Epidemic of their Time and Place

November 7, 2023
Management Magazine - he C-Suite Needs an Empathy Injection
Featured

The C-Suite Needs an Empathy Injection

November 18, 2021
Why Self-Improvement Can Become an Addictive Trap
Lifestyle

Why Self-Improvement Can Become an Addictive Trap

October 29, 2021
How to Recognize and Address Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Health

How to Recognize and Address Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

October 28, 2021
The Power of Daydreaming: Why You Should Let Your Mind Wander
Lifestyle

The Power of Daydreaming: Why You Should Let Your Mind Wander

October 12, 2021
Next Post

Bush and Beach destination

Managing the mavericks

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended Stories

The Synergy of Emotional Intelligence and Sustainability

September 5, 2023

Handling employee exit

October 16, 2018

Women as game changers

October 16, 2018

Popular Stories

  • Management Magazine - Entertainment - Book Review

    Book Review: Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (Outlander Series #9)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Tax measures as impetus to education sector

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • How technology has improved healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • How the old education system created failures

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • I am living my childhood dream

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Management Magazine

Management is a monthly magazine targeting middle and senior level managers from all sectors of the economy.

Recent Posts

  • How Gig Economy is Empowering a New Generation of Workers
  • The Synergy of Emotional Intelligence and Sustainability
  • Handling employee exit

KENYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

  • ABOUT
  • KIMSOM
  • TRAINING
  • MEMBERSHIP

Get a year of access for Premium Content


SUBSCRIBE

© 2021 Management Magazine - A Publication of Kenya Institute of Management.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Special Features
  • Leadership
    • Perspective
    • Smart Leadership
    • Strategy
    • Tactics
  • Business
    • Money Matters
    • Smart Solutions
    • Investing
    • Personal Finance
    • Wealth Creation
  • Management
    • The Big Idea
    • Office Diary
    • Hands on Management
    • Future of Work
  • Lifestyle & Travel
    • Wellness
    • Travel
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment

© 2021 Management Magazine - A Publication of Kenya Institute of Management.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?