Strokecast

What is stress and how does it impact stroke recovery? In this episode, I talk with Speech Language Pathologist, Wellness coach, and endocrinology expert Michelle rusk about the nature of stress and the role of Cortisol in our bodies. Modern life is stressful enough without contending with stroke and recovery. Add more mundane and major sources of stress to our lives on a daily basis drives out bodies to a continuous state of Fight, Flight, or Freeze. Overtime, that causes more health problems, which introduces more stress to the system Breaking the cycle of stress requires that we understand more about it and  just how it impacts our bodies. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Stress to listen to the conversation   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Michelle Rusk? Michelle Rusk is a North Carolina based Speech Language Pathologist, licensed to treat patients in North Carolina and Virginia. She is also a Wellness Coach and D

Often we tend to think of "patients" and "providers." While sometime we may accuse medical teams of forgetting that their patients are whole human beings and not just a wrist band and chart in a hospital bed, it works the other way, too. We sometimes forget that our doctors are more than white coats adjusting out medications and asking who the president is -- again. But doctors are, in fact, human. And they can create art. And they can have strokes. Dr. Bevan Choate, MD, was a surgeon and urologist just enter the heart (or kidney) of his career. One morning, everything changed. He shares his story of the past 18 month in this episode. (If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Bevan to listen.)   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Dr. Bevan Choate, MD? Bevan was bornin 1985 in San Angelo, TX.  What do you do when you are born in San Angelo, TX? You grow up on a horse. As Bevan says: "I grew up in a cattle ranching family.  Cowbo

June 3, 2022, was my fifth Strokeaversary. It's an important milestone. My risk for a second stroke is now statistically lower, but that not why this matters. It's not about celebrating experiencing a stroke. It celebrating survival and recovery. It's about coming back from a battle with my own blood vessels both damaged and enriched. It's complicated. But that blood clot on the morning of June 3, 2017, changed the direction of my life for good. In this solo episode I share some more thoughts and feelings about my experience. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Five Click here for a machine generated transcript. Don't get best…get better I end every episode and nearly every blog post with this line, but what does it mean? It means that constantly trying to be the best is a flawed path. To be the best at something means that everyone else has to be worse. It is an approach that actively discourages people from working together to help one another.

Deb Shaw was at the top of her career, selling cybersecurity technical products to government customers for a silicon valley powerhouse. Things were going great. Then she had a stroke. And then she had another stroke. And then she had a third stroke, paired with a concussion. Since then, she started a nonprofit with her husband and has produced more than 10 booklets for stroke survivors to help them navigate their new lives. Recently, the American Heart Association named Deb their latest Survivor Hero. Deb shares her journey in this conversation. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/deb to listen to the conversation.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript About Deb Shaw Deb Shaw is an inspirational three-time ischemic stroke survivor and the Founder & President of a nonprofit who remains steadfastly upbeat, despite her ongoing difficulties. Deb channeled her energy into creating “Champion the Challenges,” a nonprofit organization that

Sophie Salveson survived a stroke at 19. It's not the way any freshman wants to end their first year of college. She was a writer, actor, and singer. The stroke stole her right side limbs, her speech, and her access to language. Over the past 10 years she fought back through PT, OT, speech therapy. She learned to stand, walk and speak again. And she continues to make progress. In the previous episode (http://strokecast.com/ExpandedPractice) I spoke with Marabeth Quinn, Sophie's Mom, and Danielle Stoller, one of Sophie's Physical Therapists. This week, we hear from Sophie and Marabeth and learn more about Sophie's journey. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Sophie.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Song Many people with aphasia find it easier to sing than to speak. Early treatment sometimes involves getting folks to sing their name or sing a greeting. Or even sing a song deeply embedded in their memory, like Happy Birthday. It has

"Communication is the process by which shared meaning is created."  CO 101 That's the first lesson we learned in Communications class back in college. Communication isn't spoken words or written words of photos or symbols or sounds or touches. Or even scents or tastes.  Those are all just vehicles for communication. They are the trucks intended to carry the freight of meaning from one person to another. After stroke, some of those trucks are no longer available. Aphasia and dysarthria may interfere with speech. Hemiparesis may interfere with writing or gestures. Sensory overload and attention challenges may interfere with listening. And yet communication continues. Because the other lesson we learned in the class CO101 is, "You can't not communicate." Combine those principles with the idea that your actions always speak louder than your words, and we have deeper understanding of how important it is for clinicians to think deliberately about the things they say and do when working with clients.

Olga and her husband were having the vacation of a lifetime. They hooked up a teardrop trailer to their Subaru in NJ and headed out west. The planned to explore the gorgeous landscapes of the Washington State parks before jumping on ferry to Alaska. On July 19, 2021, at a campground in Deception Pass State Park on the Washington State Peninsula, things started to unravel. Olga had a brain stem stroke. She felt tingling up and down one side of her body and could not stop vomiting. She felt it was a stroke. Her husband called 911 and they made it out of the woods to a fire house. The EMT said she wasn't having a stroke. The ambulance that arrived said she wasn't having a stroke. The ER staff said she wasn't having a stroke. The neurologist said she probable wasn't having a stroke and specifically discouraged the tPA that could have solved the problem And no one sent her to the more advanced hospitals in Seattle for stroke treatment. The window for tPA came and went. This whole time, Olga wa

More than 80% of strokes are caused by blood clots. These strokes are called "ischemic" because the clot block the flow of blood through a blood vessel, starving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients. My own stroke was ischemic. There are new treatments to clear the clot and restore blood flow and we talk about them a lot on this show. What we don't usually discuss is the nature of clots themselves and how that impacts patient recovery. So this episode is a little different. We go deep into understanding the biologfy of blood clots with Michael Gilvarry and Dr. Patrick Brouwer from Cerenovus, a Johnson & Johnson company. Cerenovus commits a lot of research and resources to understanding clots because they make equipment used in Mechanical Thrombectomy and reduce the impact of stroke on thousands of patients a year. You can listen to the conversation here or in your favorite podcast app. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Clots   Click here for a machine-

Again and again, we learn the secret to stroke recovery is repetition. It's about doing the same movement or behavior again and again -- tens of thousands of times. In a typical session with an OT or PT, a patient might do the same exercise 30-60 times, which is a good start. But what if a therapist could crank that up to 1,000 reps an hour, or one every four seconds? Now you've got some interesting possibilities for recovery. Bionik, Inc makes devices and software that do just that. This week I talk with CEO Rich Russo about the InMotion Hand and InMotion Arm devices and how they work in conjunction with a therapist to help patients recover. Listen to the conversation here or in your favorite podcast app. If you don't see the media player below, visit http://strokecast.com/Bionik   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Rich Russo? From the Bionik website: Mr. Russo Jr. has over 15 years of finance and accounting leadership experience and is a Certified Public A

If you have a hole in the middle of your heart and it's not supposed to be there, is that a problem? Should it be fixed? The answer is a resounding, "Maybe." Dr. David Thaler and his colleagues looked at the impact of PFO closure on stroke patients and found that often, the best solution is to leave it alone. They developed a scoring system to help neurologists and cardiologist make the best decision on a patient-by-patient basis. Dr. Thaler joins me in this conversation to talk about the research and recommendations. (If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/PFO) Click here for a machine generated transcript. About Dr. Thaler Dr. David Thaler, MD, PhD, FAHA, is the Neurologist in Chief at Tufts University Medical school. He is the Chairman and an active professor in the Department of Neurology. Additionally, he continues to treat patients and is a clinician focused on stroke care. He  continues to work to advance the field with a research focus on acute m

A stroke is, of course, a traumatic event. It kicks off a deep dive into the medical system of whatever country you're in. For some, the first stroke is just a preview. Or even an intermission in other ongoing medical issues. That was the experience of Kawan Glover. He's come back from multiple strokes and brain surgeries to be an author, coach, and speaker. And he did all that before he was 25. Today, I talk with Kawan about his journey. (If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/KawanGlover)   Click here for a machine-generated transcript About Kawan From KawanGlover.Com In the summer of 2014, Kawan noticed a lack of coordination and muscle control, specifically on his right side. One morning, while working at his internship, it became clear he had difficulty speaking and writing. He was instructed to go to the Doctor's off where they ran neurological tests. After seeing the results, the Doctor strongly advised Kawan to go to the Hospital. Kawan was

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Peter G. Levine. Deb Battistella, OT and Cohost of the Noggins and Neurons podcast with Pete announced in the January 17 episode that Pete passed away following a brief illness. You can hear Deb share the news and her thoughts here. Pete is known in stroke survivor circles as the author of the book, "Stronger After Stroke" where he talks about therapeutic approaches and why the work. His focus has been to help folks with varying levels of paralysis after stroke to recover function and live their best lives. I share more of my thoughts in this episode: (If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/RememberingPeteLevine) Click here for a machine generated transcript I interviewed Pete in 2020 and found him to be down to Earth and passionate about supporting patients and survivors. He was fun and easy to talk with and I could feel the fire of caring he had for our community. Pete's approach was scientific. He was a strong

Jasmine Loh was enjoying a pleasant lunch at work when the aneurysms hidden in her brain suddenly burst. Her world went blank briefly while the stroke settled into this thirty-something's head. A few minutes later, she reconnected with reality and went back to work to continue validating the performance of semiconductor fabrication equipment. That was in 2014. She left her job in semiconductor manufacturing due to her stroke, wrote a book, taught herself email marketing, and now does digital services for friends and clients In 2021 I met Jaz  through Clubhouse.  She co-hosts an online support group there from her home in Singapore. I enjoyed hearing Jaz's perspective on her stroke story, her dreams in the early days, and her experience of nearly "crossing over." You can experience all that, too, in this conversation with Jasmine Loh. (If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Jaz)   Click here for a machine-generated transcript About Jasmine Loh Want t

Aphasia really sucks. It's a common stroke results where the survivor loses their ability to speak. They may por may not lose the ability to read, writer, or understand what people are saying. What they keep is the ability to think, create, have ideas, thoughts, emotions, and the entire rich interior life we all have. They just lose the ability to communicate that to others. You know how frustrating it is when you can't come up with the word you want, but it's right on the tip of your tongue? Now imagine it's like that for every word, from "catamaran" to "the." Ryan acquired aphasia after his stroke and has been rebuilding his vocabulary word by word. This week Ryan and his wife Anna join us to share their story and talk about their new series of books to help adults learn or relearn to speak. They make a great team. (If you don't see the player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/AphasiaReaders)   Click here for a machine-generated transcript About Anna and Ryan Teal Aphasia Rea

Jeffrey Morse went into surgery to repair an aneurysm. There was a 75% chance he wouldn't survive. Fortunately, he did wake up, but when he did, he discovered he was paralyzed from the neck down. Complications from the surgery that saved his life cause a spinal cord stroke that mean everything would change. And then, after a lot of hard work, Jeffrey defied all the odds and walked out of the hospital. One thing that jumps out at me from this interview is how much Jeffrey's career as a pilot informed his mindset and recovery -- perhaps more than he realizes. You can hear the conversation in the player below or by clicking this link.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript. About Jeffrey A Morse At 49 years old, Air Force reservist, flight instructor, and scuba diver Jeffrey Morse found himself lying in a hospital bed, paralyzed from the neck down after suffering both an aneurism and a stroke. Doctors told him that he would likely never walk again, but Jeffrey wasn’t the type

Click here for a machine-generated transcript. Blake Hill is an over achiever with an easy going attitude. Talking to him, you get the sense of a calm guy going with the flow, but underneath, he is paddling like crazy to get to the next big wave. After surviving a stroke, the turbulence in his life continued to increase, to the point where he was biking up a mountain in Canada and knew it was time to write Westfalia. We explore the events leading up to his mainly auto-biographical novel in this episode. To listen to episode, click the player above or click this link. About Blake Hill Blake is often thought of as a quiet person. Put a strong cup of good coffee in him and he becomes a chatter box. Although quiet on the surface his brain is always engaged and bounces from thought to thought. If you ask him his greatest accomplishment in life. It would be his role as Dad. Blake has two amazing children. He has spent countless hours flying on airplanes and traveling the world with his p

  Click here for a machine-generated transcript   Misha Montana puts 100% into everything that she does. From her prodigious and impressive collection of tattoos, to her work ethic, to her unconventional career choices, to now her commitment to raise awareness of the challenges of post stroke life. Misha joined the stroke club this past spring when her COVID-19 infection spawned a blood clot that slipped through her PFO and lodged in her brain at the age of 31. Despite memory and energy level challenges, along with lingering hemiparesis, she quickly returned to work, determined to not let her stroke stop her. About Misha Misha Montana is an adult film star/Director and the Chief Brand Officer and Production Manager for AltErotic. Misha lives in Reno, NV and Los Angeles and cares for her special needs son. In her off time Misha is a cyclist and bodybuilding enthusiast with interest and education in political science and psychology. Misha suffered a stroke on April 14th, 2021 and had

  Click here for a machine-generated transcript   The name "Avrel" means either "Elven King" or "Wild Boar" depending on who you ask. Fortunately, while Avrel Seale is not boring, this multi-book author and stroke survivor is the guest on Strokecast this week. Our discussion of course covers Avrel's story, but we also get into a discussion about the nature of Generation X and how all this discussion of generations came to be. Avrel also has some great insights into the writing process. His latest book is "With One Hand Tied Behind my Brain"*, so after you listen to our chat, pick up a copy from your favorite book store. (For the full content, audio, and video in this story, visit http://Strokecast.com/Avrel) About Avrel From https://avrelseale.wordpress.com/bio/ Avrel Seale has authored 10 books, including memoir, humor, philosophy, history, religion, and unsolved mystery. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Kirstin, and three sons. In 2018 at age 50, Seale had a major

  (If you don't see the audio player above, visit http://Strokecast.com/Antarctica) Click here for a machine generated transcript   I don't see many novels that deal with stroke and aphasia. Memoirs, sure, but not novels. That's one of the things that makes Jon McGregor's novel, Lean Fall Stand,* interesting. That, pls the fact that Jon himself is not a stroke survivor. He's someone who has taken an interest in our community an endeavored to learn more. Jon's novel follows the story of Robert, a research scientist in Antarctica. Robert gets caught in a storm , suffers a stroke, and acquires aphasia. The novel chronicles Robert and his wife's adventures as they enter and then adjust to living in stroke world. Jon and I talk about the book, Jon's research, his adventure in Antarctica, writing beyond an author's personal experience, and more. About Jon McGregor Jon McGregor is the winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Costa Book Award, the Betty Trask Priz

Click here for a machine generated transcript James Horton was a young police officer in London. He was 27 and felt invincible. His partner (personal one, not police one) was about to give birth to their first child. Naturally, that's the time a life of high blood pressure caught up with him and he experienced a hemorrhagic stroke. In this week's conversation, we James and I talk about that experience, how policing in London compares to policing in the US, how his stroke impacted his life and career, and how he came to write his fantasy novels in the Blue Swords series.* You can listen to our conversation in the player above or in your favorite podcast app. If you don't see the player, visit the full article at http://Strokecast.com/JamesHorton. About James From James' Amazon Author page: James Horton left his hometown in rural Lincolnshire to join the police service in London at the age of nineteen. Serving as a police officer in several units, James has had his eyes opened t