Strokecast

Lots of stroke survivors joined the stroke club due to high blood pressure. I'm one of them. The biggest challenge with high blood pressure is that it doesn't hurt. Most people will feel no symptoms unless something goes terribly wrong. Or they might learn they have the condition if they get an annual physical. Because of the danger of high blood pressure directly, and because of the danger of other conditions that manifest as high blood pressure, it's important to check it regularly, and that doesn't mean you have to go to the doctor every week. You can find home blood pressure meters all over the place -- from Amazon to Costco to the corner grocery store. But which one is best? And what do you need to know if you've already had a stroke? This week, I'm joined by Carol Lucarelli of Omron Healthcare. Omron is a leading manufacturer of home blood pressure meters. In fact, one of their devices is sitting on the table next to me as I type this. It was that very device that gave me the 210 over 160 r

Pain sucks. Chronic pain sucks even more. And for many stroke survivors, this is now their life. Actress, artist, documentarian, and stroke survivor Maggie Whittum explored the world of chronic pain with us in episode 38 and with Barbie dolls filled with nails or covered in suffocating clay. Other survivors have talked about living with pain, even when there is nothing "wrong" with the limb.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maggie Whittum (@maggiewhittum) //www.instagram.com/embed.js And once you've lived with pain for several months you don't become accustomed to it. In fact, the nervous system increases  your response to pain. So what's going on here? The brain damage from stroke drives chronic pain in many survivors through a perfect storm of symptoms: Decrease in sensory filtering Increase in sensitivity Homuncular changes in the mind-body connection In this conversation, Physiotherapist and pain specialist Brendo

Tawnie the Neuro Mermaid bled into her brain for a week before the doctors in Ohio took her seriously. When the neurosurgeons began treating her they were shocked she was still alive. Still, the hemorrhagic stroke ended her dual career paths in in bar tending and special education. Naturally, Tawnie came up with an alternative. She became a mermaid, an entrepreneur, and an advocate and supporter of other members of the stroke community. In this long overdue Strokecast interview, Tawnie shares her story of trying to get treatment, how she got into mermaiding, her experience with cannabis, and the power of the stroke community. If you don't see the audio player below, visit the original blog post on the Strokecast website here. Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Tawnie, the Neuro Mermaid? As Tawnie shares: At 28 I had a hemorrhagic stroke go misdiagnosed for a week. That's right I was bleeding in my brain

It's one thing to have a stroke in an urban center surrounded by hospitals and ambulances. It's another experience altogether when you're at a snowy ski resort in a remote Canadian town. You can't call the caretaker because you are the caretaker, and your only connection to the outside world is a Satellite phone you left in the office. That was June Hawkins' experience as the dark specter of high blood pressure unleashed a cavalcade on emboli into her brain. In this episode, she shares the details of her story and how she's been writing her way to recovery. If you don't see the audio player below, click here to go to the original blog post.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is June Hawkins? June’s heart has always drawn her towards living life as an adventurer.  She has been a mountain guide, marathon runner and canoeist, mother of two children and program coordinator of a provincial crisis line. But her lifelong passion has always been cross country skiing. She de

Andrew Stopps call stroke "The Gentle Assassin." Like many (but not all) of us, Andrew found it remarkable that stroke did not hurt. That's often the case with an ischemic stroke. Mine didn't hurt either, and I found it remarkable at the time. It was a profoundly interesting experience. Lack of pain doesn't mean lack of impact though. Andrew found his music career suddenly upended and his mosaic career suddenly suspended as his husband rushed him to the hospital. He lost (for now) the ability to play the clarinet. He discovered unexpected laughter and tears. And it redirected his life. Andrew and I talk all about his encounter with the Gentle Assassin in this week's conversation. If you don't see the audio player below, click here to visit the original blog post.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Andrew Stopps? Andrew Stopps has taught music for over 20 years in Australia, UK and New Zealand. His teaching experience ranges from a woodwind instrumental teac

Stroke research is important, and there's not enough of it. Finding funding for small and medium sized projects is hard and getting wider awareness of them is even harder. Collavidence seeks to change that. It's a Kickstarter-like platform for medical research, with a focus on stroke. Research teams Post research projects they are developing, and the public can choose to back them. They also participate in working groups with other experts to further refine the projects as the y pursue results. Collavidence Chief Knowledge Office Dr. Aravind Ganesh joins us in this episode to talk about the platform and how democratizing the research funding process can help us all. If you don't see the audio player below, visit the original post here, or look for the Strokecast in you podcast app.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Dr. Aravind Ganesh? Dr. Aravind Ganesh Dr. Aravind Ganesh is a Vascular and Cognitive Neurologist. He completed his MD degree at the University of

Success after stroke relies a lot on community. That's the case with today's guest Hub Miller. It's a story of knowing the FAST/BEFAST warning  signs of stroke because people talk about it. And it's a story of going through the worst moments of your life only to find yourself surrounded by loving family members and friends ready to share their strength with you. You can listen to Hub's story here. If you don't see the audio player, click here to listen to the conversation.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Hub Miller? Hub graduated from Mississippi State University with an MS in Agronomy in 2005. Since then, he's built a career in agricultural science, helping farmers produce bigger and more reliable crops. Throughout the years, he's worked for an assortment of high tech agriculture companies, including, Dow Agrosciences, Corteva Agriscience, and Miller Entomological Service. In January of 2023, Hub took a new role as Vice President of Teleos Ag Solutions

Stroke survivors with physical deficits have to fight to get the muscles moving again. They also have to fight to stop some muscles from moving. Tone and spasticity are why our elbows curl, our fists squeeze tight, and our toes can curl under our feet so we crush our own toes as we walk. Dr. Wayne Feng is an expert in tone and spasticity after stroke and he joins us this week to explain how we can address these challenges If you don't see the audio player below, visit Strokecast.com/MSN/ToneBasics to listen to the conversation. Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Dr. Wayne Feng? From Dr. Feng's Duke Profile: I am the division chief for Stroke and Vascular Neurology in the Department of Neurology at Duke Health. I see stroke patient in the emergency department, inpatient service as well as in the outpatient clinic. I also treated post-stroke limb spasticity, a disabling complication after stroke. In addition to the patient care, I also run a brain modulation

Whether you're celebrating the new year on January 1, January 22, September 15, your birthday, your Strokeaversary, or some other date in 2023 or beyond, it's a time to pause and think about where you want to go and what you want to do. We could talk about resolutions, but that seems to set us up for failure. Few people set and achieve resolutions. Failing them within 2 weeks of the new year is pretty much a comedy trope at this point. So with all that cultural baggage, let's not talk about resolutions. Let's talk things we can do. Here are 5 things you can build into your plan for the new year. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/NewYear to listen to the episode.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Decide what you want Many people go through life on autopilot; they let the things they want be decided by societal standards or other people or their perceptions of what they're supposed to want. Others choose goals, priorities, and dire

Paul Strikwerda is a voice over artist. You may have heard is voice in commercials and other projects. Now, he is also a stroke survivor. The stroke he suffered in his voice over booth engaged multiple primal fears (except for spiders) and is one of the more terrifying I've heard.  I'll save the details for the interview itself. The genesis of this episode is that I wanted an answer to the question, "Is voiceover a good career choice for a stroke survivor contending with disabilities?" I was referred to Paul, by Anne Ganguzza of the VO Boss podcast (another great resource for the VO field), and in this episode Paul and I discuss that question and so much more. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/VoiceOver to listen to the conversation. Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Paul Strikwerda? Paul Strikwerda was born and grew up in the Netherlands. He studied music in college and began a career in radio after graduation. Life

Memory is not as reliable as we like to think it is. And that's not a stroke thing. It's just the nature of memory. Of course a stroke can impact memory as well. It can hurt our short-term memory, like in Christine Lee's stroke ( http://Strokecast.com/Christine). It can impact whether or not we can "remember" vocabulary, like in the case of aphasia. We may find our memory stronger earlier in the day than later in the day. This week, I speak with the host of the Brain Science podcast and member of the Podcast Hall of Fame, Dr. Ginger Campbell about ow memory work in the non-damaged brain. We explore some of the misconceptions that govern memory , its accuracy, and even how it impacts the criminal justice system. If you don't see the audio player below, you can listen to the conversation at http://Strokecast.com/MSN/BrainScience   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Dr. Ginger Campbell? Dr. Virginia “Ginger” Campbell is a physician, author, and science communic

When most stroke survivors go home, that's not the end of recovery or therapy. They often get to go to an outpatient facility a few times a week to continue making progress with PT, OT, and speech therapy. It's great when that's feasible. Unfortunately, it can mean spending several hours to attend a 45 minute session. An it may require that not only from the survivor but also from a care partner. Transportation logistics, scheduling challenges, etc. can take energy that would better spent on recovery and rehab. But do we really need to travel? The pandemic radically sped up the adoption of telemedicine and remote healthcare. Facilities added infrastructure and patients learned to use Zoom and Teams. A lot of therapy -- especially speech therapy can be done online with a remote therapist. Lenora Edwards is a Speech Language Pathologist with Better Speech. Better Speech has more than 150 therapists around the US offering remote Speech Therapy. In this episode, Lenora tells us how this works, ho

More than a million people in the United States have been killed by COVID-19 in the past 3 years. The numbers would be much higher, but the vaccines were developed with amazing speed. Time and again, the vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective. Yet some people persist in claiming the mRNA vaccines are causing an epidemic of stroke. The data is clear. They do not. If you want to reduce your chances of stroke, get the vaccine. The new thing that causes stroke over the past few years is COVID-19 itself. If you want to decrease your chances of having a stroke (or another stroke) don't get a severe COVID-19 infection. And the simplest thing you can do to reduce your chances of getting a severe COVID-19 infection is to get the COVID-19 vaccine. If you do catch COVID-19 despite the vaccine, the data shows it will be much less severe and much less likely to be fatal.  In addition to protecting yourself, you are also helping to protect others who may not be medically eligible to get the vaccin

A minor electric signal is all it takes to move a couple hundred pounds of human. When we walk, the brain sends a signal through the spine to the individual muscles of the legs, feet, and core to manage the complex orchestra of contraction and relaxation that makes balance and walking possible. After stroke, the brain may stop sending all or some of those signals. That breaks the ability to walk. It happened to me and millions of others. There is nothing wrong with my leg, though. The muscles, joints, tendons and nerves in my leg, foot, and core are all still there and as fully functional as they were before the stroke. They're just waiting for he signal from my brain which, in the beginning, never came. Rehab was about getting the brain to send that signal again. And it started sending some of it. It's not as complete as it used to be. Or as strong. But it's enough that I can walk with my cane and brace well enough, and not quite as well without my aids. But, again, it's a brain issue, not a l

Calli Varner and I don't have a lot in common. Calli is athletic and into sports. I … am not. I was born in New York City; Calli was born in the Midwest. Calli thrives in Phoenix, AZ. I still don't understand whatever possessed someone to put the 5th largest city in the US in the middle of an oven. We do have a few things in common, though. We both like cats. We both like to write. And we both experienced stroke at a relatively young age. Sportswriter Calli Varner survived her stroke at 35 Thanksgiving weekend in 2021. I first read Calli's story through the America Heart Association's profile and wanted to learn more. You can read that original profile here. I wanted to hear more so Calli joins me in this episode to share her adventure. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/Calli to listen to the conversation.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Calli was lucky in her recovery, but luck isn't just about the randomness of fate in the

To effectively treat stroke and prevent stroke, you need to know just what is literally happening in a patient's head. CT Scans and MRI scans are tools most of us are familiar with. Generally if you suspect a stroke is possible, you need these two scans done. There's another tool out there, too, that's cheaper, more portable, and involves no radiation. It's called Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound. It's a great complement to the other scans, and it can provide impressive insight to supplement the information from the radiologists. A skilled practitioner is a great complement to the care team. I first talked about this technology in my conversation with Dr. Aaron Stayman a few years back (Is my Brain Pregnant? Ultrasound and Stroke: Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound). It's fascinating stuff. The problem is that it does require a skilled technician or someone specifically trained in the technique. Despite the work of advocates like Dr. Stayman and Dr. Mar Rubin, there just aren't enough of those techs

Anna Kerry went from yoga fan and enthusiast to Yoga teacher. Then the pandemic hit. A   year later, at age 35, she had a stroke due to as PFO. In this episode she shares her story. She tells us how yoga got her through stroke recovery and how it informs her work today. Anna talks about the relationship between trauma and yoga, and she talks about the impact stroke has had on her life with her husband. As Anna has gone through this journey and continued both her studies and her teaching, she developed a yoga program specifically for stroke survivors. And Anna explores the power and near sacredness of her own yoga mat. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Anna to listen to the conversation.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Anna Kerry? In Anna's own words: I had a stroke aged 35 in March 2021. I've had a regular yoga practice for about 10 years and decided I loved the practice so much that I wanted to learn how to teach and

Jeri Goldstein built an online business coaching musicians who want to book more gigs. After all, success as a musician requires working in the music business. Many aspiring stars are hugely talented with the music side, but not so much the business side. Jeri helps them. Then the phone call came, and Jeri's life changed. It a good thing her business was highly portable Her father survived a massive stroke, so Jeri did what she had to do. She packed up the car and the dog and headed down to Florida to help her family navigate the post stroke world and learn to adapt to her father's aphasia. Jeri chronicled her experience with her dad in her book Stroke Dialogues: Conversations with Dad*. She sent me a copy, and we talked about her experience in this conversation. And she explains what "Dark Moon Shine" is all about. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/Jeri to listen to the conversation. Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Jer

Depression sucks, and it lies. It's a life threatening condition that affects a lot of stroke survivors and can block their recoveries. In 2010, business owner Keith Taylor survived a stroke. A rare genetic condition meant that the arteries and veins in his body don't always connect the way they're supposed. It's called Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). One day, that flawed connection leaked and began killing brain cell. Keith began his journey through the stroke care system of the time, into the depths of depression, leaving the business he planned his life around  and to the life he lives today helping stroke survivors in Central Oregon and around the world live their best lives. He shares his journey in today's episode. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/MSN/Keith   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Keith Taylor? Keith Taylor runs Strength After Stroke Keith Taylor is a deeply passionate, and dedicated leader

Julie Kuch had her first stroke in 2009 when she was 30. No one believed her at the time, and she had to convince a neurologist to order an MRI before the medical system began to take her seriously. And once they did take her seriously, the system still didn't offer Julie rehab or even education about how to live life as a stroke survivor. Several years later, Julie had a do-over -- her second stroke. Oh, and she through in a TBI in between. Between her strokes, Julie created the services she wished she had for her own stroke. She became a life coach for brain injury survivors. To learn just what a life coach does, how their services help, and how Julie built this life, listen to this episode. If you don't see the audio player below, visit http://Strokecast.com/Julie to listen to the conversation.   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Julie Kuch? Julie is a concussion and stroke survivor. She is a Life Coach for people who have had a brain injury. She ha