Hi Nick,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us at Stroke Foundation on your EnableMe profile.
You have given us a wealth of information in relation to your experience, and it is understandable that you will continue to have questions.
At this stage, we will be able to give you some general information which may cover multiple questions that you have shared with us.
It is important to know the signs of a stroke in order to act fast. You have suggested some of the signs in your information, however, signs of stroke can be:
- Numbness, clumsiness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on one or both sides.
- Dizziness (in particular ‘head spins’), loss of balance or an unexplained fall.
- Loss of vision in one or both eyes.
- Headache, usually severe and sudden.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Nausea or vomiting.
You can read more about the common signs of stroke here including the FAST (FACE, ARMS, SPECCH and TIME) and other signs of stroke. The signs of stroke should always be a medical emergency, and you should always seek medical attention immediately.
Stroke Prevention
It can also be important that you are aware of what caused your stroke to reduce the likelihood of having another stroke. You can read more about stroke risk factors and prevention here.
Almost 80% of strokes can be prevented, so knowing what your risk factors are, and working on these, can reduce the likelihood of having another stroke. These are the modifiable risk factors for stroke, and they include:
- High blood pressure
- Irregular pulse (atrial fibrillation or AF)
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Poor diet and lack of exercise
- Being overweight
- Excessive alcohol intake.
There are six steps you can take to reduce the risk and the danger of stroke:
- Make sure your blood pressure, blood cholesterol or diabetes is well managed
- Be physically active and exercise regularly
- Avoid being overweight by keeping to a healthy diet
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Avoid cigarette smoke. If you smoke, seek help to stop now
- Learn to recognise the warning signs of a stroke and act FAST.
In terms of mitigating risk and managing after TIA, is important to work with your doctor to reduce your risk and get you back doing what you most love if possible. It would be important to make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of a further stroke or TIA. These usually include being smoke free, being active, avoid drinking alcohol, or only drinking in moderation, eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight. It is quite obvious that exercise and endurance sports/activities were quite prominent in your life pre-stroke. It would be important to engage your GP first before getting the green light to go back to endurance activities. Generally, we advise people to start of slowly with exercise and build up to 30minutes per day. It is great to see that you are doing yoga, walking and running already, however, returning back to endurance sports we would suggest seeing a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist. You can find information about physiotherapists and exercise physiologists on our EnableME website.
Diet after stroke
You have also raised some question in relation to diet and nutrition including what is a prescriptive diet, balanced diet with coffee and alcohol. As stated before it is important to eat well to control your risk of stroke. We recommend you enjoy a balanced diet by following the Australian Dietary Guidelines who recommend you eat:
- Plenty of vegetables. Choose different types and colours. Eat legumes (peas, lentils and beans).
- Grain or cereal foods. Choose wholegrain and high-fibre types of bread, cereal, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley.
- Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, peas, lentils and beans.
- Milk, yoghurt, cheese and their alternatives, mostly reduced fat.
You should also:
- Drink plenty of water.
- Limit intake of foods high in saturated fats.
- Limit foods with added salt and sugar.
- Limit salt to less than 4 grams each day (equivalent to 1600 mg of sodium). The maximum daily upper limit is 6 grams of salt (2300 mg of sodium), which is about a teaspoon.
- Prevent weight gain by being physically active and eating according to your energy needs.
You can find out more information of food, nutrition and hydration on our enable me website through the links below.
In terms of alcohol related consumption, the Australian Guidelines suggest that to ‘reduce the risk of alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should have no more than 10 standard drinks a week, no more than 4 standard drinks of any one day’. Basically, the less you drink the lower your risk of harm from alcohol. However, since you have had a stroke this may be different for you depending on stroke risk, medicines and impacts. You can read more about alcohol after stroke here. Here at the Stroke Foundation would recommend not drinking alcohol, but if you do, it is best to follow the Australian Guidelines in regards to the amount.
Support Groups:
Connecting with other people, in particularly those who have experienced stroke, can also assist with your recovery and life after stroke. As you are living in Bali, it may be difficult to connect with people. We are also not aware of localized response for stroke survivors and supports there may be. However, you may benefit from connecting with online community. The Genyus Network (founded by a stroke survivor) have online coffee clubs you may be able to engage in. Check out the Genyus Network here for more information.
It is important to have a holistic approach to your wellbeing and recovery. Engaging with various specialists in your recovery is important as they will bring knowledge to your recovery.
We understand that we have not answered all your questions, however, hopefully we have been able to touch base on some. Do reach out to us via email at strokeline@strokefoundation.org.au and we would be happy to have further conversations about your experience and questions.
Thanks,
Krystal and Siobhan, (StrokeLine)
