An Ohio woman who had been battling headaches for five days was shocked to learn she had actually had a stroke.
Amanda Lenza’s ordeal began in January and began with pain radiating from the back of her head to the front of her face. When she stood up, she began to wobble and began to see double.
After sending her husband for help, the 32-year-old realized she could no longer sit up on the couch and her speech deteriorated.
Within 15 minutes, she experienced the range of stroke symptoms, which usually included numbness or weakness on one side, sudden confusion, vision problems, and severe headaches. When she lost feeling on her left side, it was time to call an ambulance.
It is difficult to determine how long a stroke lasts, but it can range from a few minutes to a few days.
Amanda Lenza, 32, of Ohio had a severe headache for five days before her symptoms escalated
A report from the Cooper Institute found a steady rise in stroke hospitalizations among young people
‘I have asked [the paramedics] pretty much straight to their face: “Am I having a stroke because I feel like these are stroke symptoms,” Ms Lenza shared Today. com.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, someone in the US has a stroke every 40 seconds. That’s almost 800,000 people a year. Nearly one in four has had a stoke before. It is also the fifth leading cause of death in the US.
Although the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years after reaching age 55, as many as one in seven people aged 15 to 49 will experience the event.
a 2022 study in the journal Stroke found an 11 percent increase over the past 15 years in intracerebral and bleeding strokes, also known as ICH strokes.
The biggest increase was among Americans ages 18 to 44, with an increase of 38 percent.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists the most serious risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, smoking, brain aneurysms and conditions that cause inflammation.
Stroke symptoms are commonly remembered under this four-letter acronym, FAST. Stroke patients often have their face drooping to one side, difficulty lifting both arms, and speech slurred, while time is of the essence, as prompt treatment of transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke can significantly reduce the risk of stroke. much more deadly major stroke
In Ms. Lenza’s case, a CT scan revealed that her vertebral arteries, which supply blood to the brain and spine, were clogged.
“I wondered if I would make it, how much of my body function would I regain? Could I ever talk again? Will I be able to take care of my toddler,” she said. ‘I was scared.’
After emergency surgery, doctors discovered that Ms. Lenza has fibromuscular dysplasia, which causes abnormal cell growth in the arteries. This causes the arteries to constrict or bulge. When this happens, blood flow to the brain is reduced, which can lead to a stroke.
The condition usually affects people between the ages of 25 and 50, according to the National Health Institutesand it is more common in women than in men.
“Most people live with it and never know they have it,” she said. ‘In my case, [my arteries are] too weak.’
Doctors aren’t exactly sure what caused Ms. Lenza’s stroke, though they suspect a recent illness could be the cause. She was sick for three weeks in early January and coughing hard enough could have caused a rupture in her weakened arteries.
“It felt like a torn muscle in the back of my neck, so I ignored it,” Ms Lenza said. “I never thought it was damage to my vein. I thought I just pinched something on my neck.”
At a younger age, men are more likely than women to have a stroke. However, as they age, women are at greater risk, as they tend to live longer. The CDC suggests that one in five women between the ages of 55 and 75 will have a stroke.
Ms. Lenza estimated that she has regained about 90 percent of her function since the surgery.
Her left vertebral artery is permanently damaged and there are now three stents in the right one.
It took her a few weeks to fully learn to walk again, and she is now working to resume her daily life.
“I’m learning to type on my keyboard again without looking at my hands,” she said. “I don’t really have that connection between the brain and my hands right now. My balance was a bit out of balance, but it’s getting better.’
The American Heart Association has a set of guidelines called FAST for recognizing a stroke. F stands for “face drooping,” such as one side of the patient’s face that feels numb or their smile seems uneven. A stands for “arm weakness,” or one arm that floats down when the person is both raised. S stands for ‘speech problems’ or slurred speech. T stands for time to call 911.
“If I hadn’t acted as quickly as I did, I don’t think I would still be here,” Ms. Lenza said. “Time is so important to success.”