In my case I had a stroke that affected the basal ganglia. The basil ganglia not only helps to control motor movement of the brain but is also the message center of the brain. Blood carries oxygen to the brain. When the blood flow to an area of the brain is restricted or stopped, the brain does not receive enough oxygen. Oxygen deprivation injures brain cells in that area, and they die as a result. A collection of cell bodies called the basal ganglia lies deep in the center of the brain. The basal ganglia serve as the message center for a range of bodily functions. This message center controls the following:
movement
personality
muscle control
sensation
some aspects of thinking
About 13% of the strokes are hemorrhagic and of these about 40% result in stroke deaths. A basal ganglia stroke also has some unique signs and symptoms that might make it harder to identify than other types of stroke. These include:
difficulty swallowing
tremors
weak or very stiff muscles that restrict movement
loss of awareness of one side of the body
severe apathy
personality changes
Lasting effects from a basal ganglia stroke can include:
Changes in sensation: People recovering from a basal ganglia stroke might experience difficulty feeling or acknowledging touch. This can make it problematic for them to monitor and control body movements.
Loss of movement: As with all types of stroke, a basal ganglia stroke might cause lasting muscle weakness, particularly on the left side of the body.
Having difficulty with starting, stopping, or sustaining movement: Damage to this area of the brain makes regulating movement difficult.
Changes in personality: The stroke might make a person laugh or cry at times that do not seem to make sense to others. Many people also experience depression after a stroke.
Change in judgment: Confusion is common after a stroke, which makes it hard to make decisions and think logically.
Changes in speech: A person recovering from a stroke might mix up, forget, or invent words when speaking.
Being aware of the risk factors is therefore beneficial and people of all age groups and ethnicities are at risk.
There are also medical risk factors which include:
a personal or family history of stroke
previous TIA
high blood pressure
atrial fibrillation, a heart condition in which the upper chambers of the heart experience irregular contraction
high cholesterol
carotid artery disease, which is a narrowing of the arteries in the neck that supply blood to the brain
The only thing that I already suffered from was diabetes, but that was under control so they really didn't know what caused my stroke. I suffered from each one of the long term effects and to top it off I suffered from Aphasia which I will talk about in my next post. Aphasia is the thing that I struggle with the most and the next post will lay it out.