Page 29 - Healthy food

Health

WAYS TO CUT YOUR STROKE RISK
^ My mini stroke
Take factors for stroke and heart attack was mistaken
1 medication If as it damages in people with for a trapped
you’ve already had your blood established heart nerve _
a stroke you will vessels, so you disease. Cut down
be put on blood- must aim to stop. on artificially
WHEN NICHOLA
thinning drugs Cut down on sweetened diet FARRELLY NOTICED a
such as warfarin 4 booze Excess drinks, too – a persistent numbness in
or new oral alcohol can 2017 study her right hand, her GP told
anticoagulants damage your published in the her it was referred pain from a trapped nerve.
(NOACs) and/or arteries, so drink journal Stroke ‘I also felt out of sorts and had been having
some severe headaches,’ recalls Nichola, 39, a
clopidogrel to within safe limits found drinking
theatre nurse, who lives in Bury, Lancashire. ‘The
reduce the risk of of 14 units a week. at least one diet
numbness had also spread to my face. I was only
another stroke. Watch your drink a day almost 36 at the time, didn’t smoke or drink and wasn’t
Control your 5 weight Being trebled stroke risk overweight. I just resigned myself to taking
2risk factors overweight compared with painkillers until it went away.’
Monitor and increases your those who drank The next day at work, Nichola’s symptoms
treat high blood stroke risk by 22%. them less than became much more intense. ‘I was just about to
scrub up for theatre when I felt my head start to
pressure, raised Eat healthily once a week.
cholesterol, 6 Cut down on Take more spin as if I was on a fairground ride. A colleague
noticed I was unsteady on my feet, got a stool
diabetes and sugar, salt and 7 exercise A for me to sit on and called over one of the
atrial fibrillation, saturated fat and University of anaesthetists, who said I should go to A&E
a heart rhythm eat plenty of fresh Alabama study immediately,’ recalls Nichola. Staff there took
disorder that can fruit and veg. A published in Nichola’s blood pressure and noted that it was
cause clots. 2016 New Zealand Stroke in 2013 high and the numbness on her right side was
Give up study found that a found inactivity persisting, but she was left on her own in a
cubicle for three and a half hours and given no
3smoking Mediterranean- led to a 20%
treatment. ‘With hindsight, it’s obvious I had the
Smoking is one of style diet lowered increased risk symptoms of a stroke, and the pins-and-needles
the biggest risk the risk of stroke of stroke. I’d experienced in the days beforehand was a
TIA,’ says Nichola. She was one of the unlucky
patients whose symptoms weren’t diagnosed in
time to prevent her subsequent stroke.
‘After my stroke my speech was slurred, I
couldn’t swallow and had weakness down my
right side. It was terrifying, I felt so helpless,‘ she
says. Nichola's determination to make a good
recovery meant she worked at her physiotherapy
and speech therapy sessions and managed to
go back to work after six months.
‘For me, the TIA and stroke were a wake-up
call and I now take even more care of my health.
I have injections to control my cholesterol and
blood-thinning drugs to reduce stroke risk. I eat
a low-fat, high-protein diet – I’ve cut out cheese,
bread and alcohol and now eat mainly rice, veg
and chicken. A treat for me is a poached egg on
toast,’ she says. ‘I’ve also started bodybuilding
and go to the gym a couple of times a week.
‘Everyone thinks a TIA or stroke won’t happen
to them. It’s really important to be aware of the
symptoms and not delay getting help like I did.’

FEBRUARY 2018 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 29