The Need for Speed

When stroke strikes, seconds count.

David Baucom was 62 when his right leg started tingling one night in September 2000. Later, he noticed that when he spoke the words weren't coming out clearly. "When you're trying to speak and no words come out, it's a very strange feeling," he says.

Things didn't improve, and when he and his wife decided he should go to the hospital, his wife had to help him walk to the car. At Memorial, the ER team quickly gave him medication to stop clotting, hoping to lessen the stroke's severity. They then arranged to have him airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas for treatment.

After several days there, he was well enough to go home, but he still had lots of recovery ahead. A full recovery was important to him-along with returning to work running his insurance company, he wanted to regain his license as a private pilot. His flight physician warned him that it would be a long battle.

But Baucom persevered in rehab at Memorial Hospital, exercising and working on dexterity there two to three times a week and following up with a regimen at home.

"I was able to walk and do practical things around the house quickly, but I needed a lot of rest. The stroke really did weaken me," he says.

Time is of the Essence
Getting to help quickly likely helped speed Baucom's recovery, and it may have saved his life. When someone suffers a stroke, losing minutes can mean losing brain cells, so the most important factor is time. It's crucial to get to an emergency room within three hours of the stroke's onset.

The reason? Doctors have a limited time during which to administer effective therapies to reverse the damage, including TPA and interventional procedures to remove blood clots.

There are two major types of stroke: one where a blood clot travels to the brain from the heart or neck, and another where a blood vessel rupture in the brain causes bleeding.

With the first, called ischemic stroke, doctors can administer clot-busting drugs that will break up the clot and allow oxygen to once again reach the brain, preserving precious cells. But these drugs must be administered within the crucial first three hours after the stroke starts.

The second, called hemorrhagic stroke, would become much worse with clot-busting drugs, so doctors need to run a CT scan first to determine what type of stroke is occurring.

Getting in Control
While a stroke can affect anyone, the risk is higher for men and older people. There are lots of other factors within your control that can increase your risk, too.

Prevention of a stroke is very similar to prevention of a heart attack. In fact, a stroke is often called a "brain attack" because of its similarities to a heart attack. These tips can help you keep your stroke risk low:

• See your doctor regularly.
• Get high blood pressure under control.
• Quit smoking.
• Manage diabetes.
• Quickly treat transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or "mini-strokes."
• Treat undesirable cholesterol.
• Exercise for 30 minutes most days.
• Lose weight.
• Watch alcohol consumption.
• Steer clear of illegal drugs.
• Recognize and treat conditions that increase the risk of a blood clot traveling to your brain-these include carotid artery disease, peripheral artery disease, some blood disorders, sickle cell disease, atrial fibrillation and other types of heart disease.

Despite your prevention efforts, a stroke can hit anyone. So even if you suspect you're at low risk, if you notice symptoms call for help.

Baucom's persistence paid off-he got his medical certificate and was able to return to the skies. "I've had no problems since-the after-effects have been extremely minimal," he says.

By Stephanie Thurrott