Stroke Diaries

A woman recounts the horror of waking up paralyzed, unable to call for help. A man has a mini-stroke and refuses to listen to his doctor, only to suffer a disabling stroke soon after. A physician recalls watching a tiny baby in the throws of a stroke, convulsing violently. A survivor rejoices after finally crossing the street before the pedestrian lights change back. Blending such highly personal and moving stories with crystal clear medical commentary based on first-hand clinical experience, Dr. Olajide Williams demystifies this potentially devastating illness and provides a roadmap to recovery. Indeed, Dr. Williams shows that the majority of strokes are not only preventable, but also treatable. Through compelling stories of patients, survivors and caregivers, woven together by easy-to-understand medical explanations, Dr. Williams provides practical tips on preventing strokes with specific lifestyle prescriptions, on recognizing the different forms of strokes, on managing symptoms after stroke, and on overcoming the psychological burden of stroke. He also reviews the new clot-busting treatments, which have dramatically improved the recovery rate of stroke victims. Combining cutting-edge medicine with the gripping stories of patients, survivors, family members, and physicians, Stroke Diaries strikes a blow against the current public health crisis in stroke.

Dr. Olajide Williams is a general neurologist with special interest in stroke. He is Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology at Columbia University. He is also a fellow of Columbia University's prestigious Glenda Garvey Academy for outstanding teaching, and has been recognized locally and nationally for humanism in medicine. Dr. Williams has developed several innovative education programs for stroke survivors and the general public.

FOREWORDINTRODUCTIONPROLOGUEPART 1: Causes, prevention, and emergency treatment of Stroke.Episode 1: The stroke that came between them.Comment: definition of stroke, main subtypes, risk factors, and primary prevention.Episode 2: The man who did not take his medicineComment: Cardinal symptoms of stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), recurrent stroke and secondary prevention.Episode 3: A wise man fails to recognize the signs.Comment: Emergency treatment of stroke and missed opportunities, certified stroke centers.Episode 4: A stroke saved his lifeComment: The relationship between drug abuse and strokeEpisode 5: A stroke that occurred during sex.Comment: Red flag symptoms of headaches, brain aneurysms, arterio-venous malformations (AVM) and stroke.Episode 6: The aftermath of her life-threatening strokeComment: Causes and treatment of spontaneous hemorrhagic stroke not due to aneurysms or vascular malformations.INTERLUDEPART 2: Unusual and under-recognized Stroke syndromes: clinical manifestations, causes and treatment.Episode 7: Ondine's CurseComment: Sleep-disordered breathing and their relationship with strokeEpisode 8: A stroke that exiled her left side of spaceComment: Neglect of space and the unconscious inability to recognize stroke symptoms.Episode 9: An Unknown White Male that could only blink his eyes.Comment: Locked-In syndrome, vascular dissection, and strokeEpisode 10: A stroke that turned him into a living statueComment: Akinetic Mutism - explaining a syndrome of whole body inertia caused by stroke.Episode 11: Man in a barrelComment: Man-in-a-barrel syndrome and border zone strokesEpisode 12: The circle of dementiaComment: Vascular dementia, silent strokes and whispering strokes.INTERLUDEPART 3: Psychosocial and physical challenges after Stroke.Episode 13: Sex after StrokeComment: Resuming sexual activity after strokeEpisode 14: The terror of crossing the streetComment: A) Recovering the ability to walk and preventing recurrent falls after stroke. B) Speech therapy. C) Post-stroke depression and anxiety. Episode 15: The Acomodador - a caregiver's point of giving up.Comment: Overcoming caregiver depressionINTERLUDEPART 4: Recovery from severe StrokeEpisode 16: Abiku: breaking the curse of childhood deathComment: Stroke in babies: symptoms, signs, and prognosisEpisode 17: The Lazarus phenomenon: a miraculous outcome after strokeComment: New generation emergency treatments for stroke: intra-arterial thrombolysis and the M.E.R.C.I (Mechanical Embolus Removal in Cerebral Ischemia) retriever.EPILOGUEBIBLIOGRAPHY