Scouse Express

Hi All,

My 39 year-old Nephew, Troy, suffered a massive stroke last Monday, in Madison, Wisconsin.

He lapsed into a Coma, on Wednesday, and despite the tremedous efforts of Neuro-Surgeons at St. Mary's Hospital, Troy's condition rapidly deteriorated. Life-support for Troy was disconnected on Sunday Afternoon, and he passed away shortly afterwards, leaving behind 3 young children.

It is suspected that a faulty heart valve, which had gone undetected, led to the stroke. Troy, apparently had been fairly healthy and showed no prior warning signs of having problems.

Troy's organs were harvested and now 4 other people have recieved the gift of a better life.

15 years ago, a stroke claimed one of my best friends, Andy Wade, from Liverpool.

Get regular health check-ups, for yourselves and your family, and help to prevent strokes. They can affect anyone at anytime, as these two examples have proven. And......be an Organ Donor!

Jim.

Islandgurl

My condolences on your loss..

my cousin had a stroke last year..late 30's, she lapsed into a coma for many weeks, she never made a full recovery...she has since had to be placed in a nursing home for care..

lisa67

so sorry to hear of your loss Jim. Thanks for posting at what must be a very difficult time for you and your family.

Englishtart

That's so sad Jim, I hope his young family have lots of support, it's a tragedy when any loved ones die, but more so when they are so young.
Thanks for reminding us all that we need to take more care of our health!

Poppy girl

Extremely sad news Jim, my ex sister inlaw was in the store one day at the age of 31 and had a stroke,luckily she survived and went on to have another child against the Dr's warnings, she was and still is a very slim younglady of 38yrs and has always eaten and exercised well, its so true you never know,the outside might be looking good, but its whats running the motors that count.

Rete

Sorry for your loss and my heart goes out to the young family that has lost a husband and father and parents who have lost a son.

You are so right. Each day you read about some young person from ages 30 and upwards dying unexpectedly in the obits. Our way of life, the foods and stress that we live under, are undermining our good health.

DMDA

Really, really sorry to hear of your loss. Losing a loved one is always difficult whether it's expected or not.

There has actually been a lot of airplay in the media in the UK the last few months about strokes.

They weren't the easiest to watch but gave some very important information about knowing whether someone is potentially experiencing a stroke...

F - Face, is it drooping on one side
A- Arms, can they raise them
S - Speech, is it slurred
T - Time, the faster you take note of these symptons and call for medical help the "more of the person you save"

Like Rete said it probably is a reflection of society today and the stress we're all under (but for some reason think is normal and therefore acceptable) that more and more 'young' people are being lost unexpectedly.

angelajane75

hello jim

sorry to hear about your sad loss.

well done for being brave enough to talk about it, which will hopefully help others.

i had a brain haemmorage 8 weeks ago due to an aneurysm, and thought i had no previous warning signs, but thinking about it now i did used to get headaches and pins and needles occationally down my left side.

you just dont think anything like that can happen to you at 34.

my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

take care
Angela (UK)

Poppy girl

Oh Sweetie I hope you are fully on the mend, can I ask what happens now, loads of meds and how does it change your lifestyle.

scrubbedexpat091

Sorry for your loss.

Regular check ups are a smart thing, but these days many doctors brush one off if they are younger. I had to go through several docs before any would send me for blood work, and finally got one that did and several things came up, but the other docs were the usual, your young and low risk no need for testing.

Gotta get docs to stop thinking young people can't have issues.

Sophia_S

I'm SO sorry to see this,so sad for you and the rest of your family,especially his children.........
For anyone else who unfortunately has family or friends who are striken into a coma,PLEASE,PLEASE remember to keep talking to them,just because they can't show any outward signs of knowing you're there,doesn't mean they can't hear you....I know this from my own experience...and when they do 'wake up' from the coma,if they can't speak,make an alphabet board and have a pencil/pen and notebook,it'll take forever,but hopefully that'll be a way to let them communicate with you,also,if you know they wear glasses...PLEASE PUT THEM ON FOR THEM!!,there's nothing more frustrating than just being able to see blurs coming and going.

ukintexas

That's terribly sad, and a story we should all listen to. My husband suffered a brain hemorhage last year, no warnings - he was 46 - he then went on to suffer multiple strokes due to the procedures they did to detect the cause of the hemorrhage. Thankfully, he has made a full recovery although it was a traumatic time. Sometimes we just dont' know when these things will strike so living each day to the fullest is the best we can do.

Thank you for raising awareness OP.

DeanUK2US

I feel your pain, Jim, and wish you and your family every good wish through this difficult time.

I lost my mother six months ago to a stroke, she wasn't quite 30-something, but the rate at which it destroyed her was terrifying - certainly a sight I never wish to see again.

Now that I've lost both my mother and father to a stroke I am well aware that I need to take care.

Anyway, all the best and stay strong!

Folinskyinla

Hello:

Yes, I watch my health now. My older brother and best friend suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in February 2004 and went into a coma for 33 days. He was 57. Being a member of Kaiser, my doc has access to Barry's records and assures me that my medical condition is quite different than his [under HIPPA, she can't give me the details]. But there have been life style and diet changes to knock my blood pressure down. It was recommended that I cut out alcohol -- and I was amazed that that was quite easy to do. I will only have a glass of wine for toasting purposes only these days.

BTW, there is another thread on how Americans drink -- it is so different than the circle I run around with.

Englishmum

I was on my honeymoon when I phoned my mum - who broke the sad news to me that my ex-boyfriend had had a massive stroke and had died. He was only 29 years old.

He suffered from extremely high blood pressure and occasionally had haemorraghes in (or behind?) his eyes. About a year before he died he'd had to take medical retirement from work and also had to hand in his driving licence to the DVLC.

Here's some good information here from the 'Stroke Association' (based in the UK):

http://www.stroke.org.uk/information/index.html