They told me I had a stroke, but I didnt believe that, she recalls.
I was 28 years old.
Nobody has a stroke at 28.
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It just seemed impossible.
That was three years ago, and Zizzo is still having some ripple effects from her stroke.
What she does remember is to take her cholesterol medication every day, to help prevent another stroke.
Screening for stuff like cholesterol and blood pressure never crossed my mind.
A recentstudyinJAMA Neurologyfound ischemic stroke hospitalization rates are increasing for both men and women under age 45.
Some neurologists say that birth control isn’t the smoking gun it might seem.
Lipid disordersalso known as high cholesterolis increasing the most, from about 12 percent to 21 percent.
And the prevalence of having three to five stroke risk factors more than doubled for women under 45.
Clearly, something big is happening with stroke and young people, Dr. Greene-Chandos notes.
Older adults expect to have these kind of issues, so they get screened, she says.
But someone in her twenties usually doesnt think about something like blood pressure unless theres a problem.
That stands for facial drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulties, and time to call 911.
Slurred or confused speech is common as well, since a stroke may be affecting memory and verbal abilities.
But not all strokes look like a classic FAST incident, says Dr. Greene-Chandos.
Dr. Greene-Chandos says this difference often leads to stroke symptoms like numbness or headache.
With stroke, though, theres numbness without pain.
Even hiccups that dont resolve could be a stroke symptom, she notes.
When she stood in line at checkout, she remembers everything feeling weird and just off.
Its possible to have a small stroke and not realize it, says Dr. Greene-Chandos.
You could even have multiple strokes and have no outward symptoms.
But over time, the changes in your brain could affect your memory and speech significantly.
Of course, this isn’t meant to terrify youjust inform you.
Get a wellness check, even if you think youre too young and youre healthy, Dr. Greene-Chandos advises.
And most of all, dont think that strokes are just for older people.
Thats simply not the case.
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