Home Medical Care and Equipment

[Tommy T.]

4 hours ago, RBM said:

One of the common issues for us seniors appears to be stroke and heart attacks. Of course monitoring BP and life styles are very important.

I purchased a inexpensive BP monitor on Lazada, was a tad high, but after trying a few home remedies settled on apple cider vinegar which has been very successful in my case.

There are some simple steps for a carer to follow which are on GOOGLE  to identify a stroke, plus what not to do and what to do. Perhaps and idea to print out and and frame. Sounds perhaps negative how ever could be a life saver, next will take a look at heart attack, perhaps members can comment here.

Great advice, RBM! And I think that was very wise of you to spring for the monitor. If nothing else, it can give you peace of mind and assure you that the ticker is fine and any other symptoms may be unrelated to it. If you do have heart issues, then it can give you an early warning that could make a big difference to you.

There are a lot of BP checkers in the pharmacies here too and so easy to use.

Alcohol and coffee raise BP, as well as stress. I know a guy who drank regularly and had high BP. He took medication for the BP. Then he was advised by his doc that the alcohol was not helping. He stopped drinking, his BP went down to normal without the meds, so he stopped drinking forever...and didn't need the BP meds any more - there's a lesson there...

@Jack Peterson said he has had a stroke so perhaps he might be willing to share his experience or symptoms to watch for here?

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Tommy T.
Additional comment

[Jack Peterson]

59 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

share his experience or symptoms to watch for here?

 There is no easy answer really to this Tom, If I had known before hand it may have saved the happening but the Body gives warnings ( this I know now of course) people will get a  Tingle ( No pain) in the facial Area Followed by what is called a TIA, ( Transient Ischemic Attack ) A Transient Ischemic Attack is Commonly  called a Mini Stroke. That, is the Warning, if Medical assistance is not called in My case straight to Hospital, then possibly ( Not always) a Mild or Full Blown Stroke will Hit. Obviously anyone that suffers these should be in or at a Hospital for Monitoring and or Treatment, Blood Pressure is the cause in most cases where the Blood tries to force its way past a Blockage that may be a Blood Clot or pieces of Cholesterol build up Thus moving a  particle and that may get to the Brain pretty quick and can re block and stop the Flow Of Blood to the  Brain and Bang you get a Stroke. Now as I have said in a lot of Posts on some Topics of this nature, Having Blood checks regularly and Blood pressure monitored at least weekly, Cholesterol was my problem, But after many many visits ( every 3 months) all systems now in pretty good order, I was Lucky, in that I only had 2 TIA's before a fairly Mild Stroke where others I know had far more serious ones, I am affected on my left side only and to be Honest all I suffer now is I can No longer drive a manual car as my Left Calf and Foot still give me Problems, I can't really tell anyone much More as at the Time I too was ignorant of these things, However I was Flown from GIBRALTAR to the UK for Tests and the Consultant told me I have been Lucky as I followed the Instructions after the First TIA. After they got my BP down from 212/40 I think it was I had an Ultrasound that told them My  The carotid arteries  were at 65% Blocked and did not require Surgery, ( Only at 70+ they will  stent) Since then I am happy to say that the Blockage is now only 52% Thanks to the maintenance Meds and I have recovered well.

Should any one think that a  Family member or Friend has had some of the Tingles in their face as It seemed to me with our Friend Steve do this little test;

 It may well save their Life. Just about all from me really on the issue, only left is to say I am not so Ignorant as before it happened 

 BTW People I know have many TIA's but never a Stroke per say but it is a Stroke albeit a mini one they are the Bodies warning to get your Health Sorted 

 OH and Thank Your Inviting me to add something

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Jack Peterson
added a Thank You

[Tommy T.]

12 minutes ago, Jack Peterson said:

Thanks to the maintenance Meds and I have recovered well.

Jack... First off, I am so sorry you experienced that. I am pleased that you mostly recovered with relatively few following problems.

Thank you for sharing your experience! You just now taught all us members some good lessons regarding stroke warning signs and the need to recognize them and go for treatment...and these lessons will not be forgotten.

212/40 BP? Yow! That was not good at all.

Good that the prognosis going forward looks brighter. So continue to take care of yourself - live long and prosper!

[Jack Peterson]

Just now, Tommy T. said:

212/40 BP? Yow! That was not good at all.

 Your telling me LOL of course I should be dead on that score But here I am having listened but now it is around 120/70 and raley gets above 140 but then, Hypertension can be aggravating Blood Pressure so part of my Meds are meds to control that, Stress is not good so I try daily not to get too much, but again we know where we are 

 

5 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Good that the prognosis going forward looks brighter. So continue to take care of yourself - live long and prosper!

 Regular Doctors Visits are a Must and at 71+ I feel I am doing OK even at the cost But Should she do well next Year we will have a "Doctor in the House" Daughter Studying Medicine at Cebu Doctors University 

[Tommy T.]

Found this on MSNBC a while ago. Makes me glad I don't live in Manila, but Davo is not far behind:

Gridlock in Manila is costing lives as ambulances stuck in traffic face severe delays in the race against the clock to reach the city's hospitals, medics warn.

Special lanes for emergency vehicles are not enforced, the infrastructure is outdated, and local drivers are often unwilling or unable to make way -- a situation experts say is causing patients to die en route.

"You feel empty. It is as if you were not given a chance to do everything in your capacity to help," ambulance driver and paramedic Joseph Laylo told AFP.

"If the traffic was not that bad it could have saved the patient," he added, recalling how he lost a patient when congestion tripled the time to hospital.

Even with an encyclopedic knowledge of short cuts or aggressive driving such as blasting their horns or bumping unyielding vehicles, it is not always enough to arrive in time.

Ambulance driver Joseph Laylo driving says Manila's traffic congestion may be causing patients to die en route to hospital.
Driver Adriel Aragon is still haunted after losing a critically ill patient when it took 40 minutes to reach the hospital -- the journey should have taken half that time.

"No matter how hard we honk, even if we use our siren, if the vehicles are not moving it doesn't matter," he said.

"That's what happened that time," Aragon added of the 2014 tragedy.

Five minutes before they reached the hospital the woman's pulse disappeared. She was pronounced dead after they wheeled her into the emergency room.

At peak hours, the main arteries of Manila are clogged with idling cars -- a 25-kilometre (16-mile) end to end drive through the main highway can take as long as three hours
Home to some 13 million, there is nearly one vehicle registered per person. The resulting gridlock costs the city $67 million daily in lost productivity, according to a 2017 Japanese government-funded study.

Even with an encyclopedic knowledge of short cuts or aggressive driving such as blasting their horns or bumping unyielding vehicles, it is not always enough for ambulances to arrive in time.
Even with an encyclopedic knowledge of short cuts or aggressive driving such as blasting their horns or bumping unyielding vehicles, it is not always enough for ambulances to arrive in time
- Life or death -

Neither the government nor ambulance companies keep count of how many patients die in traffic each year, officials said, but emergency medical workers in the city have many horror stories.

Laylo says one patient died inside his ambulance after heavy traffic on a narrow road added 10 minutes to the journey from the patient's home to the hospital.

"It was about 5.7 kilometres. Normally it would take us less than five minutes, but it took us 15 minutes that time," Laylo explained.

"When you're trying to save a person's life, that is very slow," he said, still upset by the 2017 incident.

Images of ambulances stalled in unmoving traffic jams have sparked outrage on social media in the Philippines.

One of the most notorious examples -- which has been viewed over 3.2 million times online -- was filmed by a woman shocked that cars wouldn't or couldn't give way to the ambulance carrying her mother.

"I was very angry. I was worried too because we couldn't do anything about the vehicles blocking our lane," the woman, Jing Zamora, told AFP.

The trip took hours, when it should have taken minutes. Zamora's mother, who suffered a stroke, survived the trip to the hospital but died there a week later.

A swift medical response is key to recovery, according to the American Stroke Association.

Officials like Aldo Mayor, public safety chief of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), put at least part of the blame on other road users.

"Some people simply do not care. It is as if they are the only residents of this world," said Mayor, whose government agency manages the capital's chaotic traffic.

He added that Manila ordinances concerning emergency vehicles, including a 2017 regulation that reserves one lane for them, are rarely enforced due to personnel constraints.

These problems come as Manila's population has roughly doubled since 1985 and its infrastructure has not kept up.

Its limited system of commuter rail is augmented by jeepney mini-buses and millions of cars.

The nation's thicket of bureaucracy and deep rooted corruption have stalled or blocked efforts to build new roads, bridges and public transit.

President Rodrigo Duterte pledged to unblock the capital's choking gridlock, but halfway through his term the city's main thoroughfare, EDSA, remains a parking lot at rush hour.

The sheer number of cars on the roads is a major factor in whether ambulances can get their patients to hospital quickly, said Vernon Sarne, a long-time automotive journalist.

"Even when you want to give way, but the motorway is full, what can we do? The ambulance cannot levitate," he told AFP.

However Sarne noted that drivers have become cynical, thinking ambulances might be using their lights and sirens just to cut through the traffic for non-emergencies.

"As a motoring public we are jaded to the fact that everyone is taking advantage of us," he said, adding some politicians use emergency vehicles escorts to avoid the gridlock.

Yet ambulance operators in Manila hope public shaming on social media, like Zamora's viral video, can help.

"Because of social media, we found more and more people are giving way, giving (us) the benefit of the doubt," Michael Deakin, the head of one of the nation's largest ambulance companies told AFP.

[Arizona Kid]

21 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

So... with that aside, I will also state my experience just so you may not think I am just blowing smoke out my a**. If  this history might seem boring to you...just skip to the next post by me or whomever?

Ha ha. I get your drift!

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, Arizona Kid said:

Ha ha. I get your drift!

Just stay upwind of me, okay? Better to be safe. And thanks.

[nor cal mike]

Thanks to all who are sharing their personal experiences and knowledge gained therefrom. This is one of the most beneficial and informative subjects I’ve read. I would like to add my personal experience in hopes someone may benefit. 

About 10 years ago during my annual check-up I was found to have mild afib. I was prescribed baby aspirin and thankfully have had no recurring episodes. A couple of years ago I came across a device called “Kardia mobile”. This is a 30 second 1line ekg. It only cost $100 and there are additional monitoring services available at additional cost. I use mine 2 or more times daily. I also take a printout to my doctor for my annual checkups. So simple, so convenient and it provides me great peace of mind. I bought mine in the U.S. from amazon. Don’t know if this device is useful in an emergency, but for those who have this rather common anomaly this can provide an early warning that might prevent an emergency.

[Old55]

7 minutes ago, nor cal mike said:

Thanks to all who are sharing their personal experiences and knowledge gained therefrom. This is one of the most beneficial and informative subjects I’ve read. I would like to add my personal experience in hopes someone may benefit. 

About 10 years ago during my annual check-up I was found to have mild afib. I was prescribed baby aspirin and thankfully have had no recurring episodes. A couple of years ago I came across a device called “Kardia mobile”. This is a 30 second 1line ekg. It only cost $100 and there are additional monitoring services available at additional cost. I use mine 2 or more times daily. I also take a printout to my doctor for my annual checkups. So simple, so convenient and it provides me great peace of mind. I bought mine in the U.S. from amazon. Don’t know if this device is useful in an emergency, but for those who have this rather common anomaly this can provide an early warning that might prevent an emergency.

Thanks for sharing. Something I want to learn more about.

https://www.alivecor.com/kardiamobile/

Edited September 9, 2019 by Old55
Added link

[Mike J]

21 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

share his experience or symptoms to watch for here?

I had a stroke in February of 2017.  I had been taking a "baby aspirin" daily for many years.  I was also on BP medicine and statins for very high cholesterol levels.

Tuesday - It was about 8:00 pm and I was reclining in the bedroom and reading a book.  My throat/mouth started to feel "odd", a little like what you get if you have had novocaine at the dentist.  I sat up and reached for the water bottle beside the bed and was not able to  use my right hand to grab the bottle.   I was fairly certain at that time that I was having a stroke.  I was able to walk, so I went into the living room where my wife was working at the computer.  I had lost the ability to speak so took both her hands in mine and squeezed, hoping she would know the strength was gone in the right.  No luck, so I pantomimed that I wanted to write.  She gave me a pencil and I scrawled on a piece of paper with my left "STOKE".  She said, "you are having a stroke?".  I nod and lead her back to my bedside table, and open the drawer.  Take out the aspirin and hold up two fingers.  She gets the message, and tears two out of the pack.  I chew and am able to swallow them with a little water, but have difficulty with swallowing and water dribbles down my chin.  I write on the paper, "GAY".  Guy is our neighbor and can drive.  No answer from Guy.  I decide that we need to go to the closest clinic in Badian, about 30 minutes away.  The word "Badian" is no longer in my vocabulary, it is like it was never there!  I scrawl the word "SOUTH" on the paper.  My wife says go to South General in Cebu City?  I shake my head no and point.  She says "go to Badian?"  I nod yes.  We arrive at Badian clinic about 8:45 and they have no beds.  The nurse gives me a single capsule that I am able to get down with water.  We stay there for awhile and I write on the paper "HOME".  We get arrive home about midnight.  My speech is back a little bit, I slur my words and speak very very slowly.  Some words are not available.  I still cannot use my right hand/arm.  My wife says a final prayer for me and I go to sleep.

Wednesday - In the morning my speech is mostly back to normal, but the right hand/arm are still weak.  By the end of the day my speech is normal,  hand is much better, but I want to protect it  - holding it close to my body and mostly using my left hand.

Thursday - Feeling fine, like the stroke never happened.  Then in the afternoon, I have a TIA as described by @Jack in his post.  My right thumb went numb, followed by the index finger, then the middle finger.  It lasts about one minute.

Friday - another TIA in the right hand, same as the day before.

Monday - At Chong Hua we see a neurologist and I tell him I had a stroke last week.  He smiles in that "I am the doctor and will decide" way that doctors have and asks me tell him what happened.  I do that and he says, yes you had a stroke.  He does the doctor thing checking reflexes, etc.  He says I need a CT brain scan to check for damage.   We get the scan in the afternoon, but it cannot be read until Tuesday and results not available until after 5:00 pm. 

Wednesday - Back to see the neurologist and he says there is no permanent damage.   He tells me the daily aspirin, plus the two I took following the stroke, almost certainly were the major factor in lessening the severity of the stroke.

My blood pressure meds are now taken twice a day instead of once a day.  In addition I take a blood thinning agent called Clopidogrel.   I continue to take statins. 

Recent studies have shown that the daily aspirin regimen should only be followed by those who have a history, or at risk of, heart disease and/or stroke.  It has been determined that the risk of stomach problems outweighs the potential benefits.  I would encourage everyone to do some research and/or speak to your doctor about daily aspirin use.  If you decide against a daily aspirin, you should keep some handy if needed.  I carry several in my "man purse" when out and still have some beside the bed.  If required after a stroke, chew them prior to swallowing so they get into your system quicker.

 

Edited September 10, 2019 by Mike J
Changed North to South in post