Saturday News

Contents of This Week:

• Headline - Ebola Virus Disease
• Comics   - For Better Or For Worse, Dilbert, Mayes, Doonesbury
• Eclectic - Many articles from many guest bloggers
• TEDTalks -  Technology, Entertainment and Design
• TadpoleUpdate -  Spokes Fighting Strokes
• RickMercerReport - Intelligence, humorous, politics, ...

Index of Eclectic Stuff This Week

1. Ebola Algorithm
2. Five Things I Learned About Ebola: #CDCChat Today
3. Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Ebola and Elbowla Viruses
4. Happy Birthday to Me
5. Pill Could Reverse Effects of a Stroke Long After It Hits
6. Allison's Brain now listed as Best Seller
7. Conscious Or Not… Can You Really be Sure? @kateallatt
8. Neuro Rehab
9. I Triple Dare You to Take The Cleveland Clinic Stroke Risk Calculator, aka When Is Health Ignorance OK?
10. Laugh for the Morning
11. The Most Important Lesson from 83,000 Brain Scans
12. Selling The Machine...
13. Explicit and Implicit Motor Learning During Early Gait Rehabilitation Post Stroke
14. What's Important: Stories of Survival
15. Myriam Sidibe: The Simple Power of Handwashing
16. Tadpole Update - Spokes Fighting Strokes - Nov/08/2014
17. RMR: Rick Harvests Wheat

Definition: Ebola Virus Disease

Ebola Virus Disease From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SSTattler: This is For Your Information For Stroke Survivors  - an epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is ongoing in West Africa events in 2014 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak; but two case in the US; and one (maybe more) in Spain. Read at least this blog below or on TV or on Radio.

Ebola Virus Disease
A 1976 photograph of two nurses standing
in front of  Mayinga N., a person with
Ebola virus disease; she died only a few
days later due to severe internal
hemorrhaging.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), or simply Ebola is a disease of humans and other primates caused by an ebolavirus. Symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus, with a fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches. Typically, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Around this time, affected people may begin to bleed both within the body and externally.

The virus may be acquired upon contact with blood or bodily fluids of an infected human or other animal. Spreading through the air has not been documented in the natural environment. Fruit bats are believed to be a carrier and may spread the virus without being affected. Once human infection occurs, the disease may spread between people, as well. Male survivors may be able to transmit the disease via semen for nearly two months. To make the diagnosis, typically other diseases with similar symptoms such as malaria, cholera and other viral hemorrhagic fevers are first excluded. To confirm the diagnosis, blood samples are tested for viral antibodies, viral RNA, or the virus itself.

Outbreak control require community engagement, case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, and safe burials. Prevention includes decreasing the spread of disease from infected animals to humans. This may be done by checking such animals for infection and killing and properly disposing of the bodies if the disease is discovered. Properly cooking meat and wearing protective clothing when handling meat may also be helpful, as are wearing protective clothing and washing hands when around a person with the disease. Samples of bodily fluids and tissues from people with the disease should be handled with special caution.

Video: Ebola Virus Disease

Monkey Meat and the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia

Published on Jun 26, 2014

VICE News Exclusive: Part 1 of "The Fight Against Ebola”.

West Africa is being plagued by a new outbreak of Ebola — a terrifying disease that causes its victims to bleed to death from the inside out. Ebola has no cure, and the latest epidemic is spreading fast.

VICE News visited Liberia, where many feel the new outbreak began, borne from the bushmeat markets of Lofa. Western scientists feel that the consumption and preparation of meat from monkeys, fruit bats, and other forest animals is behind the transmission of Ebola, and possibly a new supervirus, which if left uncontrolled could kill a third of the world's population.

Eight Now Dead from Ebola Virus in Liberia's Capital.

Italy's False 'Ebola Outbreak' Is Spread by Racists and Conspiracy Nuts.

Check out the VICE News beta for more.


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Daily Comics

For Better and For Worse
Lynn Johnston

Canada Family Events

Dilbert
Scott Adams

Dilbert Office Events

Edmonton Journal
Malcolm Mayes

Politics Views from Canada

Doonesbury
Garry Trudeau

Politics Views from USA

  

** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very, very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com, Dilbert.com and EdmontonJournal.com.

Eclectic Stuff

Definition: Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

Ebola Algorithm

Five Things I Learned About Ebola: #CDCChat Today

Bill (William) Yates
Brain Posts

Oct 2 / 2014

SSTattler:
     Re-published Oct 18th.

There was a lively Ebola discussion on Twitter this afternoon with members of the CDC using the #CDCChat forum.

I followed the discussion that was lively with many good questions that needed to be sorted out from many that were irrelevant.

There were several CDC Twitter accounts responding to questions showing a high level of respect for Twitter Chat to disseminate information.

Here are the five CDC Twitter accounts that tried to keep up with the many questions.

Here are five responses I found informative.

Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Ebola and Elbowla Viruses

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Every news carrier globally is talking about the Ebola virus. The fact is, it has been around for centuries and it kills most leaving very few survivors. This is covered fairly completely on the web, television, newspaper, and radio. So if you want more info, please go to one of those outlets.

Today, I'm talking about another virus that strike far greater numbers and can be just as deadly when trying to put your best foot forward, the Elbowla virus...typing as with one's elbows. It is otherwise known as typos and grammatical errors that run rampant in documents.

Your mama may have told you to keep your elbows off the dinner table, but elbows don't belong on your keyboard either.

Happy Birthday to Me

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Today is my birthday. And this morning, when Boomer and I returned from our morning walk, imagine my surprise, and how very touched I was, when Bob greeted me with a rousing rendition of the traditional "Happy Birthday" song! This is the first year, post-stroke, that he actually remembered my birthday!

His version went like this:

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birth--day, dear Lisa!

Happy Birth--day to yooooo!

All righty....

And then he said, "See? See?" meaning "See, I remembered!"

And, I could tell, he was so proud of himself for remembering! So I didn't say a word about the, um, you know, "Lisa" part.

It is the thought that counts...

See the original article:

Happy Birthday to Me

in

The Pink House On The Corner

Pill Could Reverse Effects of a Stroke Long After It Hits

Dean Reinke
Deans’ Stroke Musing

Monday, November 3, 2014

Have your doctor report back to you when the clinical trial results are released - Pill Could Reverse Effects of a Stroke Long After It Hits.

For the 800,000 people in the United States who suffer a stroke each year, the window for drug therapy closes in the first few hours after the attack. That leaves some seven million stroke survivors in this country alone with no medical alternative beyond physical therapy. A small pharmaceutical company in New York hopes to change that with a drug that may help patients regain some of their lost mobility six months or more after a stroke.

Strokes happen when blood stops flowing to part of the brain, often due to a blood clot. Without blood to bring new oxygen, cells in the affected region start to die. If the symptoms of stroke are recognized quickly enough and the victim is brought to a hospital within a few hours, doctors can administer a clot-dissolving drug to minimize the damage. But only a small fraction of stroke patients seek medical attention soon enough for this intervention.

“If they miss this therapeutic window, the consequences are heavier, so it’s important to be able to do something for those patients who miss that window,” says Francesca Bosetti, a stroke expert with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health.

In the future, stroke patients who miss this window and are affected by reduced mobility long after their stroke may be able to turn to a drug that helps damaged nerves transmit electrical signals in the brain.

Allison's Brain now listed as Best Seller

By Robert McMechan and Allison Woyiwada

Available from FriesenPress online bookstore.

Robert & Allison: We have also just received a large shipment of paperback versions in Ottawa – available from us for $25.19 including GST. Excellent Xmas gifts!

First Amazon.com review is five star from California:

Allison, a retired music teacher and lifelong musician, was advised in 2011 that she had a "giant" brain aneurysm, after experiencing olfactory hallucinations. In a twelve hour operation the aneurysm was "clipped". Following surgery Allison had severe cognitive and physical deficits. This is the story of Allison's remarkable recovery.

Excellent memoir, touching and inspirational
By rpv TOP 100 REVIEWER - Published on Amazon.com
      Wow, such detailed account over 400 pages. It shows the courage of the husband-wife team in pulling through such ordeal. I think to a large part will power is crucial. The book has very detailed accounts of all email conversations that led to the surgery, and post surgery and the remarkable recovery. It will serve as a ray of light for others. 100 years from now, this book will show how things were and be a historical reference point in medical history. An ebook was sent to me for a fair review.

Allison's Brain is absolutely compelling!
By Carol - Published on Amazon.com
     This is an astonishing and absolutely compelling book. It's simply impossible to put down. Robert McMechan has written with intelligence, humour and detail about his wife, Allison's, remarkable journey from giant aneurysm diagnosis, through incredibly complex surgery, and a lengthy recovery, which was nothing short of a miracle. The book explores the power of family, friends, music therapy and, most importantly, Allison's own optimism and determination. You will love this book. It is a testament to the power of the human spirit, and a jolly good read.

This is a compelling personal account of one woman's dogged ...
By mdp - Published on Amazon.com

Amazon.ca - Allison's Brain

      This is a compelling personal account of one woman's dogged determination to recover from significant deficits following a major brain surgery. The authors are to be commended for their hard work through this ongoing recovery and for their willingness to share their story. Worth a read by anyone struggling with a life changing medical diagnosis - for understanding what it takes to overcome the medical system, but more importantly, what can be accomplished with a positive attitude and never giving up!

Book Details:

432 pages
Black & White - Paperback
6 x 9 inches

Available as:

978-1-4602-5177-5 Hardcover
978-1-4602-5178-2 Paperback
978-1-4602-5179-9 eBook

Conscious Or Not… Can You Really be Sure? @kateallatt

Kate Allatt
Stroke Recovery Tips

November 2, 2014

As I emerged from my medically induced coma in February 2010, I had periods (in amongst my severe hallucinations) where I slowly became aware that I was on a life support machine in hospital, following a stroke. But I was completely unable to physically communicate that fact to anyone – for two weeks.

I was experiencing what people describe as ‘locked in’ syndrome.

It was terrifying. My response to seeing someone who loved me coming to visit me was to cry tears. But there was no noise, just tears rolling down my face. People assumed they were involuntary movements – but it was genuine emotion. My friends, family and doctors assumed I was in a vegetative state – but I was there the whole time.

I could see and hear, and feel anybody touching me and yet my brain couldn’t instruct any part of my body to move.

I couldn’t develop any communication signal, which is the key thing with anybody locked in – either an eye gaze or a blink. But I couldn’t do that. There was no outward sign that I could understand anything.

Neuro Rehab

Amy Shissler
My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

October 20, 2014

The company that I work for is 100% orthopedic.  My boss has told me that down the road they would like me to maybe do some neuro rehab.  Neurological physical therapy.  This won’t happen for a few years, I certainly can’t be a practicing PT right now.  Well, I guess I could – I don’t know.  I’m assuming my bosses have the opinion that I sure shit know some things when it comes to rehabilitating a brain.  And I also get emails/questions from people around the entire world about things to do after a stroke.  Everyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a HUGE advocate of meditation and breathwork and their beneficial effects on the brain and body.  But I am only familiar with one form of meditation/yoga.  I very much want to learn about all the other forms of meditation and complementary medicine stuff that’s out there that a neurologist won’t tell you.

As far as physical therapy stuff is concerned – I got that covered.  But there is a crapload of other stuff that you should be doing that doctors will not tell you so I’d like to know.  Dean, I read your blog daily and believe me I will be sharing the research you’ve devoted your life to finding that is currently being ignored in the medical establishment.  To everyone else that isn’t Dean :-) – if something has really helped you, please tell me so that I can pass that information on.

See the original article:

Neuro Rehab

in

My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

I Triple Dare You to Take The Cleveland Clinic Stroke Risk Calculator, aka When Is Health Ignorance OK?

Joyce Hoffman
The Tales of a Stroke Patient

Nov 1, 2014

This situation is purely hypothetical. So here goes. You don't have a crystal ball that will predict the future, and if you knew, really knew, that you had a 50/50 chance of having a serious condition, like a stroke, for example, would you live your life differently?

Think about it while I'll  have you meet Katrina Walker, a woman with a 50 percent chance of having Huntington's, a disease that could cause her death in the next 20 or 30 years.

She's 28--active, healthy, content, working as an activity assistant at a senior center.

But Walker's mother has Huntington's disease, a degenerative disease that gives Walker a 50 percent chance of having the Huntington’s gene. Jon Fortenbury covers the story of Walker in The Atlantic when he writes, "Huntington’s causes nerve cells in the brain to break down, and typically hits between the ages of 30 and 50, starting with mood changes and depression. In its latest stage it can cause an inability to speak or make voluntary movements. Most people diagnosed with Huntington’s die from complications of the disease, such as choking and pneumonia."

Laugh for the Morning

Jackie Poff
Stroke Survivors Tattler

A couple of old guys were playing golf when one mentioned that he was going to go to Dr. Smith for a new set of dentures in the morning. His elderly buddy remarked that he too had gone to the very same dentist two years before.

"Is that so?", asked the first old guy. "Did he do a good job?"

The second oldster replied, "Well, I was on the golf course yesterday when a guy on the next fairway hooked a shot. The ball must have been going at least 200 mph when it smacked me right in the nuts."

The first old guy was confused and asked, "What the hell does that have to do with your dentures?"

"It was the first time in two years my teeth didn't hurt!"

The Most Important Lesson from 83,000 Brain Scans

Ramon Florendo
Life After a Stroke

Published on Oct 16, 2013

By Dr. Daniel Amen at TEDxOrangeCoast

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.*  

* Subject to certain rules and regulations


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Selling The Machine...

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Monday, October 27, 2014

So, I put The Green Machine up for sale. I tell you, this was not an easy decision. But I figured it was best for the car, you know, instead of sitting on the street and rusting to death....

First, I called Bubba, who told me to not take less than $2,500.00 for her. Then I called several numbers of folks who had expressed interest in the car in the past, but, although some of them said they'd call me back, they didn't.  Then I took a billion pictures of it and posted it on Craigslist. Or I tried to post it on Craigslist -- but for some reason, even though the website said it was posted, The Green Machine was not showing up on the site... hmmm....

So I did it again. And again. And finally, the third time, it really did get posted.

Then, I posted For Sale signs on the car. An hour later, I walked outside, and the signs were gone. Both signs had fallen off. So I got out the masking tape and tried again. Two hours later, both signs had fallen off again..... hmmm....

Finally, I gave up and slapped the sign under the windshield wipers.

The first time I started The Green Machine up (after I put her up for sale), she wouldn't start. She sometimes (if she's been sitting a week or more) takes two or three attempts before she starts, but it took six attempts to get her going. I really didn't think she was going to go... Then, when I drove her around the block a few times, the radio would not work. This is weird. Because the radio always works. If fact, it's the only reliable part of the car. And now the radio was completely dead.

Explicit and Implicit Motor Learning During Early Gait Rehabilitation Post Stroke

Dean Reinke
Deans’ Stoke Musing

Saturday, November 1, 2014

It is only a 404 page thesis that I'm not going to read. It is your doctors responsibility to keep abreast of current news on stroke, so ask him/her to see if anything in there will change your stroke protocols. My reading of the abstract would have me believe that practically everything my therapists were teaching me were done the wrong way.

Explicit and implicit motor learning during early gait rehabilitation post stroke.

Learning can be explicit or implicit.

Explicit learning takes place intentionally, in the presence of factual task-relevant knowledge; whereas implicit learning takes place unintentionally, without concurrent acquisition of knowledge about task performance.

The relative benefits of implicit learning have been well investigated within healthy populations.  Research consistently demonstrates that skills learnt implicitly are more likely to be retained, and are more robust under secondary task load. However, study protocols tend to involve laboratory based activities, which do not take into account the complexities of motor learning in natural settings. Direct transferability of the findings to stroke rehabilitation is therefore questionable.

What's Important: Stories of Survival

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Today is World Stroke Day. Now, that doesn't mean a lot to me. Strokes don't keep a calendar, This blog is not part of a non-profit trying to raise profile or raise funding (both of which are needed and important, by the way).

But I did run across a Tampa Bay Times piece about the most important part of stroke awareness - people. Check out the link to read three stories of survival:

"I was having a perfect day and felt completely fine the second before my left side went out," she said. 

Bedinghaus is like many Americans who have suffered a stroke and didn't see it coming. 

Wednesday is World Stroke Day, and the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association of Tampa Bay use the day as an opportunity to encourage everyone to learn the warning signs of a stroke by using the acronym FAST: 

Face drooping; Arm weakness; Slurred speech; and Time to call 911.

Myriam Sidibe: The Simple Power of Handwashing

Published on Oct 14, 2014

Myriam Sidibe is a warrior in the fight against childhood disease. Her weapon of choice? A bar of soap. For cost-effective prevention against sickness, it’s hard to beat soapy handwashing, which cuts down risk of pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera and worse. Sidibe, a public-health expert, makes a smart case for public-private partnerships to promote clean hands — and local, sustainable entrepreneurship.



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