Saturdays News - Pre-Natal & Kids had Stroke

YouTube: Helping Kids Recover from Pediatric Strokes

Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a brain mapping technique that's been around for 25 years, Dr. Adam Kirton of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine is taking an old technology in a new direction to treat children who've suffered a stroke at or near birth. His research is being conducted at the Alberta Children's Hospital's Pediatric TMS laboratory, the only one of it's kind in Canada.

YouTube: Identifying Strokes in Children with Moyamoya Disease

Michael Scott, MD, Christopher R. Fellows Chair in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children's Hospital Boston, talks about the challenges in identifying strokes in children who have Moyamoya disease.

YouTube: Strokes - Recognizing them in Children | Keeping Kids Healthy

Did you know that children can have strokes? Did you realize that they can strike infants, and even fetuses still in the womb? If that's news to you, you're not alone! A lot of medical personnel are in the dark about childhood strokes as well, and the lack of awareness is a major obstacle to improving kids' treatment and recovery. Recognizing strokes right away -- and knowing what to do about them -- is crucial in limiting the damage they can do to the rest of a child's life. Would you recognize the signs of a stroke in your child? And if you did, would you know where to take her to receive the best possible treatment in those first critical minutes? Join our host Dr. Winnie King, two families whose children have suffered strokes, and two of the top experts in the field, to get the answers you need to protect your child.

Kids Who Have the Following Conditions Have a Higher Risk of Stroke:

• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Heart Defects
• Blood Disorders
• Meningitis
• High Blood Pressure
• Dehydration
• Chicken Pox -- risk of stroke is higher in the time period after having chicken pox

YouTube: Teen Stroke Victim Finds Voice at Children's Hospital of Michigan

Children's Hospital of Michigan pediatric rehabilitation physicians and therapists help teenage stroke victim find his voice and get back on his feet again.

YouTube: Pre-Natal Stroke

Parents of daughter who suffered pre-natal stroke fear cuts to special education threaten children.  Visit www.myCAstory.org to share your own story and see more from other people.

YouTube: Girl's Miracle Stroke Recovery at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital

One minute, 6-year-old Kendall was enjoying a day at the beach; the next minute she was suffering a major stroke. The charming little girl shares her story, and her parents describe the lifesaving care she received at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. Video courtesy of WSVN CH7.

YouTube: Samantha Para and the Boston Celtics - Helping Children's Hospital Boston

Samantha had a pre-natal stroke that left her body's right side weakened. Despite heroic efforts to help her, she was left with constant seizures, up to 20 a day. As a teen, Children's stepped in with a rare and risky surgery. Now she is seizure-free and a freshman at a community college on the Cape.

In this video Samantha shares her passion for the Celtics and what it means to her to be able to go to a game.

Faces of Stroke Ambassador: Bailey

Hear more about why Bailey is a 2012 Faces of Stroke Ambassador for National Stroke Association's premiere stroke awareness campaign.

Saturdays Comics - Oct/6/2012

For Better and For Worse Lynn Johnston / 2007-05-11 "Your speech pathologist is coming ..."	Dilbert Scott Adams / 2012-10-01 "I don't see how this plan could go wrong!"
Garfield Jim Davis / 2012-09-29 "Where's the mousetrap I set out ??"	Betty Delainey & Rasmussen / 2012-10-03 "Keep calm and chive on ..."

* For Better and For Worse" is a serious topic of stroke but with a very nice cartoons. It is all about Grandpa Jim had a stroke and 88 further cartoon "strips" that happened to Grandpa Jim. (See as well  the author Lynn Johnston).

** 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 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 and Dilbert.com.

*** Changed from "Pickles" to "Betty" -- "Betty" is a excellent cartoon and Gary Delainey & Gerry Rasmussen are authors/artists/cartoon-strips and they live in Edmonton.

Saturday - Eclectic Stuff & Articles - Oct/6/2012

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

2014 Neuro Film Festival

2014 Neuro Film Festival

Now in its fifth year, the Neuro Film Festival aims to raise awareness about the need for why more funding is needed for research into the prevention, treatment, and cure of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, autism, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Submit a video telling your - or a loved one's - story about why more research is needed to find cures for brain disease.

Winners could receive up to $1,000 and a chance to attend in April 2014 the Neuro Film Festival in Philadelphia to see their video shown at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting, the world's largest meeting of neurologists. Deadline to enter is February 26, 2014.

• How to Submit a Video
• Submit A Video

Neuro Film Festival Contest Rules and Guidelines

• View the 2014 Neuro Film Festival Rules and Guidelines
• View the 2014 Neuro Film Festival Prizes and Judging Criteria
• List of Brain and Nervous System Diseases

The views expressed in the films are those of the entrants and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, the American Brain Foundation and its affiliated organizations.

Standard YouTube License @ neurofilmfest

Eclectic: Gary - Tropical Storm Earl, PEI 2010

Gary - PEI Blog

Thanks for your kind concern and prayers regarding Earl! We came through without much damage - high winds, heavy rain and one tree down in our yard. Fortunately we didn't lose power although some parts of the Island did.

Nova Scotia, our neighbouring province, felt Earl's force quite a bit more than the Island. Some people are still without power there.

Here's a little video to show you the day before the storm - a lovely day at Pamure Island beach - and then Pt Prim on the day of the storm.

The storm certainly cleared the humidity and high temperatures of last week . The sun is streaming through my kitchen windows and the forecast temperature for this afternoon is a lovely 22C (74F).

Hope you're all enjoying this Labour day holiday!

(Please pause the music in the sidebar to enjoy the sound effects of the storm)



(SSTattler: I borrowed from Gary's http://locationindependentlivingnow.blogspot.ca)

Eclectic: Regina - Thanksgiving

Regina

By Regina Price

What does this mean to you? For me, it is a day for being thankful—for being “alive” and able to enjoy that day and other days -- and also I enjoy my relatives and friends.

• One, being thankful for that day means being thankful for the sun, the birds, the changing trees, the wind and water, and occasional rabbits, deer and other creatures. On that day, I always take some time for walking the dogs (they need a walk anyway) and so I always enjoy the atmosphere and warmth of being alive.
• Second, being thankful for my relatives includes my little grandchildren who I really enjoy and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to get to know them, if I died when I had the aneurysm. Now, every day is a gift to me and I enjoy being a grandmother to them.
• Third, I am thankful for my own children who grew up and are now making their way through life. I enjoy whatever they are learning and counsel them if they need more understanding about things. Sometimes they counsel me and it helps me enormously.
• Fourth, I am grateful for my husband, who stuck through my aneurysm and whatever that detailed for him and now he is contented and very nice with me every day. I love him very much!
• Fifth, I am very grateful for my relatives, some I met them in the past and some who are still alive today. Our past relatives made us how we are today. I am sure because of my earlier relatives and their difficult lives, I am stubborn and dogmatic. Also, my mother is a gem and I am grateful for her wisdom and the nice things that she says to me and to others. I am, additionally, very thankful for my sister  — I was a miserable older sister but through my aneurysm, my sister forgave me and we are great friends now.
• Sixth, I am continually grateful for my other friends -- those who live near me or those who don’t. I trust them and count on them to be my friend no matter what. Connecting with email or phoning is great as is walking and talking and tea drinking when this is possible.
• Another item that I absolutely grateful for is the vegetable garden—not only making things grow by myself but also making vegetables that are used doing our thanksgiving dinner — potatoes, carrots, salad fixings including lettuce, kale, tomatoes, peppers and herbs. 

For many people, the day of thanksgiving is about food and entertainment -- but not for me. I make a great supper but what I really enjoy is the talking, giggling, laughter and love that flows through our house on that day.

To those reading this, I hope and wish you will enjoy the Thanksgiving Day!

Eclectic: Jackie - Did You Know?

Jackie

Do you know 49 facts below?:

1. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth.
2. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.
3. To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers.
4. Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
5. Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
6. People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
7. Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
8. Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
9. Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.
10. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!
11. Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
12. The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.
13. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros.
14. It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
15. Gold is the only metal that doesn't corrode, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years.
16. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
17. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
18. Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
19. Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.
20. Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
21. Auld Lang Syne is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
22. Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.
23. Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450F.
24. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the in the veins in the ear.
25. Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.
26. The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.
27. Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.
28. The University of Alaska spans four time zones.
29. The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
30. In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage and catching it meant she accepted.
31. Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
32. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
33. A comet's tail always points away from the sun.
34. Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.
35. The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armour raised their visors to reveal their identity.
36. If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
37. When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight.
38. In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.
39. Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.
40. Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.
41. The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year.
42. The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.
43. Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters.
44. Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy.
45. Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.
46. Everything weighs one percent less at the equator.
47. For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off.
48. The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.
49. And last but not least: In 2012, December has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays. This apparently happens once every 823 years!

So there !!

Article: Diane - Lyrica Withdrawal

Diane - The Pink House OTC

I weaned Bob off the Lyrica and Sunday was his first "Lyrica-free" day. He seemed to be handling it just fine.

Then on Monday morning, he didn't seem well, and when I asked him what was wrong, he told me he was "so sad". This is highly unusual for my usually upbeat, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed guy. He was also very tired.

Monday was also Bob's monthly pain management appointment. When the physician's assistant came in the room, she immediately asked if Bob was completely off the Lyrica. I told her it had been two days.  I also mentioned that Bob seemed depressed.

She said that Lyrica is in the same category as some of the anti-depressant drugs, and though not an anti-depressant, it could have been giving Bob a "little lift" and he might feel different now that he's off it.

We also talked about if Lyrica could be causing "torticollis" and, though, she had no experience with that particular side effect, she agreed with me that it was certainly worth a try to get him off of it and see if that helps his ability to hold his head up. She told me that Lyrica stays in the system "about 4 weeks" so not to expect any improvements until then. She also assured me that if Bob's pain increased, she would prescribe something else, maybe Neurontin. Then she said, "but I better look that up, make sure it doesn't have the same side effect!"

I told her that I already looked it up on the internet (Bob had been on that before Lyrica), and didn't see torticollis listed. But, of course, if she had a better drug reference than I did, she should look it up.

She sort of laughed and told me that "all the doctors" use the internet these days to look up drugs. "You've got the same reference we do!"

So, fiddley-dee on that neuro doc! ...

See the full article Lyrica Withdrawal in The Pink House on the Corner.

Article: Perinatal Arterial Stroke - Understanding Mechanisms and Outcomes.

Semin Neurol. 2005 Dec;25(4):424-34.
Wu YW, Lynch JK, Nelson KB.
Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94117, USA.

Abstract

Arterial ischemic infarction occurring around the time of birth is an increasingly recognized cause of neurological disability in children. The rate of arterial infarction in neonates is as high as the annual incidence of large-vessel ischemic stroke in adults. Factors contributing to this increased risk of stroke among neonates include complications that occur before, during, and after delivery. Maternal conditions that have been associated with perinatal stroke in the fetus include prothrombotic disorders, cocaine abuse, and placental complications such as chorioamnionitis and placental vasculopathy. In many cases, the placenta is suspected to be the underlying embolic source for perinatal stroke, although data on placental pathology is often lacking. During the delivery process, an infant may develop a cervical arterial dissection that leads to stroke. Several conditions in the neonatal period predispose to perinatal stroke including prothrombotic disorders, congenital heart disease, meningitis, and systemic infection. Perinatal stroke may present with neonatal seizures during the first weeks of life or may be asymptomatic until months later when the infant is first noted to have pathological handedness. The outcome of perinatal stroke is variable and depends on severity, anatomic localization, and other factors not yet well characterized. As many as 50% of infants with documented stroke recognized in the newborn period do not develop a hemiparesis. The incidence, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, risk factors, and outcome of this increasingly recognized disorder are reviewed.

PMID: 16341998 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Eclectic: Monty - Cat vs Gator

Monty

This for all you CAT lovers, especially. WOW!

The cat, Mugsy, has more than nine lives, that's for sure.

This is wild.

Just when you think you have seen everything !!

Article: Dean - Infection Correlated With Stroke Risk in Children

Dean's Stroke Musing

It seems to be an inflated headline. -- Dean's Stroke Musing. Original article Infection Correlated With Stroke Risk in Children.

NEW ORLEANS – There may be a correlation between infection and stroke in children, according to research presented at the International Stroke Conference.

Acute infection is considered to be a risk factor for stroke in adults, so researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, decided to study whether it might also be a potential risk in children, who experience frequent infections.

Stroke, however, is still extremely rare in children: The incidence of acute arterial ischemic stroke is 2.4 per 100,000 children annually in the United States. A large proportion of those cases have no known cause, said Nancy K. Hills, Ph.D., assistant adjunct professor of neurology at UCSF, at a press briefing. Many of those children, however, have an underlying arteriopathy.

Dr. Hills and her colleagues found that children who had a stroke were eight times more likely to have visited a health provider for an infection within 1 month before the stroke, compared with controls. More than 1 month before the stroke, however, there was no difference in the number of visits for infection between cases and controls. The researchers could not prove a direct link between infection and stroke. "We really believe it’s not the infection that’s causing the stroke," Dr. Hills said.

"It’s not something that parents of healthy children need to worry about," she said, adding that the infections are "probably a trigger for something else." The researchers believe that the children who had infection and stroke "probably have some underlying predisposition that causes them to have an unusual response to a common infection."

The retrospective study examined medical records for 2.5 million children – aged 29 days to 19 years – who were members of Kaiser Permanente from 1993 to 2007. The investigators identified 126 acute ischemic strokes, and then randomly selected 378 age-matched controls (three controls per case) from the Kaiser population. The median age was 10.5 years, and there was a relatively similar mix of male and females. All races were proportionately represented, said Dr. Hills.

The researchers looked at both diagnosed infections and symptoms that were indicative of infection. Any history of infection after a stroke diagnosis was excluded. Once the index stroke was established, the researchers categorized infectious visits according to time frames: 0-2 days, 3-7 days, 8-28 days, 1-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, and 12-24 months before the stroke.

They found that children who had a stroke were much more likely to have had a visit for infection within 1 month of the index stroke (odds ratio, 8.37). The odds ratio increased to 182 for a visit for infection within 2 days of the stroke. Twenty-nine percent of those who had a stroke had a visit in the 2 days prior to the stroke, compared with 1% of controls for the same dates. In the 3- to 7-day window, 13% of children who had a stroke had an infection, compared with 2% of controls.

The authors concluded that the risk of stroke is substantially elevated within the week after a visit for infection, but that it is likely that these children have some susceptibility to stroke, and that the infection puts them in a prothrombotic state, Dr. Hills said at the meeting, which was sponsored by the American Heart Association.

Eclectic: The Tsars' Cabinet

The Royal Alberta Museum presents: The Tsars' Cabinet: Two Hundred Years of Russian Decorative Arts under the Romanovs

SATURDAY, OCT 6, 2012 – WEDNESDAY, JAN 2, 2013

Location        Royal Alberta Museum 
                12845 102 Avenue
City / Town     Edmonton
Event Venue     Royal Alberta Museum
Description     This exhibition highlights more 
                than 200 years of decorative arts under the Romanovs
                during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Event Category  Museums / Attractions
Cost            General Admission
Where to purchase tickets - At the door.
Contact Phone   780-453-9100
Link            www.royalalbertamuseum.ca …

Most of the works were designed for use by the tsars and members of their families, while others illustrate prominent styles of the period. Comprising objects ranging from porcelain services, glassware, enamel, silver gilt, and decorated eggs, the exhibition is a comprehensive and inclusive collection demonstrating the majesty and luxury of the Romanov reign.

Many of the items are grouped by tsar, which helps to illustrate major social or political trends of each tsar's reign. For example, Peter the Great and the engagement of the west; Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment; and Alexander and the defeat of Napoleon, among others. The objects and their styles reflect the political forces that shaped each tsar's regime. Each grouping of objects shows the tastes and attitudes of the Romanov family through the magnificent items they owned and commissioned. The exhibition puts these important artistic objects in context, to connect the viewer to the individuals and events that shaped the history of Russia.

The Tsars' Cabinet is developed from the Kathleen Durdin Collection and is organized by the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, in collaboration with International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C.

Article: Sharon - Childhood Stroke

When we lived in Nepean, Catherine, the 5 year old who lived 2 doors down from us had a stroke.  That year in Ottawa there were 5 children with stroke.   Recently, in doing some research in the schools, I was talking to an Education Assistant. The 9 year old she was supervising was sitting with us at the table.  The weakness in her right arm and leg was obvious, but when I talked to her, this assistant explained to me that she was non-verbal and she didn’t really know how much she understood.  I asked if she had any experience with aphasia and whether this young girl was receiving speech therapy.  She said she had never heard the word and that she had had speech therapy in the past, but she had not had speech therapy since she started working with her.  I explained that my husband had a stroke and aphasia and that although he understood everything, sometimes he has difficulty speaking.  When I asked the 9 year old how many children there were in her family, she struggled to say what she wanted to say, but I understood three.  “Three children”—I said back to her, “Are you the youngest or the oldest?”   She was able to say which. Not easily understandable, but for someone used to understanding someone with aphasia and  an “aphasia dialect”  as we call it at home, it was clear to me and to her Education Assistant that she understood and could say more than anyone thought she could.

A British childhood stroke study suggests that the number of children with stroke is about the same as the number of children who are diagnosed with cancer.

If that is the case, why don’t we hear more about childhood stroke? Often children who have had a stroke are diagnosed as having cerebral palsy or a brain injury.  The Canadian Stroke Network has recognized that childhood stroke resources are needed. They have developed a guide that can be found at A Family Guide To Paediatric Stroke from Canadian Stroke Network 2011.

Have you had a child who had a stroke? 
How did you find services and supports? 
Would you like to talk to other parents of children who had a stroke? 

Other resources: 

• Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association 
• Hemikids
• Pediatric Stroke Center
• UK Pediatric Stroke Group
• Study of Outcomes of Childhood Stroke (UK)

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