Pediatric Stroke

()smoke() · #1 03-28-2011, 01:12 PM

Parents, EMTs, teachers, any of you who may be around young children--I want to let you all know about the very real risks of stroke in young children.

I've been emailing back and forth with my wife today discussing our 3-year old son, who has a very rare disease called Moyamoya and has suffered 2 severe strokes in the past 9 months. Just looking more objectively at the kinds of things I'm asking her about as she stays home to watch him while he recovers kind of struck me today with how wonderful it would be if no other child ever had to go through this ever again.

However, the facts are that strokes in young children often go undiagnosed for an average of 2-3 weeks. This can be devastating to the child and his/her recovery, and is most often attributed to the lack of knowledge and understanding that kids, even babies, can suffer strokes.

Please take a moment to at least familiarize yourself with some of the symptoms of stroke and try to 'unlearn' if you've been told kids cannot have a stroke or don't have them.

Stroke In Children

If you took a moment to read, thank you. And, please tell someone else.

wabbit · #2 03-28-2011, 01:24 PM

Wow man. Sorry to hear you are going through this and here's hoping that the little guy beats this in a timely fashion. I am all too aware of what you are going through with a child that is ill. My daughter contracted leukemia when she was 2 years old and had to undergo two years of chemo and radiation to the head. She's 13 now and perfectly fine. Sending good energy to you and yours.

Gopherbassist · #3 03-28-2011, 01:39 PM

Why is there a myth that children can't have strokes? I didn't even know this was a myth.

Also, it seems to me strokes have pretty severe effects, it seems odd to me that a parent wouldn't notice the effects of a stroke for over a week, even in a baby. The article seems to say that storkes effect children the same way as adults, so it makes me wonder if some sort of neglect leads to the conditions which cause a most strokes in children, or if doctors just don't care and don't really look.

()smoke() · #4 03-28-2011, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopherbassist

Why is there a myth that children can't have strokes? I didn't even know this was a myth.

Also, it seems to me strokes have pretty severe effects, it seems odd to me that a parent wouldn't notice the effects of a stroke for over a week, even in a baby. The article seems to say that storkes effect children the same way as adults, so it makes me wonder if some sort of neglect leads to the conditions which cause a most strokes in children, or if doctors just don't care and don't really look.

apparently it's a product of the perception amongst many that stroke is something that happens to 'old people', and unfortunately, permeates even the medical profession to a degree...although there is a substantial difference now than 20 years ago, still a long way to go

the difficult thing regarding the effects of stroke is that if a child just learning to speak loses that ability, it's much more difficult to diagnose that something is wrong...the symptoms/deficits can range from slight to severe also

with older children, it's often misdiagnosed as lingering symptoms of concussion from sports or fall, migraines, etc., and with TIA (transient ischemic attacks), the symptoms present, then go away with time, compounding the difficulty of diagnosis

thanks for posting, and wondering about the issue--one never knows when the opportunity to relay some info might help someone else

()smoke() · #5 03-28-2011, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wabbit

Wow man. Sorry to hear you are going through this and here's hoping that the little guy beats this in a timely fashion. I am all too aware of what you are going through with a child that is ill. My daughter contracted leukemia when she was 2 years old and had to undergo two years of chemo and radiation to the head. She's 13 now and perfectly fine. Sending good energy to you and yours.

thank you for the thoughts, and i'm glad to hear your daughter is healthy, that is truly a gift

()smoke() · #6 03-28-2011, 04:26 PM

we were fortunate to have detected his first stroke within hours...had i not seen, firsthand, others have strokes, i might not have known that something was indeed wrong until much later

bigblondeafro87 · #7 03-28-2011, 07:59 PM

My condolences go out to you! My younger cousin was born prematurely and had major heart issues from the start which required multiple surgeries at an extremely young age and as she ages. She's managed to be strong through all of it and is a very happy girl, and I hope the same comes true for your son!

MakiSupaStar · #8 03-28-2011, 11:18 PM

This is truly frightening. I can't imagine what you and your family has been through. I am grateful for your candor and willingness to share your experiences. Recently my guitarist told me about an experience with his son. He walked out of his room with a weird gaze and an unresponsive right arm. Him and his wife couldn't snap him out of it. It was like he was sleep walking. Then suddenly, he was all there. Use of his arm and everything else about him returned. My guitarist is a dentist. He is aware of the neurological implications. They are currently having their son checked out. I know my guitarist and his wife are a wreck. As a parent I can't imagine what you're going through. I have nothing but compassion and positive vibes for you and your boy.

()smoke() · #9 03-29-2011, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

This is truly frightening. I can't imagine what you and your family has been through. I am grateful for your candor and willingness to share your experiences. Recently my guitarist told me about an experience with his son. He walked out of his room with a weird gaze and an unresponsive right arm. Him and his wife couldn't snap him out of it. It was like he was sleep walking. Then suddenly, he was all there. Use of his arm and everything else about him returned. My guitarist is a dentist. He is aware of the neurological implications. They are currently having their son checked out. I know my guitarist and his wife are a wreck. As a parent I can't imagine what you're going through. You have nothing but compassion and positive vibes for you and your boy.

maki,

thanks for the encouragement my man, we appreciate that...your story of your friend and his son is exactly why i want to do what i can to help others realize that stroke and TIA is something to be aware of in children (because not everyone has the benefit of a understanding as your friend does)...i wish your friends' son happiness and health

thanks again

Chunk-O-Funk · #10 03-29-2011, 03:48 PM

I think I know a lot about strokes and their symptoms, but the truth is I know only a little about TIA. So, good read, lots of plain English info. Look st my thread for more people that have young ones with TIA. It's wide spread.

**NOLA Bass** · #11 03-29-2011, 06:08 PM

that link is not working, I'd like to read it. Best of luck to you and your family!