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Well, I have to agree with this...

I was surfing the web and came across this article on a blog I check every now and then. My thanks to Jeff Porter and stroke-of-faith.blogspot.com for his work on this: "because the typical stroke victim is age 55 or older, an emergency room's staff may not suspect a stroke when a patient under 45 arrives with telltale symptoms, the researchers said.

They urged doctors to be vigilant for signs of a stroke even if the patient is young, noting the importance of quick treatment to prevent lasting damage.

"Accurate diagnosis of stroke on initial presentation in young adults can reduce the number of patients who have continued paralysis and continued speech problems," Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi of Wayne State University in Detroit, one of the researchers, said in a statement."

I know that when I went to the ER, they did not treat me as a stroke patient. Perhaps it is becuase I also had the symptoms of Spinal Meningitis, or maybe it is because I was only 38 years old. Regardless of what the reason, one thing I am sure of: no hospital is really prepared to treat a 38 year old stroke patient. 

Maybe, if they had treated me sooner, I would not have the speech problems I have now (though my interviewer on Friday said that she could not detect any problem). All I know is that I am very grateful to the surgeon, whether or not the Drs. treated me the way they should have is up for grabs...

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