Strike Back at Stroke - Act FAST

On November 14, 2023, Randy Whitton slipped on the floor after not being able to feel his left arm or left leg.

“At first, my partner and I didn’t know it was a medical emergency. I knew the signs of stroke but couldn’t recognize them in myself as it was happening” says Randy.

The most common signs of stroke are the FAST signs: F-Facial Droop, A-Arm weakness, S-speech disturbance, T-time to call 911.

A family member, who is a nurse, noticed his drooping mouth and called 9-1-1 saying he was suffering from a stroke.

Randy was first taken to the District Stroke Center at the Brantford General Hospital where he received clot busting medication before being transferred to the Regional Stroke Center at the Hamilton General Hospital where he underwent endovascular thrombectomy to remove two blood clots in his brain.

After two weeks in Hamilton, he returned to the Brantford General Hospital for stroke rehabilitation and stayed on the Integrated Stroke Unit for a week and a half before starting the outpatient rehab process.

“I went to rehab for 12 weeks, 2 days a week” says Randy. “They were incredible.”

One of the main challenges during this time was coming to terms with his changing capabilities. He learned and experienced that recovering from a stroke is not only a physical journey, but also a mental one.

“The mental part is the hardest because at one moment you’re doing what you normally do and then all of a sudden you feel as though you can’t do anything” says Randy.

Some of the common questions on patient’s minds following a stroke are how long will it take for things to go back to normal, when are things going to get better, and will I be able to do everything I did before?

“We get asked these questions a lot” says Maria De Tina, OTA/PTA. “It’s hard because we can’t give people an exact timeline for their recovery. Part of our job is to continue to encourage and support them when working towards their goals, especially when they seem so far from reach”.

Ally Brown, Occupational Therapist, adds “there’s lots of different types of goals we can work on. Sometimes recovery looks like remediation where you’re working on improving a specific skill, while other times it can look like compensation, where we’re adapting different activities or your daily routine so that it’s working for you right now”.

One of Randy’s main goals was to walk again – not just for himself but so that he could walk his dogs and go back to helping his partner around the house. 

“It was a proud moment. That after a month or so, I had transitioned from using a walker, to a rollator, to a cane, to not needing any supportive equipment at all” says Randy. “The stroke care that I received was excellent. Every nurse I had was incredible and the therapists, both occupational and physio, were an incredible team that gave me encouragement when I needed it and helped me along the way.”

As much as Randy thanks the healthcare team, Samantha (Sam) Jagasar, Occupational Therapist, adds that a lot of the work comes from the patient themselves. “Only part of the work is being done within these four walls. Most of the work is done by them, not us. We can provide them will the skills and education, but it’s the patient who finds the motivation and willpower to continue the work beyond the treatment sessions.”

A loss of roles and routines are to be expected following a stroke, but Ally shares “there’s also a kind of beauty and value in finding new occupations, new roles. Recreating a lifestyle for yourself, one that’s healthier, might look different than what your life was before but that doesn’t mean it’s worse”.

Now, 7 months later, Randy still gets tired more easily but continues to participate in an active lifestyle. He enjoys playing indoor golf, has gone back to work, and continues to pursue his two goals of increasing his stamina and obtaining his driver’s license again.

Sam shares that one of the main things that she tells people is that recovery is not linear. “You may experience plateaus or setbacks. It’s not always going to be upward progress. No one’s recovery after stroke is the same. Everybody’s a little bit different and has different goals, but typically the more work you put in the better the outcome”.

“Being exposed to other stroke survivors, seeing their progress, and sharing stories, such as this, while not the same, can be valuable for the patient experience, for motivation, for that hope, connection, and engagement” says Ally.

Randy’s final piece of advice for the public is to “know the symptoms and get help right away. Time is of the essence.” For patients and other stroke survivors, “have patience, patience, patience. Just take it a minute at a time, not even a day at a time, a minute.”

As we reflect on this year’s theme of Stroke Risk Factors – Awareness, Management, Modification, Sam, Ally, and Maria, share that some of the main things that come up when talking about preventative measures is smoking, drinking, managing your cholesterol and blood pressure, maintaining an active lifestyle, being aware of your diet, and understanding your stress levels.

There’s no one right answer, other than that stroke is a medical emergency in which it’s imperative that you call 9-1-1 to be taken to the right hospital to receive lifesaving treatment.

For more information about stroke prevention, visit Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada.