Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stroke

After a stroke, what do we need to know?

wabbittwax — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:28:32 -0800

About 4 weeks ago, my father had a stroke. He's more or less recovered now and is finally going to see a neurologist for his follow-up. What questions should he ask? Four weeks ago, my father woke up feeling very dizzy and sluggish. He couldn't find his footing to get out of bed and found it very difficult to walk for the rest of the day. He had no numbness, or paralysis, and no loss of cognitive function. About six hours into the day as these symptoms persisted, someone in the family suggested he go to the emergency room (good call). The doctors there said he had had a stroke, but that it was a mild stroke, as there were no signs of damage on the tests they performed (catscan and ekg). Further tests have been done since by his General Practitioner and he's been given the OK to resume his usual routine, drive a car, etc.

A brief medical history of my dad:

My father is 65 years old. He's in relatively good shape, maybe 15 lbs overweight (he's 6 ft, weighs about 205-10). He's moderately active, plays golf weekly at least (he does not use a cart or a caddy). His cholesterol levels are within tolerable levels, and he does not have high blood pressure. He doesn't smoke or drink alcohol. He has been living with Crohn's disease for about 30 years (a moderate case, managed with medication).

His father died of a heart attack in his seventies. His mother died of a stroke at almost 90. His risk factors for stroke are really quite low, so this came as quite a surprise to him and the whole family.

So, he's going to see a neurologist tomorrow to talk about his test results. My mother is convinced they need to do a more detailed MRI, and they're going to ask the obvious questions like, "what caused this?" and "Do we have any way of preventing another one". But I want them to go in with more. What are some questions, obvious and not-so-obvious, that my mother and father should be asking at this appointment?

Video games for my stepdad since his stroke?

spockette — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:35:48 -0800

What are some easy computer games my stepdad can play? He had a stroke a few years ago, and that has seriously limited what kind of games he can manage. He sits at home all day and plays non-stop Solitaire and FreeCell. I figure there's got to be some better options for him. He likes racing games (cars, especially), historical stuff (mostly World War II), and things that probably don't have related video games, like gardening and carpentry.

Obviously, since his stroke, there are major limitations as to what sort of games he'll be able to play.

It should be able to be played one-handed. He has full use of his left hand, but he's lost most of the use of his right hand - he can use a mouse with it (although not very well), but he can't use the fingers on that hand, and he can't use the mouse and the keyboard at the same time.

It needs to be simple. There can't be too many choices for him to make (sandbox games are right out, something like "you go here. you shoot these things" is fine), and it needs to be really, really easy to work out what you're supposed to do on each level. (My mother explicitly specified "something on the level of what a 5 year old could manage")

It cannot involve any reading (since his stroke, he's lost the ability to speak, read, and write).

His computer is not very good. He's running Windows XP, has 256mb of RAM (I have no clue what his graphics card is like, but assume it's a piece of junk), and has dial-up internet.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

My grandmother had a stroke and I'm looking for lists of practical words to put on flashcards for her.

hypervenom — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:16:07 -0800

My grandmother had a stroke and I'm looking for lists of practical words to put on flashcards for her. I'm having a hard time finding vocabulary words she'd actually use. Mostly nouns, but important things like "yes" or "no" too.

Which long-term care facility would you recommend in Halton Region?

nothingsconstant — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:11:09 -0800

Which long-term care facility would you recommend in Halton / Waterloo Region? Which nursing homes/long term care facilities in Halton Region (preferably) or Waterloo Region, would you recommend based on your experiences?

My Grandma just had a stroke, paralyzing her on her left side. My grandparents will not be able to return to their current home so they will need to move into a long-term care facility. They will need to be together, and cost is not an issue.

My mum would like to hear positives as well as negatives about any facility within the regions mentioned above.

If you have longer answers here's a throwaway email: ltchalton@gmail.com

Why would a healthy-looking 10 year old girl be going to a stroke clinic?

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:46:00 -0800

I teach chess to kids once a week. Yesterday one little girl, 10 years old, told me that she wouldn't be able to come to class anymore because she would be "going to the stroke clinic" 3 times a week, which conflicted with my chess class. Why would a healthy-looking 10 year old girl be going to a stroke clinic? The only thing I've noticed about her that's in any way abnormal physically is that her gums look inflamed, but that may be because she has braces. The only other thing I know about her is that she's a foster child. This is all the information I can provide.

Thinking about this kept me up for most of the night.

What is the best aluminum boat for use with Saltwater?

Craiggy83 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:54:12 -0800

What is the best aluminum boat and motor combination that can be used for saltwater or freshwater that can be towed with a Mazda 6 wagon? I have been wanting to get a small boat to use for Salt/Fresh water fishing and putting around. I like the Honda four-stroke engines and I'm wondering what you would recommend for a boat? An aluminum boat was recommended to me. What size aluminum boat should I get? What size motor? What type of bottom (hull shape) and aluminum compound (mixture) should I get? I have a Mazda 6 wagon and may not even be able to tow a boat. I need something small but not so small that it would be overwhelmed by the waves while being used in the salt. Sorry for all the questions. Also what prices are we looking at for a decent boat which will last and require minimum upkeep. What would the approximate combined weight be of the trailer/boat/motor

Leave To The French

trinity8-director — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:36:38 -0800

Why was that eye-blinking code in Diving Bell and the Butterfly chosen? Saw the movie a couple weeks ago and one thing drove me nuts: the eye-blinking alphabet code. Here are my issues with it:

*Inefficient. It was essentially a guessing game that required sequencing through the entire alphabet (in the film they never explained how numbers were done).

*The patient was not in control of the process.

As I was getting agitated at this (patience <> my long suit) I thought of Morse Code. It was perfectly suited to the situation and would have resolved the issues above.

So, I wondered if anybody with more knowledge of the situation had an explanation for why Morse Code was not used, other than "they didn't think of it"?

Preventive Medicine

netbros — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:24:03 -0800

Are expensive, precautionary tests for health preventive maintenance an abuse of the medical system? We change the oil, belts, and filters in our cars on a regular basis to avoid failure. We update our computers appropriately with the latest security patches. Women get mammograms, men prostate screenings. Occasional chest x-rays have become routine. But what about the more expensive diagnostic testing?

My grandfather died of heart disease. My father survived a heart attack when he was 52, but has had two angioplasty procedures since. Obviously, at age 55, I am at high risk for heart disease, but am otherwise very healthy. A couple years ago I talked with my physician about testing my arteries before they clog or blow. He ordered a preventive stress test, and everything looked rosey.

Is this kind of testing abusive? How about MRI or CT-scan for those with a family history of stroke? Will this kind of preventive testing cause insurance rates to go up for everyone? Should it be more common? Thanks in advance for your help.

Reading exercises to aid recovery from stroke

kthxbeth — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:41:36 -0800

I had a stroke three months ago, and although I’ve lost very little functionality, I would like to find some sort of exercises to improve my reading and writing capability. I’m 28 years old, and had a stroke at the end of April. I had no physical symptoms, but did lose my ability to speak and write for about 36 hours (with improvement beginning after about 24 hours). I felt like I was probably back to 95% of my capability for reading and writing—80% for my speech—after about a week.

I am a copyeditor, and reading/editing has always just come sort of naturally to me. I have not taken any courses in proofreading or editing, although I intend to do that this year (had lined that up before the stroke).

I’m concerned though because I seem to have lost some of my native ability to catch errors. Worse, I stop at words or sentences where I think I see an error, which then turn out to have none (I read “recommendation” as “recommend” today, for example). I’ve been switching letters in words, words in sentences, and numbers, so I end up having to check things three or four times.

I’d like to find some sort of exercises that could potentially return my reading skills to their former level. I thought perhaps reading a lot on the side might help, but I am easily frustrated because I am reading more slowly than ever before.

I’m not sure what sort of exercises I should be looking for (speed reading, maybe?), or if something like that would even necessarily help, but I figure it’s worth a try. Any suggestions?

Migraine with aura + birth control = stroke??

Mr Bunnsy — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:32:58 -0800

What's the real deal with hormonal birth control and migraines? Internet says there are stroke risks, my doctor(s) say not to worry. Asking for general info from anyone who'd done research on this, not specific medical advice. I've had occasional migraines since around puberty. They'd go something like this: trouble focusing my eyes, severe headache and vomiting starting about an hour later and lasting for up to 12 hours. In college they got more frequent, I'd have one every few weeks.

After I went on birth control pills, the frequency decreased but the migraines changed. I would only get about one or two a year, presenting like this: glimmers in my vision for 30-45 minutes, then difficulty talking/reading (like aphasia) for another 30-45 accompanied by medium headache, then general weakness, trouble concentrating and feeling like crap for the rest of the day. No nausea, and if I took Imitrex while still in the visual aura stage, I'd go directly to the generally feeling crappy stage with no other symptoms.

I would also get mild migraines (slight headache & brain fog, especially while looking at a screen) around my period.

A doctor at the university health center mentioned that migraine with aura puts me at increased risk of stroke, but my regular gynecologist told me the risks were negligible. My gynecologist after college said the same thing, and when I mentioned the mild menstrual migraines, encouraged me to take low-dose BCPs continuously with no periods. He also suggested I visit a neurologist to check up on the migraines w/aura.

I saw a neurologist with a very good reputation as a migraine specialist. He did the usual exam, and when asked about BCP, said the studies are old and with the new pills the risks are negligible unless there are other risk factors or a malformation in the blood vessels in the brain. He sent me for an MRI just to be sure, and said my MRI looked great. (I was not on the pill at the time of MRI due to an insurance screw-up, I went off for about three months.)

Back at the gyno, I inquired about a longer-term method such as IUD due to some lifestyle changes in the future, and my concern about the risks of hormonal birth control. He again dismissed any risks, and advised against IUDs because of my (young) age. He suggested I try the Nuvaring, which I am on right now.

All is well so far, but is my brain going to be turned to mush by a stroke at some point? I love the pill and ring otherwise - no periods, no mild migraines and very infrequent severe migraines controllable by Imitrex, no acne... But obviously I don't want to risk a stroke.

Please help me help my long distance, long term bedbound father

razzman — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:21:10 -0800

My Dad, now 70, suffered a massive stroke around 2 and a half years ago. He is quadriplegic and his wakefulness is limited. I need help to improve the quality of his life. Lots more info inside My Dad, now 70, suffered a massive stroke around 2 and a half years ago. He had the stroke on holiday in France and was in a coma for around 3 weeks, he was air ambulanced to the UK during this period. Against all odds he slowly, slowly came round but as expected he was left severely disabled.
At first he couldn’t move anything, gradually he could open his eyes for a while longer each day, then he slowly was able to move his limbs ever so slightly. He was also able to nod and shake his head slightly to indicate yes and no.
Within six months he was able to talk, a lot of the time very difficult to understand but it was a great bonus.
They actually had just retired to Cyprus before this happened, so they went back to Cyprus and my mum now looks after him with two live-in home helps.
The facilities and expertise available in Cyprus are pretty minimal and gradually he has lost much of the ability he had regained after his stroke mostly due to spasticity probably. He does have physio 4 times a week but this is limited to range of motion really. He also has speech therapy once a week.
I dread every day, getting the call, telling me worst. In part this is because I still think there are things that can be done to help him.
At the most basic level I really need some advice on long term care for someone bed bound – he does get out into a wheel chair once a day for around an hour which is all he can handle at the moment. But I worry about his heart, circulation, being laid in bed all day, under stimulated, much of the time he is in a half awake, half asleep type state. I really need to help him as I know he would have done for me, even if it’s just small steps to improving his quality of life.
I've looked on message boards such as strokenet and while they have been some help the majority of strokes seem so much milder.
With me being in the UK though and not in a position to emigrate I could do with some practical advice on how I can help. This could be in the form of resources available on the internet, your own personal knowledge and advice, anything really. I know I’ve covered a broad range of issues here, but really any advice no matter how small is appreciated.
Due to the health system in Cyprus much of this is do-it-yourself, though we can pay for any treatment required.
I feel like everybody has given up on him and we’re just waiting for the inevitable.
I want to give him every chance he can get.
Even more info: He is peg fed, he had a tracheostomy but breaths unaided now, he recently started having epileptic fits, he can communicate still but is becoming less clear. He was able to wipe his face to an extent 9 months after his stroke but this ability has disappeared.

Help righty stroke victim regain mobility on left side!

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:04:21 -0800

STROKE filter: Need items to purchase/exercises to help right-handed stroke victim regain mobility on left side, please! A very close person to me had an early stroke in her 50s. She is right handed, it affected her left side. Things like wii, arts and crafts, etc. have been recommended.

What can I buy for her that truly can make a difference that is between $0-$1000? Anything from a knitting needle to a wii, to whatever, I don't care what you suggest if you believe in it, I love this woman and want her to get better.

What are some exercises that I can suggest?

What can I do?

Those with experience, I'd really appreciate your stories, both of success and failure. This is rather new to me and I'm very sad.

Help the son and daughter-in-law of a compulsive hoarder!

SpecialK — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:23:51 -0800

I have some friends (a married couple) from Denver who have just found out that 1) his mother had a stroke at the age of 70, 2) his mother was a hoarder, and has kept everything in her house for the past thirty-plus years that she's been living alone (with no power, heat, or water) 3) in Peoria, IL. I'm trying to find resources that they can use on their limited budget for psychological (support group), financial, and other assistance. More tragedy: The husband just got laid off from a networking job in Denver and missed his first interview since the layoff, which was supposed to happen on the day after they found out about the mother. They were skinny in the wallet in the first place, but now they're spiralling further into debt as they have to afford the time away from the husband's job hunt and they incur the costs of hotel rooms and food in a remote area where they don't know anyone... plus medical care for the mother, who is now in a nursing home and needs extensive therapy to recover from the stroke. There's no other family for them to fall back on, and the mother has no assets besides the house which can't be sold.

So far, they're doing everything they can. They've made the house as safe as it can be (it was a fire hazard with junk piled all up around the boiler in the basement and the boiler only half working), they've gotten a lawyer and are moving for guardianship of the mother, and they've told their friends about it so that we can start marshaling resources to help them out.

Beyond the obvious, there's one thing I'm most interested in and that's active support communities (she's found two that are inactive or barely active in Chicago, but Chicago is not Peoria) for the relatives of Compulsive Hoarders. National/Web organizations are fine.

Any ideas on who someone who needs the help of a charitable organization in Peoria, or what charitable organizations (the couple has no religious affiliation... and religious groups might not be the best choice) might be able to provide some resources in the area for them. Right now the mother's house is completely uninhabitable due to the vermin infestation and lack of power and water to the house, and they're staying at the (barely) habitable Holiday Inn before they have to return to Detroit.

Any other suggestions to help them out? We've started a "tip jar" online, are putting a mailing list together, and are looking for other ways to raise money for them.

Any ideas to help a stroke victim communicate?

disclaimer — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:34:10 -0800

I need an economical way for a stroke victim to communicate via a simple keyboard or typewriter, or other simple method. A family member had a stroke and is immobilized on the right side, and has rheumatoid arthritis on the left side. He can say yes/no, but has no way to communicate any real thoughts, and we're all sure he has something to say. :)

We're looking for a cheap, easy way for him to basically hold a pencil or stylus, and tap a keyboard. I'm thinking of a kid's laptop toy, but I don't have a lot of time to look - the "solution" needs to travel with my brother in law early tomorrow AM. I also have considered a small whiteboard but I'm not sure there is enough motor control for writing (he is out of state).

Anyone have experience with this? Any suggestions? My thanks ahead of time.

Did my uncle have a stroke?

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:25:49 -0800

Did my uncle have a stroke? I know you're not my doctor, or his. I know you want me to immediately abduct him and take him to an ER and/or you want me to know that I'm not the boss of him. I get it.

My uncle by a long-dissolved marriage is 60s, single, divorced for many years, no children, retired a few years ago. He's also an incredibly bright guy. Very verbal, very sharp, very sociable, very funny. An absolute joy to talk to.

Over the past five or six years, he's changed. At first he just became kind of dour and depressed. I attributed this to a man going through downshifting out of working life, and, being a bachelor with not much of a homelife, finding himself kind of socially isolated.

We don't live near each other, and don't talk as often as we should, so when I saw him recently, it came as a serious shock to me to see that he'd acquired a number of verbal tics I, as an ignorant layperson, associate with someone who'd had some kind of stroke: stuttering, repeating himself, constant fumbling for words and coming up with the wrong ones, dropping words from phrases entirely, going off on these long, vague tangents that didn't really go anywhere, making consistent mistakes in how he forms sentences.

That may not sound so shocking, but he is/was a brilliant, hyperverbal guy. His use of language has really been compromised. It's this way in writing, too, which is, given the fact that he was a journalist, really horrifying.

I know you can't diagnose a third party for me over the internet, but does that sound like he could possibly have had a stroke? It seems so to me, but again, ignorant layperson. I'd just like to have somewhere (even if it's wrong) to start bringing this up, and, hopefully, get him to a doctor.

But wait, there's more! I get the impression from awkward family gossip that he self-medicates with various anti-depressants (I know, I know), and I know that back in the hippie days he was quite the pot/acid/peyote-head, but as far as I know he doesn't currently use these drugs. Others in his family apparently attribute his language issues to his self-medicating.

As an added fun item, his father had some kind of dementia late in his life. However, I knew his dad semi well, and was around him when he started to show symptoms, and my uncle's stuff just doesn't seem the same.

I'm sort of at a loss here. He doesn't have a wife or kids to force him to see a doctor, and for all I know I'm being ridiculous. But my gut tells me something is wrong. Maybe it really is "just" the self-medicating, but even that seems less than ideal.

I guess I would like him to see a doctor about his language issues (even if it's just so the doctor can say "You don't have language issues, they're being ridiculous") but I don't even know how to bring this up with him. He's also semi-estranged from his one living sibling, so my family is kind of it for him. And we love him to death, but none of us are near him, in the Seattle area.

Thanks.

What can I do about an older father's change in behavior?

Anonymous — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:16:56 -0800

A 60-something father has begun lying to me, in manipulative ways. My mom blows it off as not a big deal, as do my siblings. Is there anything I can do? Is everyone in denial? Long story short: dad suffers a stroke with some paralysis on the left side of the body a few years ago. Some searching reveals I should expect a changes in empathy, sense of humor, and language skills. I've seen changes in all three.

I interact with parents about once every 6 months when I visit, and in the last year I've noticed things take a turn for the worse. I get calls from dad saying mom is crying because we're leaving soon and we must come over for a last minute visit, but follow-up discussions with mom reveal that dad made it up to get us to come over. This happens several times before I confront my father, where I hang up on him when he tries it a third time during the last trip, and I haven't spoken with him since. I tell mom the whole story, she says she wasn't crying and he's lying again. I say I have no tolerance for manipulation by guilt and lying.

Fast forward two months to today, when my dad calls, apologizes for being a jerk the last time we spoke, and promptly asks for $500 to cover a medical bill. He's never asked me for money in my entire life, and my parents don't have money troubles at the moment. I call mom, who is out running errands and she says there are no outstanding bills (she handles all the finances post-stroke) and to not send the money.

I'm concerned that my last 3 or 4 interactions with my father have centered around his lies in order to get something out of me. Ever since his stroke, I've told my wife that talking to him feels like talking to a 12 year old as he seems to have little understanding for others and acts in childish, selfish ways, but the last few events really concern me.

Could it be that his mental health is slipping? If everyone that is around him 24/7 denies any major new problems, are they not seeing it? Is there anything I can do to get him helped beyond weird whole family intervention? Is there a term for this kind of odd mental decline in older and/or stroke affected adults so I can search for more info on it?

What to do when doctors go bad?

Listener — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 00:12:45 -0800

I suffer from a disability unrecognized in this jurisdiction, and in most places. I now find out that several doctors missed something important, I think, and I feel very let down and not sure what to do or who I could possibly trust to help me in an objective sense. I suffer from chemical sensitivity, aka multiple chemical sensitivity or MCS, an unrecognized disability in this province, IE doctors just dismiss it and are unhelpful. I went to a neurologist and an occupational health specialist as well as an allergist. All useless. I took care of myself by removing myself from the poisonous environment (and my lucrative job, since neither the school, the union nor the students seemed able to fully accommodate me.)

Today, I just stumbled upon this stroke prevention site while researching something for someone else, which lists severe symptoms that I reported occurring in response to chemical exposures (overwhelming perfumes in a room with poor ventilation), to all those doctors. These symptoms scared the hell out of me. I am not very medically knowledgeable, but I expected the damn doctors to be! I experienced one instance each of these: (1) Sudden confusion and the inability to understand what others are saying. (2) Sudden loss of ability to speak (form sentences). (3) Sudden (extreme) change in vision in one or both eyes with (4) Sudden, (extreme) unexplained dizziness. These were terrifying, though they lasted less than half an hour each.

I haven't had them since, but I feel scared to risk having them again. I was hoping to go back to university maybe and do some traveling, but those now seem potentially dangerous. I feel like a prisoner. I don't know where I could get any guidance on how to proceed. (PS a bad doctor killed my closest, dearest relative, so there is not much trust there either. Even less now, if that's possible.) One of my parents had bad strokes that resulted in similar but permanent language problems later in life. I'm scared.

Where can I find a one-arm drive wheelchair that is lightweight and portable?

leptin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 21:54:02 -0800

We would like to purchase a new wheelchair for our father, who suffered from a stroke some years ago and can only control the right side of his body. Main criteria: one-arm drive (or can be otherwise operated with only right limbs), portable and lightweight. Unfortunately, as far as I have googled, one-arm drive and portability seem to be mutually exclusive. Price is not an issue right now, just because we are having trouble just finding such an elusive find.

I have seen someone use a wheelchair that propels forward using a small bicycle-wheel-like device, so maybe my father can use only his left foot for moving, though he prefers the more-familiar one-arm-drive (which allows one to both move forward and control direction using only one arm).

The reason why we are searching for this is because his existing one-arm drive wheelchair is too troublesome for our mother to handle when they have to travel.

Thank you so much for your help on this desperate search!

Help me help my grandparents help my mother

cilantro — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:15:40 -0800

Six months ago, my 50-year-old mother had a serious stroke, and the nursing home that she's in now considers her recovered enough to move on to an assisted living or daily home health care situation. I'm trying to help my 75-year-old grandparents figure out what to do. My mother and I are permanently estranged, and I'm not in a situation to help financially, so I want to at least do what I can to help the grandparents who raised me to find a place for her. Right now, they think their only option is to take care of her at home, but I know and I think they know that it won't work. The drug and alcohol addiction that indirectly led to her stroke is still evident, she begs for additional pain medication (loritabs) and threw a tantrum when a nurse mentioned that the doctor was probably going to start cutting back on the dosage. She is still seriously impaired in her speech and motor skills and requires physical help that my grandparents won't be able to provide for any real length of time, in spite of the fact that they are very healthy and active. From what I've read, Medicaid doesn't cover home health care or assisted living in Tennessee or Kentucky (they live about ten miles on the TN side from the border of those states). Where on earth do we start looking for ways to find this kind of care in other states, preferably states that aren't too far away? Is it even possible to move someone into another state for the sole purpose of taking advantage of their health care services? I've poked around on Google and it's hard to find anything that clearly explains the issues surrounding this. Information, links to information, and general ideas or advice from anyone with any experience with these issues will be greatly appreciated.

Is this another migraine symptom?

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 21:24:56 -0800

I keep losing sensation in my face; is this a new migraine symptom? I've had migraines all my life, and a few years ago, my symptoms abruptly shifted from having an hour of awareness before a migraine hits, followed by twelve hours of pain, sensitivities to everything, and visual hallucinations to a new flavor of migraine that can sneak up on me, and includes olfactory hallucinations, confusion, and a sparkly light show.

In the past few months, I've started to get a slow-moving facial numbness- it starts on my eyelids, spreads across my eyes like a mask, then travels down to various isolated spots beside my nose, along my lips, and under my chin.

I think this is just more migraine fun, but I'm not sure. I've googled it, but I can't find anything meaningful. Has anyone else experienced this with their migraines?

I know the answer is "see a doctor" but I can't. When my migraines shifted so abruptly last time, I thought I might be having a stroke. ER visit, follow ups with neurologists and an ophthamologist, plus all the attendant tests- everybody agreed, it was just a different presentation of migraine.

Even with insurance, these bills put me in bankruptcy; unless there's an excellent chance I'm dying, I can't afford to do all of that again just to find out it's another symptom of the same. (However, if there's an excellent chance I'm dying, I can try to get a loan.)

Stroke my Photoshop, the same way every time

pithy comment — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 13:33:19 -0800

Can I set defaults in Photoshop CS2? Specifically, I want to change the Layer Style "stroke" default. Right now whenever I want to add a border using the stroke function, it defaults to 3pt, Red, Outside. I almost always use 1pt Black, Inside. How can I set that as the default?

Gasoline Shelf Life

Raybun — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 15:53:37 -0800

What is the shelf life of the gasoline/oil mix that is used in 2 stroke engines? I use my chain saw 2-3 times a year and mixing fresh gas/oil mix every time is both wasteful and creates a disposal problem. How often should the gasoline in my emergency generator be changed?

Memorex?

baltimore — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 09:50:45 -0800

Was Dick Clark's appearance on the "Rockin' Eve" pre-taped? I would have expected ABC to have stuck a huge "LIVE!" bug onscreen if it had been live. Also, Dick didn't interact directly with any of the other hosts, at least as long as I watched.

I'd imagine a man in his condition would be home in bed at midnight, so the pre-taping would make sense. It would also allow for retakes on the segments.

(Live or taped, it was both sad and inspiring to see Clark struggling to speak, and you could even hear some of the old spark and intonation under the often-slurred speech. A stroke isn't a death sentence, but it often takes even the most capable people and drops them back at the beginning of the game, forcing them to relearn basic functionality.)

Mysterious cat illness

omphale27 — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 13:10:41 -0800

Mysterious cat illness

Last night, my cat suddenly became distraught, spent a lot of time crying, began hissing at nothing, etc. I took him to the vet, they gave him valium, he started acting drunk. Today, he can no longer walk. I took him back to the vet, and they say he has no kidney/liver problems, that he's probably really sensitive to the valium, and to let him come down for a day or so. I think he may have had a stroke, but the vet said that is really hard to diagnose. Has anyone else had experience with a cat stroke/sudden paralysis/staying high *way* too long?