How two stroke survivors are managing the vagaries of their lives

Jigmi Wangdi

Thirty-two-year-old Kesang woke up early to a pleasant morning in January, 2009. As usual, she went about her daily morning ritual – offering water at the altar and preparing breakfast for her family. While in the kitchen, she felt a sudden, piercing pain in her head, and then, everything went dark.

“I do not remember much of what happened afterwards,” says Kesang.

Now 47-years-old, the mother of three children had suffered a stroke, or brain attack, as it is often referred to in common parlance. Thanks to the quick response from her family and medical treatment at the national referral hospital, she was saved.

But her life was never the same again. 

It took her hundreds of physiotherapy sessions combined with an enormous level of grit and determination to be able to walk properly on her own and do normal chores.

“It was really hard in the beginning. I needed the support of people around me to walk,” she says.

She was fortunate to have her husband by her side in times of need. “My husband has been my biggest source of support. He was there to take care of me, propping me up, giving me hope and strength.”

Kesang said that she was not aware of stroke until it happened to her.  Although she had high blood pressure since she was 22 years old and doctors had advised her to take medication, she didn’t take it seriously.  “If only I had listened to the doctors, I would not have had to go through this.”

Today, Kesang goes for walks to the Memorial Chorten and is able to walk by herself to the hospital for checkups – a simple pleasure which she shared was not possible before and what many may take for granted.

More than a decade apart, Dawa Choden, 39, suffered a stroke in 2021. She was an active de-suup during the pandemic, and had little inkling of what might strike her. 

That fateful day, she had just got into her car and ignited the car engine. Then, her vision blurred and she had trouble speaking.  That was her last memory before she lost consciousness. 

When she woke up, she found herself at the hospital. Only then she was told that she had suffered a stroke.

“My de-suup friends had taken me to the hospital and called my husband,” she says. “I could not move my arms or legs, even months after being discharged from the hospital.”

Dawa Choden had to undergo a rigorous routine of physiotherapy to recover. “I thought I would be paralysed my whole life,” she says. 

She can walk on her own, which is a big improvement from how she was right after the stroke. However, there are still times when she loses her balance and falls.

The Bhutan Stroke Foundation (BSF) has been crucial in providing critical care and services to stroke survivors and patients.

Both Dawa Choden and Kesang shared that BSF played a pivotal role in educating and nurturing stroke survivors and caregivers. And now, both of them are actively creating awareness on stroke among friends and families to make sure they do not suffer their fate.

The risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet, and smoking, among others.

The National Health Survey (NHS) 2023 revealed a high prevalence of risk factors among the Bhutanese population.

The survey found that the rate of raised blood pressure increased from 28 percent in 2019 to 30.3 percent in 2023.  In addition, physical inactivity has almost tripled, with the prevalence rising from 6 percent in 2014 to 18.3 percent in 2023.

The study also found that the average salt intake is 8.5 grammes per day, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit of 5 grammes per day.

A consultant general surgeon and neurosurgeon, Dr (Colonel) Tashi Tenzin, identified high blood pressure and heart disease as major causes of stroke. “Intake of high salt diet, smoking, lack of physical exercise, alcohol, and obesity also cause stroke.”

The signs and symptoms of stroke can be remembered using the acronym ‘BE-FAST’: B for loss of balance, E for vision problems, F for facial drooping, A for arm weakness, S for speech difficulties, and T for time to seek medical help.

“If any of the above signs and symptoms are identified, it means one might be suffering from a stroke and need to be rushed to the nearest hospital. Some may suffer from severe headaches and some may even lose consciousness,” Dr Tashi Tenzin said.

Advertisement