I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. Thank you NetGalley.

This book was a tad difficult for me to get through. There is a lot of information about the topic, which is great for some. But for me, it did bore me a bit. I found it hard to stay engaged in the topic.

Really? I had a stroke? By William J. Tippett
A book about having a stroke told in ficticious case histories in a ficticious dedicated Stroke Care Centre? You cannot be serious! This is the good bit: Not a dry boring medical text, but learning about diagnosing signs of a stroke and survival and recuperation whilst reading case histories. The reader follows the paths of four stroke patients from the point when the stroke occurred. The niggly bit is that the way the exemplary and efficient behaviour of medical staff and the state-of-the-art equipment available there is so far removed from today’s NHS reality that this book can only be seen as a wishful fairytale.
Here’s the factual gist, buried in pages and pages of trivia:
Fast diagnosis and intervention (less than 3hours) is critical to the outcome of a stroke.
There are two main categories of stroke: one caused by blockage of blood vessels that seems to react to thrombolytic medication and - the worse type - one caused by a rupture of blood vessels that requires an operation to clamp the leaking vessels and remove the leaked blood.
Funding-based “early” discharge from hospital lead to readmissions.
Funds for conveyor-belt-type hospital care tend to concentrate on diagnosis and initial treatment and less on rehab.
Post-stroke brain training massively enhances physical recovery - 80s type arcade games seem to be best suited. VR orientating tasks also activate multiple brain regions and are thus perfect for brain recovery. Brain recovery stimulates physical recovery.
High blood pressure, obesity, non-fitness, hypoglycaemia, high temperature all contribute to a bad stroke outcome.

“Best strategies for maximum brain recovery”, sadly, it was not. Rather an infomercial of this ficticious Stroke Centre and, I guess, of a real Stroke Support Association. I had hoped for a description of recovery strategies that you can follow outside a high-faluting hospital department.
PS: needs a human proofreader for redundancies and atomic typos.

Having suffered a stroke myself six years ago, I was looking forward to reading this book. Told through the eyes of several stroke survivors, it showed the benefit of expanded treatment that is available, as well as the power of a positive mental attitude. I discovered how lucky I am to have had the benefit of a great hospital and rehab facility.

This non-fiction book tackles a tricky subject head on (pardon the pun), without being unnecessarily gruesome or sentimental. It deals with a potentially fatal condition without pulling punches or scaremongering and in plain language, suitable for any adult reader.

A series of fictional characters each experience the life-changing consequences of a stroke, when brain cells are deprived of oxygen. Each case study reveals different long-term behaviours, many of which contribute towards the likelihood of suffering a stroke and the author illustrates ‘typical’ types of poor diet, lack of activity, unhealthy addictions which can increase the risk of a major cerebral event.

The writing is extremely accessible and friendly – it doesn’t feel like you’re being lectured or hectored. There’s no judgment involved, just a sad sense of the inevitable as poor patterns which are developed over decades result in traumatic brain injury. However, as one of the case studies makes abundantly clear, some people who experience a stroke can be fit, active, healthy and eat well. A blocked or ruptured blood vessel can be caused by multiple genetic and environmental influences, quietly conspiring, out of sight. If nothing else, this book should act as a timely reminder to many people heading for 60 and beyond that it’s worth keeping track of cholesterol and lipid levels, blood pressure and the like – and taking preventative action ahead of a catastrophic event might be a sensible precaution if your readings are all in the red zone.

The book’s subtitle also covers ‘best strategies for maximum brain recovery’ and this is where the author gets to compare and contrast the effects of rapid, appropriate diagnosis and treatment with the sad outcomes where a stroke isn’t recognised immediately and treatment is delayed. The short message is: don’t ignore weird headaches or odd moments of wonky vision, or loss of speech. Get it checked asap. Small precursor events are common and should stimulate an immediate trip to A&E.
It also helps if you can get treatment at a unit which specialises in stroke rehab, where they are familiar with the medication options or have surgeons on standby. After the event, long-term rehab is crucial and the author explains at length about how the brain responds to injury and the type of active engagement which helps it to recover lost functionality.

Written by an undoubted expert with excellent credentials in the field of neuroscience, there’s a tonne of useful info in this book. It’s a valuable asset for relatives or carers who know someone who’s had a stroke. It’s also useful info for the rest of us, just in case.
I felt the author really needed to get off the fence a little bit, and summarise his case studies with a couple of lists that could be used as ready reference – do more of this, do less of that. Otherwise we’re really left to infer the ‘good behaviour’ from the ‘bad.’

The latter chapters, which talk at length about a police officer’s rehab after taking retirement, also felt a bit fluffy to me. His was an idealised situation, where he got pensioned off with a good income, and could build a new life with decent functionality and make happy choices about getting a dog and redecorating, maybe taking up a new hobby. This was all rather idealised and not particularly relevant for most people, who’d be struggling to fill out endless online forms to get basic assistance and fretting about how to pay the rent.

It’s also worth noting that this is a US-based publication, so all the scenarios deal with their medical system, not the UK NHS. Of course, the biology is the same where ever you are.

‘Really? I Had A Stroke?’ is at its best when it deals with the evidence-based medicine – when it offers solid information about what has happened inside someone’s head, and how best to treat it. The lifestyle / starting a charity stuff is a lot less constructive so you can skip it without missing much if, like me, you lose interest in the final chapters.
7/10

This was a well written and insightful look into the recovery journeys of 4 very different people whose lives changed in an instant, after experiencing a stroke. The author assumes that each person has access to cutting edge care. Of course, not every patient has this advantage. Insurance constraints, quality of doctors, EMT's, and hospitals vary greatly, but it is always beneficial to understand treatment options if you are advocating for yourself or someone you love.
Truthfully, before I read this book, I would have said I was fairly knowledgeable about the causes and treatments for stroke patients. Based on this book, I wasn't even close to understanding anything about strokes. I am certainly not an expert now, but my eyes are open to numerous possibilities for a positive outcome.

This was a very good book about people who had strokes and their outcome. Very easy to read and follow. I liked the way the book was written. Will recommend. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.