Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a research project on aphasia. It was fascinating and exhausting. The three and a half hour session tested many cognitive functions. At the outset of the testing, the researcher asked about my strokes. I mentioned that on January 10, 2012, I experienced a carotid dissection. During that awful day, the doctors determined that I have a rare disease called “fibromuscular dysplasia.” Three days later, I had a massive carotid dissection which left me with aphasia and other assorted issues. 20% of my brain died. The research team asked me of there has been any family history of strokes. Thinking of the fibromuscular dysplasia diagnosis, I replied “no.” However, in retrospect, my maternal grandmother did die of a cerebral hemorrhage. I did not really know my mother’s real mom. My mother found the identity of her biological mother when my mom was 22 years old.   That relationship was not a “Brady Bunch” situation, the contact was lim...

Recently, somebody asked me what caused my strokes. It is a complicated answer. Therefore, I just say I had a "torn carotid artery dissection." In reality, I have a congenital condition called fibromuscular dysplasia. Essentially, the arteries in my head are weak and it gets worse when you get older. There is no cure however medication can control it through blood thinners. Here is the official article about it written by  Dr. Ido Weinberg who is Founder and Editor in Chief of the Angiologist.com. He is Assistant Professor of Medicine in Harvard Medical School and a Vascular Medicine doctor in Massachusetts General Hospital. He also holds a specialty in Medicine from the Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School: Fibromuscular dysplasia (also known as FMD) is a medical condition characterized by abnormal cell growth within the arterial wall. FMD is different from other blood vessel disorders that affect the arteries, such as atherosclerosis (blockage of arteries seco...

  When you have a stroke – or two and seizures like me – a simple headache causes worry. In the back of your mind, your damaged brain thinks “it is happening again!” Recently, I had some severe headaches. They were different from the headaches when I had my strokes and seizures. These were a pounding ache on the left side and the top of my head. When they started on a Sunday night, I thought “they will go away.” They did not. I took several painkillers. My head kept aching. Finally, on Wednesday, I went to the hospital where I had a MRA and a MRI. The good news, I have an intense sinus infection. I forgot that a headache could be something else other than a “brain attack.” However, we discovered that had a brain incident. Or I did NOT have a brain incident. To explain, here is what I know about my brain. I have a condition called “Fibromuscular dysplasia.” “ FMD” is a progressive twisting of the blood vessels throughout the body. It causes abnormal growt...

I really never knew my grandmother. I kinda knew her from a distance  I saw here maybe about 5 or six times. My mother did not know her until she was 22 years old. But, my point about all of this is MY medical history.  The stroke was much unexpected. There was no family history, but last night I remembered that my grandmother died on her 66 th birthday and the cause was a cerebral hemorrhage.  Mom said that she told her other daughters that she would die that day--  and she did!   So, is there a hereditary condition? Who knows. I often wonder about adoptions.  How would you know about your medical history? For my brothers and me, I do know about our family history I guess. My Dad’s family history is the usual stuff. Grandpa Selmer had cancer and died at 77. Grandma Agnes had the “Robertson Disease” (her maiden name) but the common name is Alzheimer’s.  My dad has liver disease and died at 63 like his brother...