Senator Kirk Recovering from Stroke and Surgery
By
Stephanie Tyrpak
By
Randy Livingston
Story Created:
Jan 23, 2012 at 7:29 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jan 23, 2012 at 8:55 PM CDT
WSIL TV -- Over the weekend, Republican Senator Mark Kirk walked into a Chicago hospital with symptoms of a stroke. He was diagnosed with an carotid artery dissection on the right side of his neck.
"What that means is that it will affect his ability to move his left arm," said Chicago neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Fessler. "Possibly his left leg, and possibly have involved some facial paralysis."
On Sunday night, swelling of the brain began to worry doctors, and Kirk underwent surgery to remove a portion of his skull.
"He is actually doing quite well," said Fessler. "I'm very happy with his current status."
Kirk now faces rehabilitation and the possibility of never fully-regaining movement.
"90% of what he could get back, he'll get back in the first year with the right rehab," said The Stroke Center at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale Program Coordinator Lesley Cranick.
The Stroke Center at Memorial Hospital sees around 300 patients each year.
"We can prevent almost 80% of the strokes if we control the risk factors," said Stroke Center Neurologist Dr. Bhargava Trivedi.
Kirk suffered what's called an ischemic stroke, one of the common strokes found in younger patients. While these types of strokes can be spontaneous or caused by trauma, one of the main risk factors is high blood pressure.
"If you control that you reduce the risk of stroke by 40%," said Cranick.
"Taking care of those risk factors is the easiest ways to prevent," said Dr. Trivedi.
Knowing the signs of stroke is also crucial. Time matters, with a three-hour window for ischemic strokes.
"For every second a brain goes untreated, 14 million brain cells die," said Cranick.
Look for facial drooping, weakness or difficulty moving arms or legs, and slurred speech. Call 911 immediately, if you believe you or someone else is having a stroke.
Kirk is now responding to commands and seems to recognize the people around him. His family and friends are encouraged by the progress he's made so far.
"We are confident that the fighter in him will prevail," said Kirk spokesperson Richard Goldberg.
