Case study: I had a stroke at 41 years old.
In May 2019, something happened that I was not prepared for. I had a stroke at 41 years old.
“Today I am symptom-free largely because of fast help and individualized physical exercise”
I woke up in the morning in my apartment in Brussels where I live with a strange feeling in my right leg and arm. It felt a bit like the leg was asleep and on the way to the kitchen I had a hard time finding my balance. When the feeling stayed, and my leg and arm didn’t want to wake up, we decided to go to the hospital.
After an ambulance ride to the emergency room, we unfortunately did not get many answers. The answer was “it’s probably not a stroke, you are only 41 years old”. But a thorough examination in Lithuania gave us answers in black and white. “You’ve had a stroke.”
An X-ray of the brain showed that an area had been exposed to oxygen deficiency, the sign of a stroke by a blood clot. It became very important to increase blood flow to the brain to help healing. Research has shown that physical activity can increase blood flow by up to 20% during physical activity. Increased blood flow means increased oxygen.
Blood tests and physical tests showed high cholesterol, triglycerides and high visceral fat even, despite the fact that I had a normal BMI, and an opening in the middle wall of the heart which is probably the path that the clot took on its journey to the brain.
High cholesterol, triglycerides and visceral fat are all risk factors for me to have a new stroke and this meant that I had to take cholesterol-lowering medication to get my cholesterol down as quickly as possible, as well as blood thinning medication for prevention.
Thanks to my work at the Paliesius clinic, where we work with medical treatment through individualized physical exercise, I was able to quickly get an individualized prescription for physical exercise from our doctor, based on my body’s reaction to physical exertion.
My recipe gave me the intensity zone where I could get the health effects of exercise but reduce the risk of complications. Read more about testing
“Today, physical exercise on prescription is a natural part of my life and allows me to feel safe and maintain my health,” says David Engstedt.
Thanks to my exercise recipe and diet, I was able to be free from the medication after 3 months. Today I can control my cholesterol with the help of physical exercise.
At first, I was very scared and worried during exercise, but the support and the carefully individualized physical activity meant that I could continue to carry out my exercise with reduced anxiety and knowledge that I was increasing my recovery.
A year later I also had surgery to close the hole in the heart’s septum, but thanks to great support on how I can exercise for my health, I have been able to stay active and keep avoiding the need for medication.
Today, physical exercise on prescription is a natural part of my life and allows me to feel safe and maintain my health.