On my stats page I saw a search term that was used which was “basilar artery stroke.” I realized I have never explained what artery of mine was messed up. My stroke was caused by a blood clot(ischemic stroke) which got lodged in the basilar artery. Offshoots of the basilar artery feed blood to the cerebellum, where I had my stroke. This is called posterior, in the back of the brain. The front of the brain is called anterior. Then the basilar artery divides into something called the Circle of Willis. The blood supply to the brain is very complex. I could write for hours about the different parts of the brain and what they do.
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Categories: Brain stuff, Stroke stuff
mycerebellarstrokerecovery 
Was yours a PICA (posterior anterior cerebellar arterial) ischemia? That’s what mine was. I still spend most of my waking hours in a wheelchair – you? It’s been 6 mos. post-stroke for me. But I walk 2-4 miles almost every day in my back yard. Or I should say “teeter” for 2 – 4 miles.
No, mine was not a PICA stroke. PICA stands for posterior inferior cerebellar artery. You got one word wrong. 🙂 I do not use a wheelchair and I didn’t use one after 2 months. The fact that you’re still using a wheelchair and walking that much is awesome.
Someday I’ll find a 3d map of the arteries of the brain. I want to backtrack to the exact spot the blockage occurred. Its not going to help my recovery any but I need to know.
If the Body Worlds exhibit ever comes to a museum near you, go to that.
I think there is a lot of confusion about cerebellar strokes. Because I can move everything, others in my stroke PT class think I must be almost completely recovered (because many of them have one side that won’t move). Even though I am really glad I had a posterior stroke rather than anterior, it’s still devastating and hard to understand. Mine were vertebral artery inferior cerebellar strokes. Most doctors don’t know much about the cerebellum because in medical school you basically learn that it’s coordination. So they don’t understand when I say that my foot gets stuck and I can’t figure out how to move it or that I have anomia or difficulty reaching over midline or walking and talking at the same time, etc, etc, etc. The brain is amazing.
The brain is amazing, sometimes I hate my brain though. Other times I think “eh, it’s not so bad.”
I’m in a very bad mood right now. I have a terrible headache.
I’ve noticed that a bad headache takes over my life far more than pain anywhere else. If it’s my back or ankle, at least my head is clear. And the post-stroke migraines are incredible. I hope yours improves soon!
Thanks. Robin do you have an intention tremor?
Hard to say. I correct my path as I try to reach for or touch things. If I move slowly, it’s more of a curve because I always shoot to far to the right. If I am moving quickly but watching closely I appear to have an intention tremor because of correctly and then overcorrecting and then correcting back. If I am moving quickly and not watching closely I hit to the right of my goal.
That sounds more like ataxia.
Yes…I definitely have ataxia and lots of it! But I’m not sure about the tremor because of the ataxia.
Yeah I always ask my therapists if the problem with my movement looks more like the ataxia or the tremor. I say it feels like the tremor is more the problem but you’re right, it’s hard to say because of the ataxia. Brain issues are wonderful.