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Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is in the hospital after having a stroke, his office says (apnews.com)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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[–] 6 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Sometimes I wonder if a stroke is a better way to go compared to other means of death.

Like, if you're sitting in a chair, and then discover that your left arm has mysteriously stopped functioning, and you're getting the worst headache you've ever had, would you want to be saved?

An express natural exit like that may never come again. Besides, a slow death from CJD could be how you ultimately go out if you're rescued.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 week ago* (3 children)

    It's tough. A big sudden stroke that wipes you out seems better than a lot of other options, if it gets you quick. None of us live forever, anyway.

    I think of a relative who died from a heart attack and was dead before he hit the ground. He died doing what he loved - being pissed at his lawn mower - and probably had no idea what was happening before it was done. That doesn't sound bad, either.

    I guess my personal take is if you're recognizing the symptoms and there are other people around, it's likely not going to get you so neatly, in which case it's better to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    I have a brother-in-law that had a heart attack. He was talking to my sister and remembers saying something isn't right and the next thing is waking up later in the hospital after it was all over. If he'd been alone when it happened he would have died and never known what was happening. If I have the choice, that seems like an easy way to shuffle off the mortal coil.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago* (1 child)

    My dad had a couple of heart attacks, 15 years apart. The second one killed him, he was close to a hospital, but they were unable to save him. The first one however, he described it afterwards as feeling like a horse was sitting on his chest.

    Here's to hoping Senator Murphy has a quick recovery from his stroke.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    Here's the thing - if the stroke doesn't kill you, you can have a super shitty quality of life afterwards. Entire side of your body is paralyzed and suddenly you can't drive/walk anywhere without significant assistance (like my gram), or incontinence + mental degradation (like my other grandma).

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago

    Yeah, a close friend of mine had a brainstem stroke in his late 40s. He's made a good recovery, but was a real mess for months after it happened, and still has balance and coordination issues and nystagmus (eyes spinning around like in the cartoons when someone gets hit on the head with a mallet). And he had no obvious risk factors before it happened, it was just a weak blood vessel that sprung a leak in a very inconvenient part of his brain. There are parts of the brain that can be removed without it being catastrophic, and other parts where loss of a cubic millimeter can kill you. The brainstem is the latter type.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    The stroke would have to be either massive or in really unlucky place of the brain to kill you. Much more likely, you would be either paralyzed in half of your body and/or have trouble speaking or understanding speech for the rest of your life.

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