https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fAscAi60Yg
I am a 61 year old woman that has been diagnosed with Bow Hunter's Stroke. I have other major health issues so surgery is basically out my doctors mentioned putting a stint in from what I have read it doesn't work for very long.
My doctors told me it is very rare and they do not know too much about it due to the fact there are not that many people with it.
I am glad that I found you and the others to hear more about it.
Please keep in contact and I hope you husband is doing well.
Greetings. I am a 66 y.o. physician. When I was 42 y.o., I was body surfing in the ocean, an activity that requires one to look repeatedly over one's shoulder (my right shoulder) to catch a wave, when I suddenly found myself spinning on the bottom of the ocean, not knowing up from down. If I had not found my daughter's leg and used it to reach the surface, I would have surely drowned. After being dragged to the shore, I found myself having terrible vertigo, vomiting, double vision, and an inability to stand without pitching myself to the right and falling down. I was taken to a hospital where my condition was initially thought to be due an inner ear dysfunction. However, it soon became clear that I had suffered a left sided cerebellar stroke. My left cerebellum was completely destroyed. The severe symptoms lasted several days. The brain swelling was quite severe and my blood pressure rose to 220/130. Surgery was becoming a very real option. Multiple studies revealed that my arteries were completely normal without clots or defects. Obviously, I had traumatized my left cerebellar artery by repeatedly twisting my neck causing arterial occlusion and this caused an embolism that occluded my left cerebellar artery just long enough to destroy my left cerebellum.
I have almost completely recovered. My balance and my gait are not perfect and I tend to fall when in complete darkness. I stutter a bit when I am tired. Double vision still occasionally occurs. A Bowhunter's Stroke nearly killed me but, 24 years later, I am still practicing medicine
JWTMD
my husband is 34 years old and has been diagnosed with bowhunters stroke - althought there has been no stroke yet he had a terrible episode of vertigo and dizziness. His local doc referred him to an ear nose & throught doc, which in turn said there was nothing wrong with him. Then he has a nuereologist consult with other doctors here in ALaska and it was determined he was sent to virgina mason. This is where he was diagnosed.
They contribute it to work, constant movment of his arms ( being a truck driver) he tore his right vertebral artery which in turn causes the effect of passing out and dizzness when he turns his head. Since the right is torn and the left pinches off in two places its a little scary. Not a lot of info was given to us. He is taking blood thinners - which is a rat posion - warfarin- which they hope will fix the right tear. once his tear is fixed(hopefully) 2 months we go back down to see - then when he turns his head then the right arrtery will flow to the brain even though the left is pinched - right know he has no "back up" from one to the other - so he is in a neck brace and has no movement of his neck in hope of this tear healing. If it doesnt- its unclear, the doctors at virigina mason have talked about fuseing his 1 & 2 vertibre. But he is so active with the kids we really dont want that. He has terrible sweating and dizziness from time to time and he has to be careful not to cut him self(NO bleeding!!!) He is also taking prozac which helps with the vertigo. All in all, all we can do is wait it out to see what happens, His doctor is the head of the radiology department at Virgina Mason and a wonderful doctor. He did stress that this is VERY rare and is consulting with other Doctors while we wait to go back down to seattle. They also talked about doing a bypass of where that tear is - which i think is experimental. I dont want to loose my husband but he deserves a good quality of life and all we can do is pray. please keep posting and I also will this his progress.
If you want names of the Docotrs we saw at Virgina Mason let me know and I can post them for you.
My husband has experienced two such "episodes." I call them episodes because he had stroke symptoms that passed before any permanent damage was done. The two episodes were a year and a half apart. The most recent one was two weeks ago. Through online research, my husband discovered the Bowhunter's Stroke. No doctor has diagnosed it, but they have diagnosed the herniated disks in his neck. We are in the process of contacting the doctor with this new information. If we find out anything of interest, I'll let you know. I just wanted to let you know you weren't alone.