Ahmedabad: As a neurologist, Dr Naushad Ravjani, 38, could sense the onset of a stroke as numbness began to creep up on him. He knew he had to marshal all his steeliness not only in that moment but also through whatever lay ahead after the inevitable hospitalisation. “I vividly remember that I experienced right-side paralysis on March 3 last year,” said Ravjani, who is from Bhuj.He said, “I had returned from Dubai two days earlier and had even seen patients on March 2. I felt that my right side was giving way. I immediately asked my wife to call an ambulance.”Ravjani’s case illustrates the lifesaving nature of timely intervention, a point he makes to his patients.He was taken to Rajkot where he underwent a mechanical thrombectomy to remove a blood clot. He spent seven days at a hospital in Rajkot and another fortnight in Bhuj after the procedure. After a few months, he again underwent a procedure to remove another clot.“As I see patients with neurological problems on a daily basis, I of course knew signs and symptoms. But I experienced a stroke first-hand,” Ravjani said. He now uses that episode to educate patients on danger signs, treatment, and recovery.He said that post-recovery physiotherapy and follow-ups are key to regaining health and confidence.“Understand the signs; that can save your life,” he said. “And put in the effort for post-procedural exercises to ensure better recovery.”
