Recognizing symptoms of stroke saved doctor’s life

Susanne Nadeau, Herald Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Knowing the signs and acting fast saved Tom Cariveau’s life. Physically fit with a good blood pressure reading, low cholesterol levels and no family history, Tom, a doctor at East Grand Forks MeritCare, wasn’t considered high risk for a stroke. But he recognized the symptoms when he suffered a major one Nov. 8. A stroke is a blood clot plugging an artery or a blood vessel that breaks in the brain, disrupting the flow of blood. When blood flow to the brain stops, brain cells die and the abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost, which is why some stroke survivors lose the ability to speak or use certain body parts. A stroke can be small, causing only minor damage; major, immediately affecting the ability to use certain parts of the body; or massive, resulting in death. Tom, in family medicine for the past 21 years, was in his ...