A Diagnosis for Mr. Fix-it Essay -- Medical Research

Mr. Fix-it is a 59 year old man with a history of alcohol abuse and diabetic hypertension. Mr. Fix-it has been currently experiencing symptoms such as: rambling speech, poor short-term memory, weakness on the left side of his body, neglects both visual and auditory stimuli to his left side, difficulty with rapid visual scanning, difficulty with complex visual, perceptual and constructional tasks, unable to recall nonverbal materials, and mild articulatory problems. The diagnosis for Mr. Fix-it’s problem is most likely a right-hemisphere stroke. A right-hemisphere stroke is occurs when a blood clot blocks a vessel in the brain, or when there is a torn vessel bleeding into the brain. â€Å"A right-hemisphere stroke is common in adults who have diabetes and who are over the age of 55†, similar to Mr. Fix-it (Kluwer, 2012). In addition, Mr. Fix-it has a history of alcohol abuse in which it could have also increased his chances of experiencing a right-hemisphere stroke. The symptoms of a right-hemisphere stroke are very much similar like the symptoms Mr. Fix-it is experiencing. For example, both suggest that functions on the left side of the body are completely neglected; therefore, the left visual section of the body does not respond effectively to stimuli due to the neglect. Damage to the right occipital lobe is very likely. The patient may have experienced some damage to areas 18 and 19 of the occipital lobe. â€Å"Damage to these association areas resulted in the patient’s failure to recognize items even when they have been seen before†, such as Mr. Fix-it’s deficiency to recognize geometric shapes (Carlson, 2010). Moreover, the patient could have also experience damage in the frontal lobe, specifically on area 8, in which it could have r... ...lood pressure medication in order to keep his blood pressure in the normal state of 120/80. Other than taking medications, there is another alternative such as surgery, such as â€Å"ventriculosmy, craniotomy, and carotid endarterectomy† (Kluwer, 2012). The patient also has the option of going to a rehabilitation center where the patient may be able to receive speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. In addition, the rehabilitation center may also include â€Å"functional electrical stimulation† (Kluwer, 2012). Works Cited Carlson, N. R. (2010). Physiology of behavior. (10 ed., pp. 69-101). Boston, MA: Pearson. Hemiparesis. (2011). Retrieved February 9, 2012, from http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hemiparesis Kluwer, W. (2012).Right hemispheric stroke. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.drugs.com/cg/right-hemispheric-stroke.html