Piri Weepu Suffers Minor Stroke - Out at least 4 weeks

[steblin]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11227543

Hope it turns out to be nothing serious and he gets better, read the other day he's been playing with migraines for the past few weeks so sounds like he needs to take some time and get himself right.

Get well soon Piri.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

At least the Blues may benefit from it...

 

[dasNdanger]

I do hope they find out what the problem is and that it's nothing serious. I suppose I'm not as surprised by the stroke as I am that Weepu is only 30 years old. I thought he was closer to 35 - it just seems he's been around forever.


das

 

[ABs2011]

First and foremost I hope he recovers soon!

Does anyone else find it odd that it took them nearly a month to diagnose it? Also correct m if I'm wrong but if this occurred on the 1st of March he has played several games since then right? This sounds to me like quite a ballz up by the medical staff!

 

[dasNdanger]

First and foremost I hope he recovers soon!

Does anyone else find it odd that it took them nearly a month to diagnose it? Also correct m if I'm wrong but if this occurred on the 1st of March he has played several games since then right? This sounds to me like quite a ballz up by the medical staff!

Rugby players are like cats - they hide their pain well.

If he had no symptoms besides a headache (and if headaches are common to him) then it could easily have been overlooked. Back about 12 years ago I had a killer headache - never had one like it before or since - so bad that it made me puke. That's not normal for me. About 6 months later I learned I had high blood pressure, and they put me on meds. I know sometimes an unusually painful headache can be a sign of a stroke, so now I wonder if I had a minor one and never realized it. I suppose the same thing could have happened with Piri - he may have been playing down the headaches so he could keep playing, not realizing that he had a real problem going on inside his skull.

das

 

[Draggs]

Where can I find this kind of cat, Das? The ones I know won't shut up if their food is five minutes late. Don't even think about shutting the door if you leave a room!

 

[ABs2011]

Rugby players are like cats - they hide their pain well.

If he had no symptoms besides a headache (and if headaches are common to him) then it could easily have been overlooked. Back about 12 years ago I had a killer headache - never had one like it before or since - so bad that it made me puke. That's not normal for me. About 6 months later I learned I had high blood pressure, and they put me on meds. I know sometimes an unusually painful headache can be a sign of a stroke, so now I wonder if I had a minor one and never realized it. I suppose the same thing could have happened with Piri - he may have been playing down the headaches so he could keep playing, not realizing that he had a real problem going on inside his skull.

das

Sorry to hear that mate, how your health is good now.

You may well be right, but the thing that instigated my post was when the doc for the Blues was on the TV yesterday saying that one of Piri's symptoms back on March 1 was that he couldn't speak properly, apparently he was heavily slurring his words and speaking like he was drunk. I can understand how a headache might not signal further investigation, but slurred speech for no apparent reason seems a bit odd to me.

DISC: not ever trained in anything medical so I might be completely wrong, just seems very odd to me!

 

[dasNdanger]

Where can I find this kind of cat, Das? The ones I know won't shut up if their food is five minutes late. Don't even think about shutting the door if you leave a room!

You must have MALE cats.

Sorry to hear that mate, how your health is good now.

As good as can be expected!

You may well be right, but the thing that instigated my post was when the doc for the Blues was on the TV yesterday saying that one of Piri's symptoms back on March 1 was that he couldn't speak properly, apparently he was heavily slurring his words and speaking like he was drunk. I can understand how a headache might not signal further investigation, but slurred speech for no apparent reason seems a bit odd to me.

DISC: not ever trained in anything medical so I might be completely wrong, just seems very odd to me!

No - I think you're right. Slurred speech is a big red flag - that's how my older brother discovered he was having a stroke. He still slurs his words sometimes - that's the only side effect from his stroke. He is much older than Piri - and 15 years older than me - and he wasn't treating his diabetes properly. Still, that's a clear reason why he had a stroke. In someone seemingly healthy and just 30 years old...well...honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is all this concern over concussion and sports.


das

 

[ruggabee]

I've heard things like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and being overweight can be factors. I know he's a professional athlete but his fitness and weight has fluctuated over the years. He seems to struggle with that. Maybe that could be something that contributed to his stroke but then again could just be very bad luck mixed with genetics. I hope he's not out for long. He's a good player and seems like a very chill guy.

 

[ABs2011]

No - I think you're right. Slurred speech is a big red flag - that's how my older brother discovered he was having a stroke. He still slurs his words sometimes - that's the only side effect from his stroke. He is much older than Piri - and 15 years older than me - and he wasn't treating his diabetes properly. Still, that's a clear reason why he had a stroke. In someone seemingly healthy and just 30 years old...well...honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is all this concern over concussion and sports.


das

Mmmm, so really does beg the question how on earth did they not pick up on this and let him play rugby for nearly a month before finally getting a diagnosis? Seems quite bizarre to me.

I do research on medical error within hospitals in NZ (it's numerical health economics stuff using indicators so I don't need to have a great deal of medical knowledge) but through this research I have become well aware of just how prevalent medical error is in NZ and around the world in secondary care. Whilst I haven't done research in primary care I have no doubts medical error is very prevalent there too (I personally went 5 years with 2 torn ligaments in my ankle that went undiagnosed even though I straight up told three different medical professionals I was pretty sure I had major damage). But this one (Piri's stroke) just seems like a crazy stuff up to me.....

Off topic I know, should probably be on another forum, but it concerns me that our sports Drs are missing some very obvious things, and like you said the concussion issue is very serious. We have already missed the boat on that one for several generation of sports players and have still not properly addressed the issue yet IMHO!

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

weepu may be gone but do want to see more off Jamison Gibson-Park

 

[ABs2011]

weepu may be gone but do want to see more off Jamison Gibson-Park

I'm keen to see how Brynn Hall goes

 

[Shaggy]

Well, hopefully Piri can do what he needs to, to get back to full health for his own benefit, and his family.

I guess the medical staff can be forgiven for not picking it up sooner, as most severe headache symptoms in Rugby, usually relate to concussion these days.

I know when my Dad had two strokes in quick succession when he was in his sixties, he was able to turn it around and went a further 20 years before he passed away from another stroke (and Piri is in much better condition than Dad)

Maybe scans should be mandatory for any player exhibiting these symptoms, as strokes can strike anyone, at any age ... I remember there was an 18 year old guy who had suffered a major stroke in the next bed when I visited Dad in hospital.

 

[ABs2011]

Well, hopefully Piri can do what he needs to, to get back to full health for his own benefit, and his family.

I guess the medical staff can be forgiven for not picking it up sooner, as most severe headache symptoms in Rugby, usually relate to concussion these days.

I know when my Dad had two strokes in quick succession when he was in his sixties, he was able to turn it around and went a further 20 years before he passed away from another stroke (and Piri is in much better condition than Dad)

Maybe scans should be mandatory for any player exhibiting these symptoms, as strokes can strike anyone, at any age ... I remember there was an 18 year old guy who had suffered a major stroke in the next bed when I visited Dad in hospital.

Yup I really hope Piri comes though well and fast.

Again though it wasn't the headaches it was the very slurred speech as a symptom that makes me feel the Drs should have picked up on this way earlier....

 

[ruggabee]

They have found a hole in his heart.

 

[dasNdanger]

They have found a hole in his heart.

Yup.

Tests have confirmed Blues and former All Black halfback Piri Weepu has a small hole in his heart which is likely to have caused the minor stroke he suffered around March 1.A Blues spokesman confirmed the latest prognosis on the 71-test World Cup winner and said his case would be further reviewed by specialists next week to determine the best course of action.
The Blues spokesman said it was not clear at this stage whether Weepu would require surgery to correct the heart defect, but all indications were that he would make a full recovery and be able to return to the team after a short period of convalescence.
Weepu was released from Auckland Hospital on Thursday afternoon, and visited the Blues prior to their captain's run on Friday where he spoke to his team-mates.
Blues doctor Stephen Kara told reporters on Thursday that should scans show a small defect in the heart, "then he would undergo some minor surgry to correct that".
At this stage that decision has not yet been made, with Weepu due to have his case reviewed with a heart specialist early next week.
"His long-term playing future looks pretty good, but in the short term he has to take a brief stint on the sidelines to ensure risk is minimised as much as we can," Dr Kara said on Thursday.
Weepu's mother Kura has travelled north from Wellington to be with her son.
The 30-year-old played three games for the Blues subsequent to his stroke which is thought to have occurred the day after the Super Rugby clash against the Crusaders on February 28.
But continued headaches and some problems with speech saw the veteran halfback undertake scans on Monday that reveled he had suffered a minor stroke back when he first presented with symptoms.
The Blues host the Highlanders at Eden Park on Saturday night.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9880446/Piri-Weepu-diagnosed-with-hole-in-heart

I hope it's an easy fix and he can soon be back on the pitch. I wonder if he had this since birth, or if it's something that can happen later? Glad they found the cause, though, and that it's not brain-related.


das