Polite Dissent

New Excalibur #19 “The Game Begins!”
Chris Claremont, writer
Scot Eaton, penciler

It’s been a month since she collapsed. Her heart skipped a beat, a bunch of cells packed it in and then got swept along her bloodstream up to her brain – where they formed a blockage. As a consequence, part of her brain died.

Three months in, and it’s still not clear what kind of stroke TJ suffered back in Excalibur #16. Broadly speaking, there are two types of strokes: the more common ischemic stroke, where a clot blocks off the blood flow to part of the brain; and the less common hemorrhagic stroke, where there is a bleed into the brain.

Initially TJ’s symptoms seemed more suggestive of a hemorrhagic stroke, and in fact that is how Sage described her stroke in Excalibur #17. This issue though (after not being mentioned at all in Excalibur #18), the narration clearly describes an ischemic stroke.

I’m a little unclear on the concept of the heart “skipping a beat” causing a stroke. Everybody’s heart skips a beat or throws in an extra beat a couple of times a day (more often if you like caffeine, stress, or decongestants). There’s nothing particularly dangerous about occasional skipped or extra beats. When the abnormal beats becomes more frequent and occur in long stretches, then you have a problem (but a heart problem, not a stroke problem).

Admittedly, certain abnormal heart rhythms — such as atrial fibrillation — can make a person more susceptible to an ischemic stroke, but one hopes that her doctors would be able to find out quickly if TJ has a-fib (hint: listen to the heart or check the pulse). There are anatomical abnormalities that can make ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes more likely. Given TJ’s generally “unusual” appearance, this would probably be a good area to explore.