I think I am having a stroke.

OP, I know your title was meant facetiously, but please be aware that there are likely to be some people here with family members who've had strokes, who've had a stroke (or more than one) themselves, or have health conditions that put us at high risk for stroke. I'm not trying to be over-sensitive here, but having a stroke is really no laughing matter.

What's more, strokes are a feminist issue.

Fact is, strokes are often deadly or severely disabling, particularly in women. One in five women in the US will have a stroke in her lifetime. Stroke is currently the third leading cause of death amongst women in the US. Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer does.

Women's risk of stroke is particularly high at certain points in life: during pregnancy and over age 55. Women in both categories are likely to be members or lurkers here.

The risks of stroke are higher for black women in the US; of all ethnic groups, African Americans have the highest rate of death due to stroke.

https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/women.htm

https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/stroke-risk-factors/women-have-a-higher-risk-of-stroke

Strokes are a feminist issue also because a little known fact is that women often present with different symptoms to men. As a result, women who are in the midst of having a stroke often don't get the urgent medical care they need. Which is probably one of the reasons we are more likely to end up disabled or dead from stroke.

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2019/05/31/is-it-fatigue-or-a-stroke-women-shouldnt-ignore-these-warning-signs

Another reason strokes are a feminist issue is that people who survive strokes often end up with disabilities so severe that they can no longer earn a living or function independently. This is terrible for stroke victims, the majority of whom are female and thus already were likely to have deal with such matters as sex discrimination, lessened job prospects because of sex, falling behind because of maternity/pregnancy, sexual harassment and lower lifetime earnings than their male counterparts.

Moreover, the disabilities that stroke often causes put a HUGE set of extra burdens on female members of society. Because women and girls are the ones normally expected to step up and be caretakers for ill or incapacitated family members. And women tend to be the low-paid health-care workers who provide the bulk of hands-on care for stroke victims in hospitals, nursing/care homes, rehab centers. Women are more likely than men to be physical therapists, speech therapists and other kinds of workers tasked with helping stroke victims regain function and skills.

Sorry if I have come across as "language policing" or hectoring here. That's not my intent. But as someone whose life has been hugely affected by stroke - and not in a good way - I just wanted to raise awareness that stroke is no joke.