In the neck’s arteries, a silent storm,
Where blood should flow, thick plaque takes form,
A blend of fat, of calcium’s bite,
That narrows the path of life’s vital light.
A vessel once clear, now burdened with strain,
Cutting the stream that should nourish the brain.
A stroke waits quietly, poised in the dark,
When oxygen falters, and cells lose their spark.
No sign, no warning, no whispered plea,
Until weakness or numbness steals one’s glee.
Speech falters, words slip through the air,
A glance turns dim as vision lays bare.
Dizzy, the world tilts in uneven spin,
The balance fades as the pulse thins within.
This is the story of a life in disguise,
Where dangers creep with unseen eyes.
Atherosclerosis, the thief in the vein,
Fed by pressure and cholesterol’s gain.
Smoking, diabetes, and idle ways,
Build the blocks for its fatal displays.
But tools of science can pierce the mask,
An ultrasound hums its precise task.
MRI, CT, to map the flow,
And angiography reveals the foe.
To fight it, first change what we can,
A healthy diet, the start of the plan.
Exercise, quit smoking, take care with each breath,
These steps could steer the course from death.
Medications help to calm the tide,
Where blood clots linger, and arteries divide.
And when all else fails, surgery’s call,
To clean the pathway or scaffold the wall.
For in these vessels, life’s rhythm resides,
A dance of blood where the heart’s pulse guides.
Carotid arteries, so fragile, so true,
Guarding the brain, they carry us through.
