Need some hope

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum.  My mom, 66 years old, suffered a big ischemic stroke on the left side of her brain 2 weeks ago on January 30th, 2013.  We were lucky that my brother was home when it happened and called 911.  She was in the ER within 35 minutes of the time it happened.  Three hours passed before we were told that yes, she was indeed a candidate to receive TPA in order to help dissolve the clot.  
The stroke left her right side paralyzed and she also has difficulty with her speech and swallowing. Two weeks later, she still remains paralyzed although her swallowing and speech have improved a little.  I spoke with the neurologist at the hospital and he told me that alot of patients show significant improvement in the first two weeks and that based on  what he has seen, he believes that my mother will be left with significant deficits.  I was devastated to hear this!
I don't know all that much about strokes, and any words of encouragement would really help me right now.  Is the fact that she still can't move, two weeks post-stroke, really a prognosis indicator?

Georgia

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How is your mom? Complications of stroke may be temporary or permanent disabilities which usually depends on the length of time the brain suffers a lack of blood flow and which part was affected. Prognosis usually depends on a lot of factors such as your mom's medical history, over-all health, clinical evaluation and  symptoms present.  Aside from paralysis or loss of muscle movement,  other possible issues such as  memory loss or thinking difficulties, difficulty talking, emotional problems and depression, pain and changes in behavior and self-care may be observed. These can be managed with stroke rehabilitation and regular consult with his attending physician. Complementary and alternative medicine such as acupuncture may also help.  It is best that you have her  see her attending physician for proper evaluation and to ease any worries. Take care do keep us posted.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How is your mom? Complications of stroke may be temporary or permanent disabilities which usually depends on the length of time the brain suffers a lack of blood flow and which part was affected. Prognosis usually depends on a lot of factors such as your mom's medical history, over-all health, clinical evaluation and  symptoms present.  Aside from paralysis or loss of muscle movement,  other possible issues such as  memory loss or thinking difficulties, difficulty talking, emotional problems and depression, pain and changes in behavior and self-care may be observed. These can be managed with stroke rehabilitation and regular consult with his attending physician. Complementary and alternative medicine such as acupuncture may also help.  It is best that you have her  see her attending physician for proper evaluation and to ease any worries. Take care do keep us posted.

[georgia730]

Hi Dr. Santos,
Thank you for your response to my post.  My mom got admitted into rehab ten days ago.  All of last week, she was being assessed and doing various evaluations by the physiotherapist, occupational therapist, the speech therapist and a neuropsychology.  This week, there are a few more assessments to do and then they will begin with the therapy required.  
She has not shown any improvements in her movement.  We are past 4 weeks and from what I have been reading online, this means that no neurological recovery has taken place.  Does that mean that it won't happen?  How long after a stroke can a patient show neurological recovery?  Reading online is somewhat confusing as I have seen sites that say up to 7 weeks and others that say up to 3 months.
She is on purée food and they are introducing soft solids this week.  Her speech is quite understandable but not 100% by far.  The speech therapist says that her breathing and speech are not coordinated and therefore she runs out of air and speaks fast and therefore speech becomes harder to understand.
Does the fact that that she has yet to show any improvements in movementone month after the stroke   mean that she will not improve?