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
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.