ROM

[txpool]

about how long does it take to regain use of the effected side of the body?

[txpool]

Balance is the ticket to recovery.  The PT's started showing me that as the first exercise and that was great as I was able to sit on the pot without assistance.  Instead of peeing upright I now have to sit like a female because I only have the use of one arm.  It normally takes two hands for a male to do his business.  Try this with your Mom sit her in a chair or the edge of the bed get a full length mirror so she can see her posture sag and immediately correct it with you patient voice encouraging her to fix it.  Worked for me and very soon I played cards standing without assist for a long duratuion.
This whole ordeal of recovery might take over a year as I am coming up on my year anniversary soon.  Tonight I will stand in my kitchen and fix dinner without assistance.  I do get tired so I sit for a couple of minutes at a time it helps.  I decided to fix something to eat other than microwave, that is getting old real quick and it is so hot I burn my tongue daily.  I bought a counter top oven which really comes in handy in preparing frozen food.  There are many obstacles out there to overcome.  Bathrooms are a major one, getting the door open sometimes is a hassle.  I want to attend a sports event but the obstacles prevent me from going, ramps, long steps, etc...    
Hang in there, it happened that quick but will take tine and patience.  She may never get it back, but with your help she will get something going, one little improvement leads to another and so on.  
Luck to you both,.        
Bruce

[oc1dean]

It took two therapists sitting next to me to keep me upright when I was first in the hospital. I had a cerebral stroke, if it was a cerebellum stroke then the balance is the main problem, ask your doctor about that. I didn't have any special therapy to work on sitting, it got better on its own. One thing the doctors don't mention is that the  healthier you were before the stroke the better your recovery. Having good cognition after the stroke is very important since you need to be able to understand and follow directions and work on mental imagery.
Dean

[mehraban]

Hi oc1dean,
I am so hopeless today. My mom has a stoke 2 weeks ago. Stroke affected her left side to be paralyzed. She is still not able to empty bladder, and not even able to sit(no balance), and of course not able to try walk with assistant. I am wondering if you member when you were able to sit, and keep your balance in sitting position. Did you get any physiography for just your back muscle to help you sit?  Basically, I have no idea how the sitting position is going to improve.  Because she is heavy we are not sure how she is going to use the restroom. Any idea and help will be appreciated.  

[Katie_Todd]

Hi Dean,

I don't know if this will help but I had a bleed to the brain last August and I have had a coil/glue fitted to stop it from happening again.  At first I was unnable to move the right side of my body, and I'm sure I have been one of the extreemly lucky ones but I have more or less full use of my right side now.  The problems that I do still have are minor, I find it hard to gauge temperatures, can not always tell when someone/something is touching my skin lightly and on the worst day's I get extreemly confused about what is touching me, even if it is my other leg lol All of these problems were a lot worse at first, so my advice is to percivere and hopefully your brain will be able to 're-wire' itself like mine has.

I hope that has helped slightly, good luck!
Katie x

[oc1dean]

This is somewhat of a standard answer that your doctor should have told you about, most doctors do not seem to have any clue about stroke rehabilitation.

No one will be able to give an answer to that question since the damage to the brain is different for each person. The standard response is that the brain cells that were just knocked unconscious  usually come back in six months. The recovery of functions that were controlled by the now dead brain cells will require your brain to work on neuroplasticity, basically moving control to another part of your brain. That change can take a long time, I have heard of cases 15-20 years after a stroke and recovery can still take place. It will take lots of hard work and lots of brain power to recover the functions that were lost. I am currently 27 months out and while my leg is working fairly well my arm and hand need to use neuroplasticity to recover.  There is no magical jump in function returning. So the best thing to do is keep a journal of your accomplishments so you can look back and see what progress you have made. The best comment came from my OT who looks at me from the day she first saw me lying half paralyzed in the hospital and says I have come a long way. She told me I need to look at my recovery from how much I have recovered rather than comparing myself to the day before the stroke. I haven't quite succeeded yet at that viewpoint.
Dean