My mother had a stroke caused by a cardiac embolism at the end of October, and is hemipelegic on the left side. The doctors say that the stroke was located on the right side of her brain above the ear and just behind the temple in the middle of her head (approximately 2 inches above the right ear, in the center).
For years, she suffered as schizoaffective, but it was relatively mild and did not need any other treatment that office visits to the psychologist.
Now that she has had this stroke, she appears very delusional at times, sitting in the bed screaming at the top of her lungs, but about nonsensical things, or things that happend years ago. Things have gotten to the point that she attempts to injure herself with her right hand, pulling her O2 mask out, pulling IV's out, and throwing items at the nursing staff, saying they are trying to kill her. The hospital called me and asked me if they could give her haloperidol to calm her down, and I approved. Mom has never had this medication before, and now they want to make it part of her regular medication.
Is it possible that the stroke made her schizoaffective disorder worse? Or is this situation common with people that have had strokes?