recovery after massive stroke

[aunt juju]

My 59 year old (otherwise healthy) mother had a right side brain stroke two weeks ago. The DR. said it was prety massive on most of the right side, leaving her unable to move her left side.  She is able to talk, eat, drink, and able to answer any question. (still not completely normal in thinking and talking, but really close.)
She started a live-in rehab last thursday (3 days ago) and now can move her left leg some.  Stil no movement of the arm.  She does have the neglect of the left side. my question(s)
1.  How long does the brain swelling take to go completely away?
2.  Well the neglect she has get better?
3.  Well she be able to walk and move her arm, and if so how long with rehab will that take?

[vja]

I am not a doctor.  I only know what I have been told in regards to my mother who had a massive stroke.  All strokes are different, all recoveries are different and depend on several factors.  I know this does not help much, but it is true.  The brain swelling depends on the size of the stroke and I believe it takes a few weeks, but best to ask the Dr. on that one.  Regarding the neglect, you can help this situation by making people approach her from her left side..also place her bed so she has to look to her left to see people enter the room..hold her left hand, tap on her left arm...try to make her aware of that side.  Re arm movement coming back...I have been told that the arm and hand movement is one of the last things to come back, due to the fact that it takes so much "brain power" for hand movements...she will probably walk first.  I hope these posts help you, it is very hard for the family and the stroke victim. Vicki

[amber0987]

My father had a similar sounding stroke on Dec. 8, 2006.  He seemed pretty alert, spoke well, could swallow, etc.  His major problems were left side paralysis and double vision.
After about three weeks, he took his first steps and within 2 weeks of that was walking 40 feet with a walker.  He was not able to start moving his left hand until about 4 weeks in.  At that point, he could move all fingers and make a loose fist.

[aunt juju]

My mom is doing better.  She has been in a live-in rehab for 2 weeks.  She is walking with a hemiwalker and a Physical therapist about 20 feet now.  She can move her shoulder a little and the muscle in her upper arm are tighting.  She can push her arm out and pull it back on a table with OT.  Her leg is able to move her upper part and today she flexed her foot some (a little) With your father was the progress soooo slow?  And has anyone seen the paralysised arm move when the person yawed?  Her arm well raise up when she yawns....  Bad or good?  anyone know?

[Tressa999]

Very common.  Neither bad nor good, just reflexive.

[caregiver222]

You have to be very careful about having a bowel obstruction. The aides have to maintain both a daily hydration log and provide a daily bowel report. Abscence of a bowel movement for three consecutive days is grounds to go to general quarters. The biggest offender is cheese (unfortunately a favorite of my little 102 year old pal) and of the cheese offenders the inexpensive Kraft macaroni and cheese is the worst. It contains a chemical that causes it to harden, and it continues to harden in the gut and will not negotiate the turns in the intestine. In addition, stroke patients often have peristaltic and motility problems. These are the sequential muscular waves that drive waste through the passageways down to the rectum. She has a good chance of great improvement, proving the initial problem that caused the stroke is stabilized. Never give up hope.

[Dina907]

My husband is 62 years old and had a massive stroke on Tuesday.  They were able to give him the medication within 3 hours.  He has been lucid from the begining,aware where he is, etc.  He also asks me about household things, like is this working, did you remember to do this, I am taking that as a good sign.  His sense of humor is back but his focus is unfocused when he looks at you.  Do they ever come back to who they were?  His left arm has no movement but his left leg does. His right side is okay, I guess I am asking, what am I in for, is this how he is going to be for the rest of his life, we have a 14 year old daughter, and it's breaking my heart to see her so upset about her dad. dina

[PamRam228]

Dina907, your husband was very fortunate to have reached the hospital when he did so the doctors could administer the tpa drug (if that's what they did).  It is so early in his recovery and you, your husband and your daughter have a lot to look forward to.  Although your husband isn't a spring chicken he's not all that old, either, and that will help his recovery.  You will be amazed at how he bounces back.  My husband (56 at the time) had a stroke last July and he has problems with his eyes. He has developed double vision. He, at first, was paralyzed on his left side but all that came back.  He's almost back to his old self.  

So, chin up and smile.  Although, no one knows the extent that your husband will recover you can be assured that he's on his way.  Make sure you find out what kind of stroke he's had (bleed or clot) and ask about deficits...what part of the brain was affected.

Keep posting about his recovery!

[Hope111975]

Dina,

My 65 year old father had a massive right sided stroke 7 weeks ago.  He too had total left sides paralysis, but all his mental faculties remained intact, save for slurred speech which improved in a few days.  He missed the 3 hour window for the TPA, unfortunately.

He is now 7-8 weeks out and just came home a week ago following 5.5 weeks in acute inpatient rehab and 4 days in the hospital.  He has PT, OT, and VNA coming into the house, my mother and 2 siblings (brother, 28, and sister, 21) live at home and are helping him.  He is now doing some walking with a hemi walker and assistance, but he is very unsteady and he fatigues quickly.  He needs help getting out of the chair and the bed to a standing position.  He is able to feed himself and use the urinal, but needs assistance and a walker to the commode for moving his bowels.
On a positive side, he can speak, is 100% mentally and cognitively, and is right handed and so write and feed himself.

He initially had no use of his left leg and some of that is coming back (when he walks he swings from his hip to bring his left leg out, and he wears a brace to prevent foot drop on his left lower leg), and he is just now this week slowly getting some function back in his left arm- though it's very limited.  He can move his left thumb a bit, and very gently squeeze my hand, and he can pull his arm back towards his body when it is moved away from his body.

His PT said that the flexor tone (muscles which pull the arm towards the core of his body, curl his fingers and wrist) come back before the extensor tone does (muscles that extend the fingers, and move the arm away from the body.)  It's important to do passive range of motion on his neglected arm to prevent the muscles from locking into painful contractures.  My father also wears a brace at night to keep his forearm and wrist in an extended position so it won't lock up flexed.  He wears a shoulder strap/sling to protect his left shoulder from the weight of the dead arm as well, as those shoulder muscles are fragile and not repairable if damaged.

At present my mother is having a wheelchair ramp built going into their house and has had a bed rail made for him and grab bars in the bedroom and bathroom, and the home health aide is supposed to come this week with OT and help get him into the shower.  It's a long process, and we still don't know how much function will come back.  His doctor said to expect a good 9 months before we start to get an idea.

You and your family are in my thoughts, I hope you will come back and up date us.

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Stroke rehabilitation, or, in more optimistic terms, stroke recovery, is the process by which patients with disabling strokes undergo treatment to help them return to normal life as much as possible by regaining and relearning the skills of everyday living. It is multidisciplinary in that it involves a team with different skills working together to help the patient. These include nursing staff, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and usually a physician trained in rehabilitation medicine.
For most stroke patients, the rehabilitation process includes nursing, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), therapeutic recreation (TR) and speech therapy (or speech language therapy, SLP). OT involves exercise and training to help the stroke patient relearn everyday activities, sometimes called the Activities of daily living (ADLs), such as eating and drinking, dressing, bathing, cooking, reading and writing, and toileting. Therapeutic recreation works on several areas including problem solving, improving movement and re-entry into the community through familiar, new, and adaptive leisure skills.
Stroke rehabilitation can last from a few days up to several months. Most return of function is seen in the first few days and weeks.
ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke_recovery
Hope you find this information useful.

[lioness15221]

My husband (43) had a massive stroke on his left side 19 months ago. And he is walking with a cane and a walk gate now. But his fingers are not opening at all.

I'm afraid that he wont be able to ever move his fingers again. Do anyone out there seen stroke victims move their finger and open and close them after 19 months?

I also heard that what ever you get back after 2 years is what your left with?

We got the Saeboflex for the hand but no results yet on any finger movements.

Please tell me what might happen in the next 6 months.
Thanks,

Alene

[mac31]

My 62 year old mother had a right-sided massive stroke on May 9.  She will be getting out of rehab on June 20, only because insurance will not pay for anymore rehad.  My dad has talked to the insurance company about any extentions, but of course, they do not care that she will need probably another good 6 months of rehab.  Does anyone have any ideas of things my dad can apply for (besides disability) to help pay for additional rehab?  Thank you so much for your help!

[Angeldove]

I don't know what state you're in, but looks like medicaid should step in and help.  Also, you might be surprised at the help that is available through an "elder" attorney.  We recently found that my Mom is due veteran's benefits after her stroke due to my father's time in the service.

[Dlairy]

On June 22, 2008 my mother had a massive stroke, due to high blood pressure. She was awake and talking when she arrived to the hospital, now she is in a coma. Doctors are currently draining fluid from here brain, I was told this is a slow process and could take several days if not weeks. She responds to pain and at times responds to commands of myself and doctors. Has anyone had a similar experience, if so any advice will be truely appreciated. I am a only chid.

[PamRam228]

Hello.  I went through the same thing you did last year.  My husband had a stroke that happened because of uncontrolled blood pressure.  You can read all my posts to get the full story.  He was half comatosed when I got him to the hospital.  He had started stroking about 4 hours before I realized something was very wrong.  To make a long story short he came out of it with very little deficits.  His healing was truly a miracle.  He was in the hospital a total of 4 weeks and in rehab for 3 weeks.  He is now driving, taking care of himself and doing very well.  He is on total disability because he now has double vision.  Although, people that have hemorraghic strokes have a higher mortality rate than those that have clots, they often heal much better.  I can try to help you with many of your questions by sharing my experiences with you.  I know how you feel.  You're going to go through an array of emotions and you're going to get frustrated with doctors.  Just realize that if the doctor says "we don't know" they're right.  No one knows the extent that your mom will heal.  A lot of times they paint a glim picture but it may not be all that bad.  Keep in touch and let us know how she is progressing.  

[juju007]

My grandma, age 82, had a major stroke on her right brain, leaving her somewhat paralyzed on her left side. She stayed at the hospital for 1 week then was transferred to an acute rehab facility for 3 wks before she was discharged.  She currently can move her left leg but her left arm is still pretty weak but gradually getting better. Although she can move her leg she still is unable to stand straight (tend to lean her body to the left) and needs assistance with the hemi-walker and to the commode. My family and I are devastated to see her like this but we pray for her speedy recovery.  I just wanted to express my deepest sympathy to everyone with loved ones who are going through the same experience.  Just be supportive and shower them with love.  Believe in the power of miracles.  And never stop fighting.  

[judi670]

I keep reading about left sided paralyze but how about a right sided.  My mom was 60 years old when she suffered a massive stroke in 2001. She is not able to move her right arm and she drags her right foot when walking using a quad walker.  She can sing and say names when we ask her to, but not on her own.  Her memory is great but she can't talk. I am her only daughter and the youngest with seven brothers.  You can't imagine what I have to go through taking care of my mom.  In our culture, daughters have to care for their mom if she is disabled.  Sometimes I wish I wasn't born.  Any help will be great!

[laaz]

OH YES I CAN IMAGINE WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MOTHER!!!!   MY Father had a massive stroke - paralyzed on right side.  Could not talk,walk, eat normal food, had to be pureed like a babies,  The doctor gave my Dad one month to live.  I am 51 yrs. old, I quit my job, made my living room into his bedroom as I have a 2 story home.  Decorated it with any and everything that was special to him.  I bathed him, cut his hair, exercised him, did therapy to help with his speech that was not there and the list goes on and on and on.   Well, that one month turned into 3 years. and I would not have changed it for the world.  Everyone would say yours life is passing you by and I would reply, I will still have time to spend with my children and grandkids but my Dad doe not.  SHAME ON YOU FOR SAYING THAT ABOUT YOUR MOTHER - wHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND - iF YOU ARE LUCK YOU TOO WILL GET OLD ONE DAY AND MAYBE YOU WILL HAVE A STROKE AND MAYBE YOU WILL BE PUT IN A NURSING HOME AND FORGOTTEN.  mY DAD WENT INTO A COMA fEBURARY 8, 2008 AND i SLEPT IN A RECLINER CHAIR FOR THAT WEEK HE WAS IN A COMA, i HELLD HIS HAND AND SPOKE TO HIM EVERY NIGHT EVEN THOUGHT HE WAS IN A COMA.  I never left his side, on Feburary 15, 2008  he past away holding my hand at 4:19 a.m.  TO this day I wish he was here to do it all over again and to get to tell him how much I love him and what a good Father he was to me.  I use to take him to parades which he loved, take him to the lake front and best of all I could make him laugh.  With all the love and care through the years I got my Dad to walk, lift his arm up and able to speak, not well, but I could understand him and is all that mattered.  In the end he would poop in his pants a coulple times a day, he would cry and say "put me in a nursing home"  and I would tell him Dad, we are in this together, together until the end, and we were and I am glad I was there for him.  SHAME, SHAME ON YOU SELFISH ONE. SHAME ON YOU, THAT IS ALL I CAN SAY. Do you think your Mother enjoys being this way and depending on someone that doesn't even want to take care of her.  She might have had a stroke but people can sense how a person feels just by their actions and the tone of their voice.   I'm glad i'm not your Mother!!!!!!!!

[PamRam228]

laaz, shame on you for being so hard on judi670.  She is hurting now and she doesn't need you telling her what a bad daughter you think she is.  Look at it from her point of view...she is the youngest, she is an only daughter and she has 7 older brothers, so she was probably overprotected or maybe after 7 years she's a bit burned out.  Some people, such as yourself, may be stronger than others but it's no reason to belittle them. She may not have the financial means to quit her job like you did or even hire a full time nurse to take care of her mom.  You don't know her situation so it's really unfair for you to judge her. I really think you owe her an apology.  I know this is none of my business but it is an open forum and I just had to comment.  

Judi, I keep wishing I could turn back the clock to a time before my husbands stroke but I can't.  You just have to make the best of it and do what you can to make your mom comfortable.  None of us wanted this to happen to our loved ones.  Many of us have a life that's very different now because of a stroke.  Don't give up.  Like they say, when you're thrown a lemon, make lemonade.  You are not alone.  I miss the way my life used to be before my husbands stroke but at least he is still here with me.  He's different and most of the time I feel like a caregiver instead of his wife.  When I start feeling sorry for myself I remind myself that it could be worse.  My husband could be a vegetable or even dead.  He is doing much better than some whose stroke wasn't as bad as his.  Your mom is walking and her memory is intact.  Those are blessings.  You must look on the positive side or the situation you're in can eat straight to your soul.  One thing laaz said that I do agree with is that your mom didn't ask for this and  I'm sure she wouldn't want you to have to take care of her.

Keep your chin up and I hope things get easier for you.  I really hope your mom will show more improvement.  It still is possible even after 7 years.

[laaz]

I took care of my Father, not a full time nurse.  I have sisters as well and we know how that goes as far as help - hands on help goes.  Sorry, I can't tell her I am sorry , as what I posted is exactly how I feel about this.  Everyone has a right to their own opinion and that was mine.   How can the people that are taking care of a loved one(?) feel sorry for themself? The one they should feel sorry for is the loved one with the stroke!!!  No judi670 is not hurting - she is complaining what a rotten life she has - she wishes she was dead, I bet her Mother wishes that she was the one that was dead.   I can't help being so stern or hard on people about this. If the roles were reversed, I bet her Mother would be caring for her without any complaining.            Laaz

[neechie]

On March 20, 2008, I suffered a bleeding massive stroke which led me into a coma and on life support with left-sided paralization. On the same day and time, I lost my Mother. Today, I am walking with assistance with the care of my daughter and boyfriend.  I believe they are tired as well and they let me know, but I thank God for them and my sons as well, they'll come if called.

Jud670, don't ever wish you weren't born.  I cared for my grandmother and my mom and I have 5 brothers.  Have you asked one of your brothers for assistance.  Some times boys/men want you to ask, instead of just volunteering.  If you believe in the power of prayer;  Pray for strength.

For myself, things are coming together and I would like to know if anyone has any knowledge on arm spasms of a frozen shoulder.  This is the main problem I am having at this time and my therapists can't figure it out.  I had to go over what happened when I had the stroke repeatedly for the information they received was incorrect, now it's corrected.  I've been told, they are unsure of how to treat me, because, I was suppose to be dead.  I'm getting use to this statement.  If anyone has information they would like to share, it would be greatly appreciated.

[gailthompson57]

My husband's cousin is 42 years old she had a massive stroke she is nonresponsive, she seems like she may be developing pneumonia, they are telling us they have a schedule to suction her, what could be the prognosis, she has always had problems with her high blood pressure and she never stopped smoking.

[pixie822]

All these posts left me speechless!  Take a breather everyone!  Lighten up!  All of our lives are HARD or we wouldn't be on this board!

[Akbari]

hi, I'm an occupational therapist, I was working on a research on CVA patients in acute phase recently. about your questions I should say:
- in most patients I saw, the swelling was absorbed till 5 months but it is not a standard duration may it take more times for your mother because as u said she had a massive stroke
- the neglect is a common disorder in right hemisphere disorder which can not said to be completely solved but I think it can be improved in your case as the edema absorbs by the time but rehabilitation can take a great measure in this context by sensory stimulation.
- I have not seen your mum but I'm optimistic about her walking. physical therapy is really effective for gait training and most patients can walk again.
the points which u should pay attention are :
1- your mum is not so old. so the power of neuroplasticity  in the brain is high, specially if you stimulate it by practice
2- the first 6 months after stroke is the golden time for rehabilitation so do rehabilitation every day and regularly. it doesn't mean that after there is no result for rehabilitation, but this period is more important
3- don't forget that practice all the day I don't know how many houres do you practice a day but I always tell to my patients, the more practice, more result.
4- occupational therapy works on upper extrimity and their work on upper limb usually has more effects and the other point is that usually arm improves more slower than leg!

[mountaingirl4ever]

I am 43 years old and had a massive stroke on Oct1 2004. I also have seemingly uncrontrolled high blood pressure.No matter what meds I am on my reading is always high. My stroke almost unheard of came from my blood pressure and the stomach flu.I became very ill at work and a supervisor needed to drive me home. The stroke occurred from weakened caratod arteries from the high blood pressure with massive vomiting from the flu/bug. While vomiting hard it felt like I ruptured a tonsil. Then loss of vision, severe headache and crying from the pain. By the grace of god my spouse came home early and found me. He gave me 4 advil (and I don't get headaches) and stayed with me till I slept. When I woke I realized my right arm felt fine but was not working. I am a smoker and I burnt myself. Also vision was not right. I had white dots like someone just took a picrure with a flash. I could walk and was lucid mentally but when I tried to talk,what I wanted to say came out as jumbled spiratic words. He looked at me like I was nuts. Anyway I waited the wholw weekend and saw my Dr. Monday. Sent right for an MRI which immediately I was told to get to ER I had three blood clots on my brain. I didn't get the thre hour meds. But I recovered fairly quickly because of my age. The hand thing is always last to recover. I know this from my therapy and a very good friend who does home nursing. It is the last thing to come back. Never give up. Always encourage. Anything is possible. Where this is a will there is a way.

[needhelp422]

My mother is 80 and just had a stroke 5 days ago.  Unfortunately the dr. did not recognize her signs so she was not given any drugs for her stroke.  She walked into the hospital and now has no ability to move her left side.  She could move her right side after the stroke but the last couple of days she is saying her ability to do so is decreasing.  We are at a small hospital.  Do we get her out of here?  Is this in any way "normal"?  She has not really made any gains in the past five days.  She is also VERY tired constantly.  She can hardly stay awake for therapy.  Prior to her stroke she was very active and still working.  Can anyone help me?

[hyacinthbucket]

Hi mountaingirl;
very glad to hear your recovery seems to be going well - it gives us all hope.  In your post, you commented that you recovered "fairly quickly" due to your age - may I ask about your recovery?  About how long and how much have you recovered?  My brother had massive left side ischemic stroke 2 mos ago and is recovering slowly but surely. Was too late for tpa but he's in a rehab hospital getting lots of therapy and is due to be discharged in 2 weeks.   He also has age on his side (49 yrs old) but I'm curious to know the experiences of younger stroke survivors.   I hope you continue to get stronger and stronger. It sounds like your spirits are good and that is wonderful.
Thanks.

[cheetagal]

My mother had a TIA 4 weeks ago.Come to find out she had a cararted artery on both sides .The left side was the one tht caused her to have her stroke.They did surgery and she came out of it fine a week later they were going to send her home that wed. or thur. Well late tues. evening she had a massive stroke on the left side.It sent he into sezures.It left her paralyzed on the right side of her body and left her with 3%of her mind left. I was not long maybee 4 days later she passed away from the stroke she had been in a coma. My mom was 74 years old.I would like to talk to anyone that has went through this . e-mail me at l.***@**** has been very hard for me to deal with I was with my mom since day one when she went in and I was holding her hand when she silently slipped away. I have cried eversince sept.24.SO if anyone could give me some words of comfort to deal with this I would appreciate it.Thank you Lisa

[cheetagal]

I don't think any mother would wish their child was dead instead of them. I'm sorry but that sounds could hearted to say to someone that has a family member tht is real sick.How would u like it is some one said I bet your mom wishes u were dead instead of her . Think about it i agree with pambam228 .How do you know judi670 is not hurting . You are not there to say . I grieve everyday because my mom passed away . I miss my mom alot she was my best friend.I agree I think you do owe her an appology. I too think it is none of my bussiness but like pambam228 says it is an open forum  god bless all

[cheetagal]

Does your mom have any brain trama.My mom was active before her stroke but hers took 97%of her mind . What ae they doing for your mom now is she getting any kind of meds like blood thiners or such. It is very hard to go through I can semphathize with u .Hang in there and I surly hope she gets better I will say a prayer for her.

[laaz]

If you and the other person that posted about wishing she was dead.(judi670)  I stated that I bet that her mother (the one with the stroke) wishes she was dead !!!!!! NOT wishing that her daughter was dead!!!!!!  Hello!!!!!        Where in the world did you come up with  "I don't think any mother would wish their child was dead instead of them".     Laaz

[hope52]

My dad had a stroke that left his right side paralyzed.  He can's speak and is eating pureed foods.  He has been in the hospital two weeks and has no movement on his right side.  He is 89 and looks so weak and fragile.  Now he got a cold in the hospital.  I am so worried for him.

Does age have anything to do with recovery?

[gigi3672]

my stepfather had a  massive stroke nov 5 or 7th of this year . i am scared for him. my situation is alot stiicken than most of you. unfortunatly he is in a correctional faclities. and their is sticken limits to be with him. as much as we wish. we dont know much about him we know it was a clot to his arties on his i belive right side he have heard one thing then another we heard he has brain trama but dont know how much of the brain is affected he is parolized on his right side. he can move his left foot and hand and can talk but a bit slured. was in a coma he had a treak because  of secreation in his lungs. he cant eat or drink so they have to feed him with a tube. since this has hapend we only gotton see him twice once for a hour and last time was not a visit day so they only gave us 5 min we used them 5 min wisely telling him how much we miss him love him andwere gonna do this with him and he is not alone.and letting them know how much they mean to u realy helps thir spirts. transportation is fanominal.  he has developed phemonia and has a machine to help him breath he is alert and we pray for him evrynight. and he is on our minds day in and day out. he is in a corectional rehabilitation hospital. and is closly supervised. we dont know much dose nay one know or been threw this to help us . my mom has power of atty for him. and his visits are scheduled as follows by the correctional hospital. so like i said it is strickened on out end and let me tell you it is awful to not be able 2 sit by their bed side when we cant do nothing about it. and realy want him to know how much we love him and carefor him and want him to be withus. and i wish i could take his place if i had to make a wish it would be to be able to be with him each and evry moment duringhis recovery and im holding my faith and praying that things will turn out for the best. dose any one know how i can go about this situation  please exscuse the miss spelling im worried and not sure if i miss spelled anything

[sue_in_oz]

I can only speak from my own experience, as I am not a medico or therapist.

I had my stroke nearly 12 months ago, a bad one, my entire left side of losing movement (but not sensation).

My leg & foot are more advanced than my arm, so I was able to walk (with walking stick) after a few weeks.  After a few months I could walk without stick.  It's still a work in progress, trying to maintain & improve the function that I have.

My arm was/is more stubborn.  It didn't move much for months, partly because of svere pain caused by spastic muscles.  But I continue to work hard on it & my hand/fingers.  I find upper limb work exhausting physically & mentally.

Regarding brain swelling, I was told it is more like months than weeks.  I recall having a decreased sense of awareness of what was going on around me for over 5 months & the it seemed to go away.

With all due respect to the medicos & others, I disagree regarding how long improvements go on for.  After nearly 12 months, I am still improving at a fairly decent rate.  In fact I don't think the rate of improvement has changed, it's just that the imrovements have become more subtle, ie not walking to walking & going up stairsone step at a time to going up leg over leg.

Time in official rehab may be weeks or months but you can & need to continue on by yourself afterwards.  If you don't try nothing will happen if you don't do things, you will never be able to.

So in summary, you can get better than you are now but you have to work at & put the effort in.

HTH

sue_in_oz

[oc1dean]

When your medical staff talks about recovery  they are referring to ADLs -Activities of Daily Living. You want to make sure that your therapists and doctors understand that  full recovery is your goal. You will have to fight with your HMO and insurance to keep getting therapy. The 6 month  to 1 year recovery is from the part of the brain that was knocked out from the stroke, Any part of the brain that completely died will need to use neuroplasticity to recover and that takes a long time and lots of mental ability. This part of recovery is wholly dependent on the patient themselves since they need to understand that they are retraining their brain.  Extreme fatigue is common you want to make sure that any prescriptions for general muscle relaxants like baclofen or Zanaflex are useful instead of being a sleepy hindrance to therapy. There is much more to tell but the National Stroke Association or the American Stroke Association should have brochures describing all this if they were doing their job. Call NSA 1 - 800 - 787 - 6537
ASA 1-888-478-7653

[Mikey865]

My grandmother had a massive stroke on the right side of the brain, left side is not functional, and at the time of her arrival at teh hospital , she had pneumonia, developed UTI, and fell on her shoulder and torn it when she fell. One week later she went into a coma state, came out of it and is even worse. after the first stroke she was alert able to slur talk focus on you. After the other strokes occured she can be awake look at you a few head knods yes and no to answer questions accurately and squeeze your hand very tight on one side. she is currently at a rehab center get all therapy done. she is on a feeding tube they really have not done anything with swallowing ( cause i not sure if she can) but when her mouth is closed she will swallow siliva. She has only said a few words "am i getting better" and when we state that she is she replies " I hope so" and she said " Happy new year " a few days ago. If anyone can give some insight to this situation feel free, i have been researching strokes but first hand experience is always the best thanks a lot!

[mltaylor22]

My 49 yr. old husband just had a massive stroke. He can't talk, can't swallow, and his left side has no movement.  Can anyone PLEASE tell me if they've had these symptoms and come through them, and how long it took?

Thanks, mlt

[sue_in_oz]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your hubby ;(  Hope is doing OK at the moment.  Please refer to my post a few up from hear.  I also had/have problems swallowing & speaking due to facial & oral muscle paralysis & weakness.  They to get better with time & practice.  I noticed a change after about 7-8 months.

As I said there is hope but you have to do the work.

HTH

Sue

[ella0510]

My 54 year old brother just had a massive stroke a week ago.  He was care flighted to a trauma facility that specializes in patients that were as critical as him.  He is currently in a comma, has developed pneumonia and is running a high fever.  He is on life support and a couple of times has shown movement on his left foot and right eye lid.  I'm not sure if the movement is reflexes or if there is actual brain stimulation.  Can anyone give me some hope if there love one experience some of these symptoms and came out of the coma and what were the ending results. Anything you can share would lift a tremendous load off of my heart.

Thank you and God Bless
Mamie0212

[Acosta]

My 31 year old uncle just had a massive stroke two days ago brought on by extremely high blood pressure.  Like ella0510s' brother, he is in a coma, on a respirator and his not responsive to verbal commands.  Also, there is muscle movement in both the left arm and leg; however, it is not certain that the movement is brought on by brain activity or reaction to the doctors pinching.  Does anyone out there know anything about the a prognosis; as of right now, it is very bleek and assessed that he will remain in a vegetative state for the rest of life.  Please, someone who has experience in a situation like this, share some information, bring some hope.  Also like ella0510, it will bring a tremendous load off my heart.  Thank you all for your experiences, they are moving and hopeful.  Best of luck and god bless,

SPC Acosta

[dart_winyan]

I am in the ssame situation. my mother is 48, she had a massive stroke feb. 21, 2009. and i have been here at the hospital everyday. wel she is in the same state. she in unresponsive, feeding tube, respirator. and only moves to pain. well they said that is a reflex. and most of the damage in her brain is the right side. well after all the testing almost everyother day, nothing was changin.so if she came out of it she would be on a respirator, basically the same way she is now just laying in a bed.she has moved her legs and arms, she opened her eyes, but they said that is just a reflex. everything she did seems to be a reflex. her pupils are tiny. well after meeting with the dr. a few days ago. they said that there is nothing they can do. she would be in this deep coma and not come out of it with the substantial amount of brain damage. well last night we finally decided it would be best to take her off everything and just let her go. it was the hardest decision ever. so I layed by her side last night. and well she is still breathing on her own, its been almost 24 hours. but thats because she had a healty hheart. but evrything else has gone. so now we sit by her side waitng for he to go. they say she isnt feeling pain, her brain actually had more swelling, she had developed phneumonia also. so she coughs, yawns, reacted to pain, but once again its reflexes. well i hope this helped a bit. because i came on here to read up on massive strokes. and i read your and almost sounds like what went through.

[dart_winyan]

also i forgot she runs high fevers, so they have to regulate them everyday. because the blood clot that went to her brain actually affected the part of the brain that regulates your temp., and body movement

[aimee1282]

I would hold out hope, my dad was in a coma for 3 weeks and he finally came out of it, he did come out of it very slowly.  Some movements are reflexive but its important to look for movements that may not be.  Like Dart_Winyan's mom, my dad went through the same things including the high fevers but he came out of it, everyone is different.  He started moving his arm and leg on the unaffected side and he began to have very minimal movement in his weaker leg, but these were all positive improvements.  Just keep watching, hoping and praying.

[Acosta]

Well, i just want to thank you both very much sharing your own personal experience, i know that it is very difficult.  My uncle just underwent brain surgery to remove a large portion of his skull to counter the massive swelling.  The Doctors said that this surgery will have nothing to do with the overall outcome and wellbeing of my uncle, they are just trying to relieve the pressure.  As of now, there is no new prognosis, everything still looks bleek and the possibility of recovery is slim to none.  Before the surgery, his eyes dialated and he lost complete movement of his left side of his body, basically, he was completely brain dead, in a vegatative state. My family is fairing as best as they can, but as you all can imagine it is very difficult.  I want to thank those who have posted in response to my first post, it was very hopeful.  I read them out loud to my family and they are grateful for personal situations recently shared.   We are some relieved of the possible prognosis, as of right now, i think its 50/50.  We appreciate everything, thanks for sharing, we thank you so very much.  As the situation progresses, i will continue to post new blogs.  I pray for those in this situation, I pray for those who have had successes and continue to struggle.  My family and I wish the very best to all families and victims of massive strokes, god bless us all.

SPC Acosta

[October12]

I am so sad. My 34 year old cousin had a stroke one day ago. One side of  her bocy is paralized and she can't speak. I can't believe it! She was very active and in fact, was at the gym when she fell down. I live far away from her and I don't know the details, but I am so scared for her right now.

Is it possible for someone to become un-paralyzed when they have a stroke? Is it a bad sign that she can't talk?

I am in such disbelief this could happen to someone so young.