my wife

[ed34]

About four weeks ago my wife suffered a stroke when she was taken off life support. I believe it was to the left side of
the brain because her right leg and arm were totally dead, she couldn't feel them at all. Even when a doctor put a pin
to her foot there was no reaction at all. Her speech was a mess and the right side of her face dropped. She is 38 years old. After being at home for two weeks I have been trying my best to get her as back to normal as possible but
to be honest I'm going nuts because I don't really know what therapy to use. So far I have managed to get her walking
with a frame and her right leg is able to support her weight with a bit of a wobble. Her foot is ticklish now. Her right
arm is moving but much weaker than the left one. She is able to do knitting, but there isn't enough strength in her
fingers to cut her food with a knife. Her speech is totally back to normal and her face is symetrical again with no
droop at all. Is this good progress over a two week period or should there be much more improvement? Doctors have
told me that once the deadline of one year is reached, that's it, there's no more improvement. Is that true? I find it hard
to believe. I would really appreciate some ideas on the type of exercises I should encourage her to do for building up
her strength. I think the feeling is all there, it's just the weakness now. She can move each finger individually and
co-ordinate her arm/hand to grab objects. She just seems confused as to how hard to grasp them.

Any help is appreciated.

[Dr Rajgopal]

Hello Ed,
I must Congratulate you on being a wonderful, caring husband for being able to bring a remarkable recovery for your wife. First of all, I must say that it is not a thumb rule that the recovery will stop after one year. It is true that for the initial months the recovery is very fast and slows down a bit but recovery after a Stroke may continue for a long time and a patient may recover well if he/she receives proper nutrition, physiotherapy and good moral support.
Rehabilitation phase is very important in the recovery of a Stroke patient. When a patient is no longer acutely ill after a stroke, the healthcare staff focuses on maximizing the patient's functional abilities. It may start while the patient is still in the hospital. The rehabilitation process includes speech therapy to relearn talking and swallowing, occupational therapy to regain dexterity in the hands and legs, and physical therapy to improve strength and walking. The aim of the treatment is to restore as many, if not all, of the pre-stroke activities and functions of the patient.
All there therapies may be carried out at home also. Please arrange for professional help of physiotherapists, psychotherapists and occupational therapists who will make your job easy and the recovery may be smooth and fast. It is very good that you are keeping your wife active. This facilitates in the regeneration of brain cells. Please go through a post in this forum with the heading ‘Stroke’ by Shirl and read how well he recovered from Stroke by resuming full mental and physical activity.
Along with the rehabilitation programmes, nutrition plays a very important role. Please see to it that your wife takes foods rich in multivitamins especially Vitamins A, C and E,   multiminerals, Omega 3 fatty acids. You may use natural supplements for these.  Please do not lose heart. Good nutrition and rehabilitation programmes will ensure a nearly complete recovery from Stroke. Please encourage your wife to have a positive approach because that is what helps the most.
I wish the best for both of you. Take care and regards!  

[ed34]

thank you for your reply, you've given me a great boost. I will talk to our GP and sort
out physiotherapy. Again many thanks

[Gloria1948]

My mom is 83 and in a rehab/nursing home. She suffered a massive stroke on 8/19/09. Her right side is affected but not paralyzed.  She is starting to use her right leg because if you tickle her foot she moves her toes. Her left side of the body is good, left hand compensating for right hand/arm which just lies there. She associates therapy with Pain and yells No, No, No. She had 2 rotator cuff surgeries in her right arm and shoulder (2004 and 2008) and now her left shoulder hurts. Xrays show no fractures. She is trying so very hard to speak and the food given is pureed and she spits it out. I upgraded her to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but she can't keep eating those. She needs 3 assists for in and out of bed and wheelchair. She is alert and knows everyone and understands everything, just can't get the words off the tip of her tongue. She sleeps too much. The following is her list of medications. Are any of them making her sleep too much?   Lisinopril 5 mg 1 x day, Lopressor 50 mg 2 x day, Metformin 250 mg 2 x day, Nexium 50 mg 1 x day, Aspirin 325 mg 1 x day, Lipitor 80 mg 1 x nite and Heparin 5,000 UI under skin 2 x day.  Is this all to much to make her sleep at 83 -- given heart, stroke, blood pressure and borderline diabetes? I can't get in touch with the rehab doctor. They are giving her the meds that the hospital gave her. Should I contact her primary and figure out what she should have?

[loftycat]

As for the recovery I think some Complementary and Alternative Medicine will work. A complementary medication of Kangnaowan may help. If the recovery with western medicine dose not work well, other Complementary and Alternative Medicine could be considered as a choice.

[alafleur]

A related discussion, did i have a stroke just worried was started.

[jbarto2003]

A related discussion, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE was started.