James Castle, M.D., Neurologist
Caring.com Expert
James Castle, M.D. is a neurologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem (affiliated with The University of Chicago) and an expert on strokes.
Recently Published on Caring.com
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I am very sorry to hear about his situation. The unfortunate answer is "yes", a stroke can leave a patient nearly completely paralyzed. It is good that he has some moveme...
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Will a RIND stroke show up on an MRI? — Feb 06, 2012RIND is a term that isn't used very much anymore. It was an older term that referred to a stroke which resolved somewhere between one day and one week after onset. That s... -
someone help me — Feb 06, 2012The first thing to consider is whether or not the patient is safe to swallow all foods. If they have a swallowing dysfunction because of their stroke, you will need to hav... -
Devices that Help Stroke Patients Living Independently — Feb 06, 2012Sorry to hear about her situation. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any such devices, mostly because the "language centers" of the brain that control speech also control r... -
Sorry to hear about this. It sounds like he might be suffering from "Frontal Lobe" dysfunction, most likely from all the strokes. This causes people to be disinhibited an... -
It is hard to say with certainty what this episode represented. It is true that a stroke (or in this case, it would be better defined as a TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack ... -
Is it normal to have migraines after a stroke? — Sep 30, 2011I have had several patients who get migraine headaches after a stroke. The first thing I always try to do is make sure nothing dangerous is causing the headaches - usually... -
Having a tendency to flex the muscles of the hand is very common after a stroke. I would recommend starting by setting up an appointment with a Physiatrist (Physical Medic... -
Is confusion normal at night for stroke survivors, and will my father get better in a skilled nursing facility? — Aug 22, 2011Sorry to hear of your predicament. It is hard to know how much of his confusion is due to a new stroke versus how much is "delerium". "Delerium" is common in elderly hosp... -
The symptoms you describe above do not sound consistent with a stroke. Typically, a stroke would involve weakness or numbness on just one half of the body, often accompani... -
Does vitamin K prevent strokes? — Aug 05, 2011You may be overthinking these issues. Vitamin K would only be contraindicated if you take the medication warfarin (brand name Coumadin). If you are on warfarin, which wor... -
There are a few possibilities as to what could cause such an appearance on the MRI. At the age of 60, the most likely would be that you have too high a blood pressure, and... -
Is moving my husband home after his stroke a good idea, or will he lose all the progress he made in the nursing facility? — Jul 15, 2011If he really wants to come home, he probably has a good reason (i.e., he is not getting along with the staff and other residents at the nursing home). I would try your bes... -
Do we have any other caregiving option for my mom outside of a nursing care facility? — Jul 15, 2011Very sorry to hear about this. It sounds like the relationship you have with her current living facility has broken down, and you need to consider moving her to a differen... -
I am very sorry to hear about your awful situation. You were very lucky to find a doctor willing to make a house call. That is almost unheard of these days. To get the h... -
The first thing I would do is make sure that all necessary imaging has been done. This would include an MRI of the brain and either a CT angiogram or MR angiogram of the v... -
What is the treatment for post stroke delerium? — Jun 29, 2011It does sound very suspicious for post-stroke dementia. Delerium would imply that this is a temporary, reversible issue, which it does not sound like since it has been goi... -
Is it normal for a stroke survivor to not follow directions? — Jun 29, 2011Sorry to hear about this. Much of what you are describing sounds to me like a post-stroke dementia. Many patients who have a large stroke have memory problems and persona... -
Yes, it is quite common to have headaches from a stroke. Often, the cause of the headache is unclear, but evidence of bleeding at the site of the stroke and/or a problem w... -
Sorry to hear about your situation. In general, I would start by saying that this sounds like a very complicated situation, so I would have to defer to your father's docto... -
A few things come to mind that might explain the arm shaking: 1) Partial Seizure. This can occur as a result of scarring in the brain from the stroke. It is not too unco... -
This is a fairly common problem after a hemorrhagic stroke. The brain often "makes up" sensations when there is a problem in the regular sensory wiring coming from the arm... -
After Dad's stroke he became sensitive to light and sound, is there treatment for this? — Jun 06, 2011It sounds like he might be suffering from meningeal irritation, or migrainous symptoms. These cause "photophobia" and "phonophobia" - in other words, aversion to light and... -
Is my father having a seizure or a stroke? — Jun 06, 2011This is a tricky situation. It is not uncommon for people to suffer from neurological "spells" after a stroke without a clear cut etiology. To a first order approximation... -
What could be causing mom's tongue to swell? — Jun 06, 2011Sorry for this predicament. I would agree with your other doctors, that the most common reason to have a swollen tongue is a medication allergy. Particularly troublesome ...
