Nerissa Ko

Caring.com Expert

About

Nerissa Ko is an assistant professor of neurology and an assistant director of the Neurovascular Service at the University of California in San Francisco. She specializes in the care of patients with strokes and vascular diseases of the brain.

Recently Published on Caring.com

1. Sunday February 03, 2008

   0. Why has my mother-in-law become so irresponsible with her money since her stroke?

      Answer - This isn't an unusual complaint, and it's one of the most challenging for families and caregivers. Your mother-in-law's stroke probably caused damage to the right side, or nondominant side, of the brain or the frontal lobes of the brain. People who've had this type of damage may be physically fine, but...

2. Monday January 28, 2008

   1. How do I reset a post-stroke sleep schedule?

      Answer - Sleep disturbances after a stroke are very common. The sleep cycle disruption may start in the hospital and get gradually worse over a six-month period. It's not unusual for a stroke survivor to be extremely fatigued during recovery, and as a result, he may spend too much time sleeping during the day...

   2. Can a stroke cause a metallic taste in the mouth?

      Answer - Strokes rarely affect taste sensation in isolation, although it's certainly possible depending on the location of your mother's stroke. What's more likely is that one of the medications she's taking is affecting her taste. The first thing I would suggest is that you talk to her doctor about whether her...

   3. Can head injury cause stroke?

      Answer - Yes. It depends on how bad the fall was and how hard your mom hit her head, but it's a definite possibility. Strokes can occur after a significant trauma, usually because a blood vessel gets torn, which is called a dissection. If a fall is bad enough, the lining of a blood vessel can tear and cause the vessel to close, resulting in a stroke...

   4. Could the girdling sensation below my father's chest be the result of his stroke?

      Answer - This isn't a typical stroke symptom. Some unusual stroke symptoms affect the spinal cord instead of the brain, and that might cause this type of sensation. But more likely it's related to another medical issue. It could be as simple as an acid reflux problem, which might be relieved by propping him up on more pillows at night...

   5. Does stroke cause cold sensation in the left side of body?

      Answer - It's possible that your father's stroke injured a part of his brain related to sensation, so now he perceives any sensation on his left side as cold. This isn't unusual: Some people complain of abnormal sensations like pins and needles, or even a feeling like an electric shock. Needless to say, this can be very annoying to patients...