Questions About Stroke Diagnosis and Prognosis

1. How long do stroke symptoms last after a brain stroke?

   Question - Unfortunately, this is a very difficult question to answer. The general rule I use is that if people survive the initial days of the stroke, and the complications during that early phase, they almost always have some improvement. However, the amount of improvement is extremely variable. Some patients return to normal, some only have very mild improvement...
   1 Expert Answer, 14 Community Answers

2. What are the chances of another stroke?

   Question - The chances of having a second stroke depend a great deal on what caused the initial stroke. In someone your age, the usual causes of stroke are 1) a tear in the artery, 2) an inborn problem with the arteries, 3) inborn heart disease - such as a hole in the heart, or 4) a clotting disorder.
   1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

3. What is the long term prognosis for a 58 year old man who had a TIA and clot buster with nearly full recovery?

   Question - I think it is important to note that this man did not have a TIA, but rather a stroke. By definition, a TIA, or "Transient Ischemic Attack", must have a duration of less than 24 hours. In other words, if this man suffered a TIA, he should be completely back to normal as opposed to having a "nearly full recovery...
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4. What could be causing these post stroke symptoms?

   Question - The thalamus is a very important part of the brain, and a stroke there can be quite debilitating.
   1 Expert Answer, 9 Community Answers

5. Could my mother have Alzheimer's, rather than dementia?

   Question - When the doctors say your mother has dementia, they are referring to her symptoms. Dementia is not a disease but a set of symptoms including memory loss, changes in attention and abstract reasoning, and so on. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, but it's not the only one...
   1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

6. How should we deal with my dad's anxiety attacks after his stroke?

   Question - A stroke is a very stressful and scary event; anxiety after a stroke is common, and some people even suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. It sounds like your father is suffering from anxiety and might benefit greatly from the help of a professional, either a psychiatrist or psychologist...
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

7. Will blood clots from a stroke dissolve over time?

   Question - Sorry to hear of your predicaments.
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8. Is there a limit to how much a person can recover from a stoke?

   Question - As a general rule of thumb, the best chance for recovery after a stroke is within the first 6 months, with some people having some notable recovery out to 2 years.
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9. Will a previous stroke prohibit future surgery?

   Question - Unfortunately, it is very difficult to answer this question, as it would be extremely helpful to see the angiogram. An "absent" middle cerebral artery can be from a number of causes.
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10. Is cognitive decline a normal effect of a stroke?

    Question - This type of compulsive behavior is not common after a stroke. Although I don't know the details of his full treatment, I am a bit suspicious that one of his physicians started him on a "dopamine agonist" medication for his Parkinson's symptoms. I would check this with the Movement Disorder specialist...
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

11. Mental evaluations after a stroke?

    Question - Unfortunately, it's hard to answer this without knowing the details of the stroke. However, it sounds like his language centers were effected by the stroke. At a minimum, it sounds like his language production centers were effected. Often, people who can't make language after a stroke can still understand...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

12. After Dad's stroke, he has suffered from aspiration. His nutrition is getting better - will the aspirations lessen, too?

    Question - Very sorry to hear about this situation.
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13. What can I do to ease the right hand "clutching" I'm experiencing after my stroke?

    Question - 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 Medicine and Rehabilitation) doctor. Often, they can do muscle relaxing injections, such as Botox, into those muscles to relieve the strong clenching of the hand...
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14. My husband had a stroke and is in rehab. He won't eat, how can we help?

    Question - I do feel for you, as I know it is tough to see this happen to someone you love. Having worked in rehab as a nurse, I used to see many stroke patients have a difficult time. It is common for patients with certain types of strokes to have issues with eating. I am hoping that his swallowing ability has been checked, and that he is able to eat safely...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

15. My husband had a stroke and now makes no effort to improve. What can I do?

    Question - Sorry to hear about your situation. I would agree with you that it sounds like he is in a depression, and that he needs help. I would ask friends and relatives of his to help you convince him that he needs help. Perhaps a trip to his regular doctor, after you call his doctor to express your thoughts...
    1 Expert Answer, 5 Community Answers

16. Is it normal for a stroke survivor to not follow directions?

    Question - Sorry to hear about this.
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17. What is the explanation for these common stroke statistics?

    Question - Many of the stroke statistics commonly quoted in the literature, in my opinion, are somewhat outdated. In particular, the mortality rates are always changing, have much to do with the type and severity of the stroke, and the hospital setting in which the stroke was treated.
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18. Are there any massage machines on the market for stroke patients?

    Question - Based on your description, my suspicion is that your father is suffering from a post-stroke foot extension problem (otherwise known as a central foot drop) which prevents him from walking around easily. The less expensive way to deal with this is to get an ASO ankle brace from a local physical therapists...
    1 Expert Answer

19. What are the chances that my wife will recover her speech after her stroke?

    Question - I am truly sorry to hear of these chain of events. I have a few thoughts:
    1 Expert Answer, 6 Community Answers

20. Can my sister still benefit from therapy after a stroke?

    Question - Very sorry to hear about your situation.
    1 Expert Answer, 5 Community Answers

21. What is the best way to recover brain function after a stroke

    Question - The best way to recover after a stroke is to do what it sounds like you are doing - try to exercise your brain as much as possible. This includes reading on your own, trying crossword puzzles, taking classes, Suduko, etc. Also, ask your physician if there are any speech therapists in your area that you could work with...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

22. If my grandfather survives his stroke, what side effects should we expect to see?

    Question - Although I can't be sure of the size of his stroke, he is very early out from the event. Therefore, he has lots of time to recover some of his strength. Your doctors are right, that recovery from a stroke is very hard to predict, but the general rule of thumb is that patients slowly improve after the...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

23. Is the shaking in my mother's arm caused by the stroke she had?

    Question - A few things come to mind that might explain the arm shaking:
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24. Is it common to have headaches after the stroke has occurred and during recovery?

    Question - 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 with one of the arteries that supplies the brain in the area of the stroke should be ruled out by imaging (which she most likely has undergone)...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

25. My husband lost his sense of smell and taste after an ischemic stroke, will it ever improve?

    Question - I think it is too early to say with certainty that he won't improve. I'm not exactly sure how to treat this particular problem, and a review of the literature indicates that no specific treatment is readily available. However, since his strokes were fairly recent, it seems very reasonable to expect that he will continue to improve...
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26. My grandfather had a stroke and now cannot move his hand. What do we do?

    Question - It is wonderful that he has made such a good recovery thus far.
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27. Can a stroke cause a low heart rate and is that a concern for future surgery?

    Question - I can't really answer the question regarding his heart rate and the safety of a surgery. That is outside the field of stroke, and would be better referred to a Cardiologist.
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28. Is there any treatment to help my mom regulate her temperature, post-stroke?

    Question - I am assuming that when you use the term "Stroke" in your question, you are referring to some residual symptoms from the Guillain Barre Syndrome. Typically, a stroke would be unlikely to cause the whole body to be paralyzed, as would Guillain Barre Syndrome, and would be unlikely to be a complication of Guillain Barre Syndrome...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

29. Can a TIA have residual effects?

    Question - By definition, a TIA should cause symptoms that last no more than 24 hours. If your mother is still having symptoms from an event that took place last year, this would be considered a stroke, not a TIA. That said, with regards to vascular dementia, a TIA can cause damage to the brain that is not noticeable to the patient but can be seen on radiologic imaging...
    1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

30. Why are my father's abilities improving and then regressing since his stroke?

    Question - In general, patients should slowly improve after a stroke. After about two years, this improvement tends to slow down substantially. However, any reappearance or worsening of symptoms should prompt a medical evaluation.
    1 Expert Answer, 5 Community Answers

31. How can I encourage my father to use his left side that has no feeling after stroke?

    Question - The term for what you're describing is anosognosia, which means "without knowing." It's a profound lack of awareness of the side of the body affected by the stroke.Anosognosia is not to be confused with denial. Your father isn't denying that he has a problem; he's literally disconnected from his left arm and leg...
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32. How can I help my kids understand their grandfather's aphasia after his stroke?

    Question - This is a tricky issue. Depending on how old your children are, you could try explaining that because your father-in-law got sick, his language abilities are similar to those of a younger child, such as a toddler.
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33. How can I be sure that a headache after a stroke isn't a ministroke, or TIA?

    Question - Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also known as "ministrokes," are almost always painless. Headaches after a stroke are fairly uncommon, but they might occur for the following reasons:
    1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

34. Are strokes or Alzheimer's to blame for my mother's memory loss?

    Question - Often, it is very difficult to tell if someone is having memory loss from multiple small strokes, or from Alzheimer's disease. A particular challenging part of the problem is that Alzheimer's can only be definitively diagnosed by looking at the brain under a microscope - in other words, in a post-mortem examination...
    1 Expert Answer

35. What can be done about my husband's ongoing stroke pain, and does it mean there's another one coming?

    Question - Head pain is not common during, or after, a stroke. When it occurs, it may be a sign of 1) bleeding, 2) a tear in one of the arteries, 3) a clot in one of the veins, 4) opening up of smaller arteries when one of the larger ones is occluded, or 4) a side effect of his medicine...
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36. Is there treatment for post-stroke spasicity?

    Question - Post-stroke spasms are generally treated with some combination of physical therapy, injections, or oral medications. Probably the easiest and most benign of these options is physical therapy. I would include under this "umbrella" such things as massage therapy and accupuncture. I have had good success with all of those for my patients...
    1 Expert Answer

37. Is it possible to feel irritation where I had a stroke?

    Question - Feeling irritation at the stroke site is not common, but also not unheard of. I have had several patients complain of new onset of headache or head pain in the region of their stroke.
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38. Should a person who has had a major hemorrhage stroke take aspirin?

    Question - I'm not sure if this question is from the same person who asked a very similar question recently. I assume it probably is. However, in case it is not, the general rule is that someone who had a hemorrhagic stroke would not typically be treated with aspirin unless they also have a history of heart attack...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

39. Do questions become more difficult to ask after a stroke?

    Question - To answer your first question, yes they can. Typically, language can be effected in two ways. The first of those is if the muscles of the mouth are not working properly, and your speech becomes slurry. The second is if the language center in the brain is effected, and you lose your English abilities...
    1 Expert Answer

40. How can I make this post-stroke noise in my ear go away?

    Question - I have not heard of these particular symptoms following a thalamic hemorrhage. However, damage to the thalamus not uncommonly causes exaggerated senses on the opposite side of the body. These sensations often respond to medication - including gabapentin or amitriptyline. I would ask your doctor about starting those right away...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

41. What's the "Golden Hour," and What Does It Mean for Strokes?

    Question - In stroke care, the term golden hour is used to designate the hour immediately following the onset of stroke symptoms. (Trauma centers use the general term golden hour to indicate the first hour after a trauma has occurred.)
    FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 6 Community Answers

42. Is it common or expected for a person (58 yo) to continue to...

    Question - Continued deterioration after a stroke is not common, and it sounds like she needs further evaluation.
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43. What kind of doctor should we see for stroke recovery issues?

    Question - I would recommend you start by seeing a stroke doctor. Your husband should not have any worsening of his left side this far out from a stroke. It sounds like he needs to have a review of his case to make sure that there is no active problem making him worse.
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers