Questions About Stroke Treatment and Rehab

1. Can refusing some treatments invalidate Medicare?

   Question - A patient (who is competent to make decisions) always has a right to refuse treatment. It sounds like what the doctor is doing is simply protecting himself or herself against a liability claim by getting written documentation that your husband's failure to follow a particular course of treatment is contrary to the doctor's medical advice...
   1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

2. Will Dad be able to walk on his own again after his stroke?

   Question - Hi

3. Can a stroke cause a swelled tongue?

   Question - I would agree with your assessment - that an allergic reaction to one of the medicines a very plausible explanation. Strokes can cause weakness of the tongue, but not swelling. The one exception to this is if the tongue is sticking farther out of the mouth than it had before, and therefore looks "swollen", even though it is not truly any bigger...
   1 Expert Answer

4. 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...
   1 Expert Answer

5. 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

6. 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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7. How do I regain my balance after a stroke?

   Question - Your vomiting and dizziness symptoms concern us. We recommend you consult a professional to double-check your balance, and arrange for vision and inner ear evaluations. Perhaps the consultation and evaluations may offer an explanation.
   2 Expert Answers, 6 Community Answers

8. How do I get my husband to try to recover from a stroke?

   Question - Sorry to hear about this. Although I don't expect that he would make much physical improvements from the point of view of standard stroke recovery this far out from the stroke, a few thoughts come to mind.
   1 Expert Answer, 6 Community Answers

9. Can headaches and vision loss after a stroke be related?

   Question - Based on your description, it sounds like she likely had a stroke in either the right middle cerebral artery (inferior division) or the right posterior cerebral artery. These strokes often cause loss of vision in both eyes to the visual field opposite the side of the stroke (in other words, her left visual field in both eyes)...
   1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

10. Are my symptoms consistent with my stroke?

    Question - The short answer is "yes", that pain syndromes can develop from various different strokes, not just in the thalamus.
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11. What steps need to be taken for appropriate stroke rehabilitation?

    Question - Very sorry to hear about this situation.
    1 Expert Answer, 4 Community Answers

12. 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

13. How do I encourage my mother to do her physical therapy after her stroke?

    Question - I think it is very likely that your mother is suffering from post-stroke depression, a very common problem. Post-stroke depression has a very bad impact on outcome after a stroke. It is crucial to her recovery that she participate actively in rehabilitation exercise, and the sooner, the better.
    1 Expert Answer

14. Is it dangerous to give a clot busting drug to someone who is having a stroke?

    Question - The timing depends a bit on age. If the patient is over 80, then giving TPA after 3 hours is considered very risky. If they are under 80, that window can be expanded out to 4.5 hours under certain circumstances.
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

15. After Dad's stroke he became sensitive to light and sound, is there treatment for this?

    Question - It sounds like he might be suffering from meningeal irritation, or migrainous symptoms. These cause "photophobia" and "phonophobia" - in other words, aversion to light and sound. This may be a result of his stroke. I would talk to his doctor about trying some anti-migraine medication (not acute therapy medicines but preventative medications)...
    1 Expert Answer

16. What is the treatment for post stroke delerium?

    Question - It 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 going on for such a long time. However, I think it is very important to make sure there is no underlying cause for delerium - lab testing...
    1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

17. Do we have any other caregiving option for my mom outside of a nursing care facility?

    Question - Very sorry to hear about this.
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

18. What should be do prior to calling 911 if my sister has another stroke?

    Question - 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 accompanied by visual changes or speech disturbance. If symptoms such as these last longer than 24 hours, and were caused by a stroke, you would expect to see signs of a stroke on an MRI scan...
    1 Expert Answer

19. 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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20. We don't really know anything about strokes; are these things normal?

    Question - Sorry to hear about your situation. It sounds like your grandfather is having "aphasia", "encephalopathy", and possibly depression.
    1 Expert Answer

21. 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...
    1 Expert Answer

22. Is there anything that will help relieve my dad's pain after his stroke?

    Question - Chronic pain following a stroke is often due to increased contraction of the muscles affected by the stroke, similar to cramping. This can lead to contractures (muscle tightening that prevents normal movement) and pain in the muscles and joints.
    1 Expert Answer, 10 Community Answers

23. Is Surgery the Best Treatment for Carotid Artery Disease?

    Question - Your best bet is probably to use the same criteria most doctors use. For starters, we look at just how badly the artery is blocked. If the artery is more than 80 percent blocked, surgery may be the best option. However, there are many other factors to look at...
    FAQ 1 Expert Answer, 1 Community Answer

24. 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

25. Does Atrial Fibrillation Increase Stroke Risk?

    Question - People with atrial fibrillation who take medication for their condition still have a slightly increased risk of stroke compared with people without this condition. But effective treatment can cut that risk by more than half.
    FAQ 1 Expert Answer

26. Is there still hope for recovery 5 years after a stroke?

    Question - Unfortunately, the vast majority of brain recovery after a stroke occurs within the first six months. At five years out, not much spontaneous brain recovery would be expected. However, I would not completely lose hope, as it is likely within your lifetime that some neuro-regenerative therapies may be forthcoming...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

27. 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

28. Why are stroke victims placed on their side during a stroke?

    Question - I have not heard of putting someone on their side specifically for the purposes of having a stroke. This practice is usually reserved for someone having a seizure. It is called putting someone in the "Rescue Position". While a patient is having a seizure, the safest place for them to be is on their side...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

29. Is cold numbness normal after a TIA?

    Question - It sounds as if you suffered a stroke, not a TIA. A TIA, by definition, resolves completely. Your symptoms have not, so this would be a stroke.
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

30. Will stroke-induced dysphagia go away with time?

    Question - As with any symptom after a stroke, only time will tell if it improves. As a general rule, symptoms do not get worse once a stroke has happened (at least after the first few weeks), but we never know how much better the symptoms will get or if they will ever go away.
    1 Expert Answer, 6 Community Answers

31. Is it possible to recover from a stroke-induced coma?

    Question - This is somewhat difficult to answer without having more detail about the cause of the coma, the size of the stroke, the type of stroke, etc. However, in general, if an elderly person slips into a coma after a stroke, the prognosis is very poor...
    1 Expert Answer, 2 Community Answers

32. Should or should not my father take aspirin after a stroke?

    Question - This is a tough question, one for which there is no definite right or wrong answer. In general, if someone has had a bleeding stroke (such as your father), but has never had a heart attack or ischemic stroke (stroke caused by a clot in one of the arteries to the brain), I would say he should not be on aspirin...
    1 Expert Answer, 3 Community Answers

33. Severe personality changes after strokes?

    Question - Dear Caring Member, Unfortunately severe personality changes after a stroke is very common. First off your intense sense of lack of appreciation is so important. Let's first address the need to better take care of yourself. You need all the support you can get whether from community or online. Please look into National Family Caregiver Alliance...
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