Weakness, paralysis, and problems with balance or coordination. Pain, numbness, or burning and tingling sensations. Fatigue, which may continue after you return home. Inattention to one side of the body, also known as neglect; in extreme cases, you may not be aware of your arm or leg.
Some examples include being physically active, doing yoga, stretching and relaxation exercises, eating a healthy diet and getting enough rest. Physical activity can clear your mind, reduce tension and boost your energy.
You or your loved one may experience feelings of irritability, forgetfulness, carelessness or confusion. Feelings of anger, anxiety or depression are also common. The good news is many disabilities resulting from stroke tend to improve over time. Likewise, behavioral and emotional changes also tend to improve.
The most rapid recovery usually occurs during the first three to four months after a stroke, but some survivors continue to recover well into the first and second year after their stroke.
For this reason, the 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms are known as “the golden hour.” If treatment can be initiated within this brief window, the patient's outcome is likely to be better.
Strokes can cause weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, and can result in problems with co-ordination and balance. Many people also experience extreme tiredness (fatigue) in the first few weeks after a stroke, and may also have difficulty sleeping, making them even more tired.
Give yourself plenty of time to recover from your stroke. It can take many months before post-stroke fatigue starts to lift. Accepting that it takes time to improve can help you to cope better. Find out how much you can do in a day and stick to it.
Many stroke survivors experience overwhelming fatigue, both physically and mentally. Symptoms can include difficulty with self-control, emotions and memory. Some report feeling tired even after a good night's sleep. Others say they feel tired when they perform a task requiring physical or mental focus.
Fatigue is one of the most common effects of stroke. It can make you feel unwell and like you're not in control of your recovery. The signs of fatigue are not always obvious to other people and so they may not understand how you are feeling.
A stroke changes life for the survivor and everyone involved. Not only do survivors experience physical changes, but many experience personality changes ranging from apathy to neglect. Some survivors just don't seem to care about anything. The best response to apathy is activity.
After a stroke, around 30% of survivors experience pain. This is most likely to happen soon after a stroke, but can also develop sometime later. Types of post-stroke pain include muscle and joint pain such as spasticity and shoulder pain. Headaches are more common soon after a stroke but should reduce over time.
The most severe strokes can leave a person unable to respond, or in a sleep-like state. This is sometimes called unconsciousness or coma, and it means that important parts of the brain are not working well. Coma is a worrying sign, as it may mean that the stroke is severe enough that the person may not survive.
Most people will be given aspirin straight after having an ischaemic stroke. As well as being a painkiller, aspirin is an antiplatelet, which reduces the chances of another clot forming. Other antiplatelet medicines may be used later, such as clopidogrel and dipyridamole.
This is because the brain requires extra energy to heal the damage incurred, leaving less energy available for typical functions such as staying alert. Furthermore, studies have shown that sleep promotes neuroplasticity after stroke.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Regarding the duration of fatigue after stroke, acute fatigue can last up to 6 months, whereas the chronic type can persist in 40% of patients after 2 years. Another study reported fatigue to be still present in one-third of patients up to 6 years after stroke onset.
Some movement and relaxation activities like yoga, Zumba or meditation are often available at leisure centres. These can be a good way to get moving after a stroke. They can also help you feel good and improve your mood.
Sleep is important for good health, especially for somebody recovering from a stroke. It plays a significant part in healing the brain and in aiding physical recovery.
The stroke recovery process is long and can come with many challenges, including the feeling that symptoms are getting worse instead of better. However, know that regression after stroke is common and often temporary. This can be impacted by factors such as new medications, schedule changes, or excess fatigue.
Because walking is such an important element of day-to-day functioning, recovering functionality in the leg is the central priority for recovering from a stroke. The arm, though, can be left to do little to nothing for the remainder of the survivor's life.
Stage 2: First 2 weeks
Once discharged, patients with severe side effects will likely be transferred to a long-term acute care facility; those with less serious issues will either be referred to an inpatient or outpatient rehab center. The majority of patients will experience a 50% recovery within the first two weeks.
Few patients recover fully and most are left with some disability, but the majority exhibit some degree of spontaneous recovery. Doctors and scientists don't fully understand how this happens, because the brain does not grow new cells to replace the ones damaged by the stroke.