Harry Said:

Can anybody explain me about STROKE and how it can be recovered ?

We Answered:

When a person has a stroke, that means that a small portion of their brain was deprived of blood and oxygen for some time. when this happens, that part of the brain starts "dying". This usually occurs on the opposite side of the brain from the extremities that were affected. You said he was paralyzed on his left side, so the right side of his brain was likely the affected portion. The recovery from a stroke usually depends on how quickly the patient received treatment when the stroke occurred. The shorter the time for treatment to have been administered, the better quality of recovery and the faster the recovery. The longer the wait is for treatment, the more permanent the damage will likely be. They have new therapies now that allows the brain to be "retrained", so another part of the brain will take over the functions of the damaged part. This may take some time, but just keep encouraging him and helping him to improve! Good luck!

Ernest Said:

Will physical therapy really fix my messed up knee cap?

We Answered:

Physical therapy works fairly well for patellofemoral conditions. Unless you have some very prominent structural abnormalities (ie, you are very knock kneed), I doubt surgery will be considered at this point. If you did have surgery, I think you'd still have a potential to be back by your senior year if you get the surgery done early in or before your junior year.

Bonnie Said:

What do you think would be the causes of childhood stroke?

We Answered:

Varicella infection, also known as chicken pox and Sickle cell anemia have been associated with stroke in children. Other cases are due to unknown causes.

Clinton Said:

My 33 yr old brother had a brain stem stroke?

We Answered:

My stroke was on the left side so I had compete paralysis on the right side. I know it can be very discouraging, but it will help your brother to have faith thats he can get better.

I had a stroke on 11.28.07, like a mentioned, I couldn't move anything on the right side of my body. With a lot of rehab (physical, occupational, speech and psychological) I started seeing progress-- albeit minor progress, every day.

I could speak well enough for my wife to understand me within a few days; I walked with help from a cane within a couple of weeks; and I could touch each finger to my thumb by Christmas day. Every day, however, was a struggle, but today I am back to work, I can run a 10-minute mile and I am typing this no slower than I typed before hand. My speech is still jacked-up a bit, but that doesn't stop me from singing at church. And I'm still exercising and trying to get better although I have come to grips with the fact that I will probably won't every be 100% of what I was before the stroke.

The doctors said my recovery went so well because of my youth (I'm 42). Personally, I contribute it to my will to get better-- my two-year old son wanted to play and I still had something to say.

I know it is hard because no one will tell you what to expect-- How much will I recover? how soon will it start? and how long will it take? but, honestly, they don't know. All your brother can do is have faith that he will get better, work hard to do so, look for little bits of progress everyday and know that it is possible-- 'cause I did it!

Pamela Said:

what cognitive method would you use with an elderlythat has had a stroke and is now fearful of falling?

We Answered:

First you should validate her fears. Let her know that everyone can fall and she is at a higher risk of falling and getting hurt right now, but with physical therapy, she can reduce her chances of being hurt seriously.

Delores Said:

My Grandmother recently had a stroke and I have some questions regarding recovery.?

We Answered:

Hi
I'm a speech pathologist with 12 years experience specializing in adults with neurological impairments. I wanted you to know that very often depression can be a part of the damage caused by the stroke. Depending on the area of the brain that was affected this may be one of the reasons your grandmother is struggling with her emotions. The frontal lobe houses the personality centers and if her infarct occured near that area this makes it likely that she will have emotional issues as a result. In addition, she is also dealing with a major illness and possibly a near-death experience. To make it worse, she is now left with speech deficits that make it difficult for her to express her emotions verbally. With all that in mind, its no wonder she is depressed.

While, I'm glad to hear that she is taking an antidepressant, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, many of these drugs require several weeks to reach therapeutic levels in the blood. Second, there are many different medications to choose from and Prozac may not be the right choice for her. I would recommend you go to a psychopharmacologist, a psychiatrist or a neurologist with experience with stroke patients. Check your local rehab hospital for suggestions. Many general doctors prescribe antidepressants without knowing all the latest options.

Now, what else can you do to help? Isn't she lucky to have someone asking that? Just having companionship is important and you are certainly a dedicated granddaughter. But I know you are looking for more practical suggestions. Have you looked into fine arts therapies such as music therapy or art therapy? These do not require verbalizations and help vent emotions and allow people to express themselves in another way. If you cannot locate fine arts therapists you can try some of these types of activities on your own. Maybe you could try listening to fun music from a time period she enjoyed and have her move to the music to the best of her abilites. Maybe you could try finger painting, gluing activities or other craft activities. She can trace letters and simple pictures to help stimulate her brain. You might want to try some scrapbooking or photo album building. Photography could be fulfilling for her.

Finally I'd like to let you know that there is support out there for you and her. You can check out my message board for links http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SPEECHCONN… and ideas.
Feel free to email me with more questions if you'd like. There has also been some encouraging new research that shows people with aphasia can continue to improve for a long time after stroke. Check out Constraint Induced Therapy (CIAT), Melodic Intonation Therapy and Intensive Therapy online. I just started offering CIAT in NY. Its very new and I'm excited to be involved.

I hope some of these suggestions are helpful. Best of luck to you both.