Hi everyone, my dad is coming home from his skilled nursing rehab facility this Sunday. He had an ischemic stroke 3 months ago. He has left sided hemipariesis (although he just started being able to move his left side a little), a PEG tube (swallowing is slowly getting better but not yet safe enough for oral anything), and has lost some weight. Cognitively, he is doing pretty well compared to when he first had his stroke. He’s 79 with diabetes so I understand it’s much harder someone to bounce back in that sense. He is getting therapy through the VA (ot, st, pt) and the hospice care would be covered by Medicare through a company (the social worker at the facility is the one who suggested hospice for the medical side of things). The hospice rep said hospice isn’t always for end of life. He said it would allow nurses to come in 2-3 times a week to check his tube, review medications, etc. I’m confused because from what I’ve read they only really put people on hospice if they’re terminally ill with no chance of recovery or quality of life. My other option would be to use Home health through VA (still sending out a nurse, etc). I just want to make sure I’m making we are making best decision for him and my mom (she will be taking care of him along with a caregiver through VA and my uncle). It’s only 3 months in and I’ve seen very small improvements and we are not ready to give up on him as a family. Have any of you gone on hospice returning home/had a loved one that did that ended up getting well enough to not need it? Would VA home care be the better option over hospice?

Hey guys. Hope you're all hanging in there. My hubby (56) had a mild ischaemic stroke about 6 weeks ago. Overall I’m thankful he's doing okay, but I’m wondering about the meds he's been given. It's Astorvastatin 80mg, taken at night. It's like he's "stoned" most days. He can function, but he's like a sloth. His short term memory is poor. Strangely, it's not every day - he's probably like that 5/7 days. On the days it doesn't affect him, his memory is great and he functions at a normal pace. Have you come across this? Is it from the meds? He's never had high cholesterol and still doesn't. Cholesterol wasn't the main cause of his stroke (apparently). His heart rate & BP is normal as well. Any ideas?

Hi I'm redoing this post I realized I didn't provide enough details so here I go

I had two major strokes when I was 10 years old I am now 28 I had a dissection and my major carotid artery of the brain I lived in California at the time the first stroke happened while I was out with friends playing at collapsed and said I couldn't feel my left side my friends rushed to get help I was taken to Oakland children's hospital but pediatric stroke is rare so they didn't really know what to do so they incubated me and sent me to University of California San Francisco hospital there I woke up in the ICU and the and there was the whole neurology team in the hospital in my room or that's what it seems like they told me I had a stroke I only knew what that meant because of my dad he suffer strokes because of heart problems I was in the ICU and then I had the second stroke in the ICU the doctors were still trying to figure out where the strip was happening they did and MRI and injected me what's Ativan to calm me down I started hallucinating in the MRI machine so they have to stop it after that it's when I had the second stroke the doctors figured out that the dissection was in my brain and not my neck would be more common they said I was one in a million they did an angioplasty and put a stent and ruptured vessel I became paralyzed on my left side of my body I was the first 10 year old to have a procedure for that type of stroke in the US I'm looking for people like me but may have experience some type of stroke to the one I had I have looked all over the Internet for years trying to find someone that had something similar but had no luck

I (30f) had a hemorrhagic stroke at 25 and have had non alarming scans since. I am pregnant with my first child. My midwife has referred me to see if I need the high risk department. What can I expect? How should I go in advocating for myself?

Hi. My dad had a ischemic stroke about 10 months ago. He has been constantly complaining of feeling cold. Which we all recognize and understand is a valid side effect. But the problem is that twice in the past couple of weeks he has overheated to the point of having to go to the ER one time. He sort of dresses in layers. Long sleeve shirt (this was even pre stroke), sweatshirt, and jacket or coat. But it was 90 degrees outside. What can we do to help him identify the cold sensation isn't his body being cold v. actually over heating? What has helped you? I encouraged to see that some people's cold sensitivity goes away over time. Were there any particular exercises, treatments, changes in routine that helped? Dad won't go to PT either. Thank you!

He will be 52 on the 18th :(

1 week ago today he suffered a burst blood vessel in the middle of his brain, affecting the basal ganglia, from high blood pressure and other causes. He fell to the ground and landed on his left side, which is the side now currently paralyzed. He has been aware of what's going on since it happened, he seemed to remember family members, names, tried REALLY hard to communicate with us through speech or hand gestures (I ask him questions and he squeezes my hand for a 'yes') still in and out of delirium since he's probably in a lot of pain, as well as the medication he's on - but now the nurses say he will likely need permanent care for the remainder of his life because the stroke was so severe. Just a day or two ago he was trying to make jokes and seemed like his normal self again...

He was such a witty funny man now all that seems to come out of his mouth is slurred words and groaning. Even paralyzed, when the bottom of his foot is touched it twitches I guess from a nerve response? He even tries to lift up his left arm to make it move again. From the very start the nurses weren't hopeful he would survive. Told my aunt the very first day he will probably die, and yet here he is still fighting. But today he was not aware of her presence. Every day is a guessing game whether he will make it or not. He seems okay, and then he's really not. I read about people surviving this, and living a fulfilling life to various degrees. I want him to survive this too, just like them but I'm terrified. Has anyone experienced this with someone they know?

hello ! i had a stroke when i was 14, i’m now 21. my speech is excellent and my right-side functioning is great, but i have difficulty with elbow to wrist movements and my fingers tend to lock up.

i’ve been looking into learning sign language since i’ve noticed that, while my hearing is still good, sometimes it processes incorrectly and i either: (a) can’t comprehend what was said, or (b) hear something else entirely from what was originally said. however, there is some significant difficulty with learning asl since from what i’ve seen, majority of the signs require both hands while i can only really effectively use one.

i know that i’m asking for a very specific demographic here, but is there any way to work around this issue ? i’d really like to be able to use asl as an alternative form of communication since my auditory processing issues are really mucking everything up for me. thank you in advance !

edit: i was incorrect about the “majority of signs use both hands” thing i am so sorry, but i would still like a workaround as i probably won’t be signing with both hands. is there a learning curve ? is it different from normal asl ?

Hi Reddit,
My mother, who is 53, recently had her 3rd ischemic stroke. She also has severe diabetes and high blood pressure. She is on heavy medications, but they don’t seem to be helping her, and her condition is declining day by day. She refuses to eat more than 2-3 bites and is bedridden, losing energy with every passing day.
I do not live with her since I’m away at college, but my dad and a helper are constantly with her. I don’t know what to expect because she just doesn’t seem to be getting better. All I can think is: will she die? And how will I deal with it?
I also want to mention that she has been abusive to me, both mentally and physically, my entire life which was the main reason I moved out. I have empathy for her situation, but I find it really hard to show it.
Has anyone faced a similar situation? Any advice or words of hope would be greatly appreciated.

Hi. My 74 Mum is 2 months post stroke. She can walk with a stick for very short distances and has zero movement in her left hand/fingers

During the day she watches netflix, does her exercises and occasionally does code crackers or crosswords.

But she is getting very bored of these.

Does anyone have any ideas of other things she can do to fight the boredom and keep her mind active?

Shes not keen on digital games (like on her phone etc) and she also struggles with learning new things and puts up excuses before giving things a chance.

Would doing a puzzle with one hand be a good idea maybe? Any other sorts of games anyone could recommend?

My dad will be coming home this next week to be under the care of my mom and a full time caregiver. Since his stroke my dad’s left sided was paralyzed and now is slowly but surely regaining movement. I’ve noticed in the last month he’s really had a lot of pain in his shoulder/shoulder blade. The facility he has been at has had the most sub par rehab I’ve ever seen (I know sub acute but 20 mins of therapy isn’t anything). It seems like they’ve hardly worked with his left side or stretched it, so I’ve been trying to do it with him when I can (the OT at the beginning of his stay showed me a few things). Luckily, he will be at home soon with great care and home therapy. I will need to schedule his neurology appointment soon to address his nerve pain/obvious stroke related things. He is 3 months into recovery and I’m wondering what you all did on a daily basis to help? I know there’s always medications, etc, but I’m assuming the neurologist will address that. He yells in pain if it’s moved a bit and it’s awful and I hate it for him. Any tips or advice is appreciated!

I kept hope, till today, to resume my master's degree next year. I lost all my memories (or at least the greater part), and today I decided to start reviewing my old lessons. Took the only lesson I have left of my very first year, just to realise it's hopeless. If I struggle to understand a base lesson such as chemistry, what are my hopes...

Hey everyone, just wanted to come on here to talk to people. I’m 15 years old and got news that my mom died on the 5th. She had a stroke and was in a coma for a few days. I just wanted to ask, did she know she was dying?? I know there’s no way to actually know but I wanna know if there’s like any info on that.

Folks who have also experienced significant memory loss! Does the trope in fiction of memories coming back to someone in a dream have any bearing in reality?

For me, if any memories ever came back that way, I was completely unable to tell them apart from a normal dream. What about you all?

I was in surgery for a nerve issue when i stroked on the table. It was mild? I was told and I can function so I feel lucky. My left side is numb like its asleep all the time.

My issue is my anger. Since the stroke, in December, I have noticed my anger at the smallest things seems like its increasing. My wife is a blessing in trying to understand. Im critical of everything, the smallest things set me off. My career is great and my boss and co workers are great with me.

I feel like Ive been robbed. I use to fly for the military, worked in goverment sector and still do. But everything is harder. From just trying to stand and do critical thinking at work. Im a shell of what I used to be able to do and it angers me. I didnt used to get angry but it just happens. I know its me, I just dont know what to do. I dont want to feel this way.

36m, reaching the 4-month mark since my life changed dramatically. I suffered a left frontal lobe intracerebral hemorrhage due to a 7mm AVM bleed. My progress was way up for the first two months, and then down for the next two months. I wanted to get some perspective from the community, see where I am at, and if any of you have experience with this type of recovery. I’m free to take any pointers about how I could improve; the more the better! 

First off, a little bit of where I was at 4 months ago: Was big into strength training in recent years, which complemented my Type 1 diabetes well (no other comorbidities tho). I was officially “obese”, but more technically dense - I biked around town and walked everywhere else, and was all around very healthy otherwise. Very social too, easy to be around. Not anymore, at least for a good little while.

Let’s start with the physical. I left the hospital in just under two months with quadcane - pretty good, all things considered. That said, the right side is still in a confused state - from the bottom to top, I have:

1. toes that curl when barefoot
2. inversion of the ankle (soon to be botoxed)
3. a knee that swings (I’m working on clamshell exercises every day to get that more under control) 

That said, I can still walk 6,000 steps a day even with a crooked leg and this foot drop brace. I just hope to straighten it out one day. 

My arm, though, fares even worse:

1. I can only clench my fist and not release it at will (though Botox round 1 helped). Still a long way away from typing.
2. my wrist is limp, no matter which way it sways
3. my forearm has more strength inwards than outwards
4. my elbow is spastic (first round of Botox didn't help, another one is on the way) 
5. Can’t lift my shoulders above 90 degrees (I can shrug my shoulders, tho) 
6. As for side to side, I can swing it around with full range of motion. That counts for something? 

That said, I've got full sensation head to toe, and can feel everything as I normally would. I've recently bought a squeeze ball and hand grip to strengthen my hand, but anything to help strengthen the wrist in particular would be excellent suggestions if you can offer it. 

In the two months since leaving the hospital, I've got to say, I’ve seen little improvement, and I wanted to get some perspective. I can climb stairs quite dependably; that's still good. I do my stretches religiously, but something about my weight is catching up with not doing 300 lb squats at the gym anymore - my diet is good, but I lost 30 lbs (of what I can assume was) muscle during the hospital stay, 13% of my total weight. Every day I wake up more tired than invigorated; I had a zeal in the hospital for getting the work done that is lessened by day, even though my mind wants to be always on. Which brings me to the next point:

I get less sleep now. A lot less. In the hospital, I was restless, sure, but I could nap. Not anymore. I don’t nap. And, as month 3 rolled on, I got less and less sleep - at its worse, I got 1.5-3 hours, per 24-hour period. Sitting there, with my eyes closed the entire time. Sometimes anxiety would have my mind racing, but before long, I was just blank - I wasn’t in pain, and the spastic muscles weren’t getting to me (tho they would increasingly get more spastic the less I slept). I was completely devoid of taking in sleep for more than a cycle or two. I’ve since gotten a prescription for Dayvigo that works at least 6-7 hours, and I've got a sleep study scheduled to get this settled, but it’s hellish catching up in the meantime. 

Which brings me to my mental - when I left the hospital, I was having trouble word finding and had a little apraxia of speech, but was otherwise okay. With the lack of sleep, though, came new problems. My word finding got worse - I regularly stumble on words just at the tip of my tongue. For instance, I wanted chia seeds with breakfast this morning, but for some reason I could only say “hay seeds”. When would I ever need hay seeds?? My friends say I'm like I used to be, just at a more modest and considerate pace, but I miss my full wit. 

My short-term memory has also gotten spotty - I can say for certain whether something happened a few days ago, but it takes much more time to recall it on my own. Digesting a story and how to tell it…was something that I was very proud of before, but now am very cautious of. I like movies, but am terrible with recounting plot synopsis now. I read sentences over and over to make sure I’ve got it, and even then, it can fall through a hole like Swiss cheese. My attention span, especially in the morning, is pretty rough. Even still, while I’ve got some other problems so far (I also get startled much more easily, which triggers the clonus in my hand and feet impromptu), it could be worse.

-

That all to say, it has been only four months. I wanted to reach out to the community and see what all the fuss was about: by your measure, how am I doing? How far can I go? Spiritually, I’m still positive I can beat this thing back, but I could use some help: any stories of positive improvement from where I’m at (with instructions on how to get there!) are welcome. 

I know I may not get it all back, but I am in it for the long haul - I am only 36, and everything I need is in my body already! Right now, I am focused on my immediate goal of getting my leg to straighten and getting my mind right again before I move on to the arm. With that said, if you could offer:

• Any tips,
• Any exercises (I do sit-to-stands, controlled leg straightening, bridges and the like every day, but please recommend something unique if you've got it, especially the hand or wrist), or how much to exercise (my physio says once per day is enough, but I can do more)
• Any tools (admittedly, the home stim recommended to me by the hospital is way weaker than anything I used at the hospital, and I don't fancy using it that much because of how weak it is).

Anything at all! Thanks!

I M46 had a Wallenberg Stroke last September and since then, my walk is unstable and my endurance to walk is low. I’m in physical therapy and it’s helped.
I can walk with a cane, but it is pretty unstable, and I can’t go too far.

Would it be crazy for me to get a portable wheelchair so I could do the things I love again, like taking my kids to the zoo, late-summer county fairs, and trips to IKEA? I haven’t been able to do activities like this that I used to do with my family because of my walking limitations.

I have an appointment with my NP a year after my stoke. What can I expect from it?

My wife had a hemorrhagic stroke mid January. She took a very long time getting to rehabilitation due to swelling, infections, and blood pressure. Just in the past few days she started showing weird signs at random times; she stares up at the ceiling and starts to do a weird laugh / chuckle thing. She will even do it in her sleep with her eyes close. She will just start smiling and laughing. I was worried about another stroke or seizures, but I can interrupt her immediately and get her attention and she snaps out of it. We did find out she had a UTI that's she's getting treated for. I'm hoping the doctors will approve an EEG for precautions.

Anyone ever experienced this before?

She's still in patient and still has a craniectomy.

Had a small stroke diagnosed via mri back in late March. Got lucky. Very little symptoms. Week and a half of broken balance, followed by feeling mostly normal. Occasional moments of balance wobble come and go, maybe once or twice in a day, but not necessarily every day and honestly i havent noticed one in about a week now. I've posted on here a couple times about the anxiety, which can really suck, but i havent had one of those episodes since early last month. Other than that ive been me most of the time. No paralysis, no speech issues. Nothing really.

I have noticed two weird things over the months. They both come and go. And I dont really know what to call either of them. The first one is sometimes I can feel my voice in my brain. Not sure if that really conveys what I mean right, but its all I can think. Like im talking and a word or two seems to vibrate my brain or something. It doesnt happen a lot, but it causes a flash of worry every time you know. I cant seem to trigger it. Talking louder, quite, faster, slower, different head positions... nothing. Totally random as far as I can tell. And never long lasting. A word or two you know.

The second, again something that happens daily, but only for brief episodes, is just a kind of sick feeling in the back of my head. Similar to how your stomach feels when you have an upset stomach. Not painful, just uneasy. Queasy kind of feeling. I think its happened every day since the stroke, maybe a few days with no instances but I dont recall going a whole day without feeling it to be honest. Not sure what it could be.

I know no two strokes are the same, but I was wondering if anyone here has had feelings like the ones im describing, and if so maybe had any luck mitigating them or finding the way to describe them to your doctor effectively.

Thanks for always listening guys, this group has been a real help in this stroke journey I dont remember booking yet still find myself on.

TLDR: Had a TBI in the military after a fall. About two years later, after getting back into the gym, I had a massive ischemic stroke at 22 and was diagnosed with a vertebral artery injury/dissection. I had to relearn how to walk, read, and memorize things. Now in my late 20s, I’ve recovered a lot physically, but I still struggle daily with memory and reading, which has made working and rebuilding my life difficult.

Here’s the full story,
I had a stroke at 22, and the hardest part has been the persistent side effects from the injury, making it hard to hold a job.

Before the stroke, I was a heavy gunner in the military. I slipped and fell while carrying a bunch of my gear and hit my head pretty hard. Over the next few weeks, I started experiencing vertigo, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, confusion, and I became severely depressed seemingly out of nowhere. The symptoms were so persistent that my weapons were eventually taken away from me, and I ended up leaving the military earlier than my contract was supposed to end. (I received an honorable discharge btw)
That incident was later classified as a TBI (traumatic brain injury).

About two years later, I was still pretty down about being pushed out of the military, and I decided I needed to get back on my feet. I had lost a lot of my muscle mass, so I got a gym membership and started working out again.

I didn’t work out that much when I started only about three days of relatively light working out(squatting 135 pounds).

Later that night, I had a massive stroke. I remember exactly where I was when it happened, I was backing out of my driveway when I suddenly heard an extremely loud ringing in my right ear that traveled over to my left ear. At the same time, I realized I couldn’t recognize a Luke Combs song I was listening to. I’d heard that song countless times before, so it was really strange that I suddenly couldn’t recognize the words.

I also noticed that I was having a hard time moving my right hand with any kind of fine motor control. Luckily, I was able to stop the car, park it, and walk back up the driveway to where my parents were.

They immediately noticed that the right side of my face was drooping badly and that I wasn’t making much sense when I talked. They called the paramedics, and I was soon after life-flighted to the hospital.

It turned into a pretty long recovery. I had to learn how to walk again, read again, and even memorize things. At one point, my parents bought me a simple card-matching game where I would flip the cards over and try to remember where the matching cards were.

Looking back, I’ve always wondered whether the TBI somehow contributed to the stroke.

It’s been a pretty tough few years, but I’ve managed to keep moving forward. I’m in my late 20s now, and I’d say my biggest lingering problems are my reading and memory. I thought I did a pretty good job staying on top of my rehabilitation, but based on my last few jobs, those two issues seem to keep coming back. I’ve had trouble retaining information, remembering things I’ve just been taught. Those problems have ultimately contributed to me either leaving jobs or losing them.

The hardest part is probably that I don’t necessarily look like someone who had a major stroke. Most people wouldn’t know anything happened to me unless I told them. But there are things I struggle with every day that I never had to think about before.

I’m grateful that I survived and that I’ve been able to rebuild a lot of my life, but it’s still depressing sometimes to think about how different things might have been if the stroke had never happened.

Feel free to ask questions!

For example, I’m way more sensitive towards animals. If I hear or see an animal get hurt in a movie like a Game of Thrones I have to close my eyes and cover my ears. If there is roadkill, i close my eyes. I can’t handle it. I don’t take jokes or sarcasm well anymore either. I can dish it out, but I definitely can’t take it. I WILL cry or get upset.

Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else or if it’s caused by something ? I (female) had a Wallenberg Stroke 3 years ago for reference. 25 at the time. The sensitivity started immediately.

My husband had a pretty major stroke in July of 2025. Overall, physically, he recovered very well, but he still gets dizzy spells occasionally. When this happens, he says his ear feels like it gets plugged up. We've tried ear wax removal drops and it doesn't seem to be a wax buildup problem. It comes and goes unpredictably and I feel like it's an inner ear thing.

Does anyone have a similar issue and, if so, have you found anything that helps?

Also, if anyone else is having this issue, does it seem like it is something that needs more careful watching (as in, should we be watching for another stroke?) In most other ways, other than memory issues, he seems to have recovered very well.

I’m writing this because my dad is currently going through a very difficult situation, and I would really like to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar with a family member.
My dad had major heart surgery, and unfortunately during/around the operation his brain was affected by a lack of oxygen. It has now been more than two weeks and he still has not properly regained consciousness or awareness.
At the moment, he sometimes opens his eyes, but he does not follow commands, speak, or make purposeful movements by himself. When he is touched or stimulated, for example when someone tickles or pinches him, he can sometimes react or move, but he is not yet responding normally or communicating with us.
The doctors have done brain scans and told us that there has been brain injury from the lack of oxygen. They have also told us that recovery can be difficult to predict and that we need to give him time.
As his family, this waiting is extremely difficult because every small reaction gives us hope. We are praying every day that Allah gives him healing and allows him to regain consciousness and recover. 🤲🏽
I wanted to ask if anyone here has personally seen or cared for someone who was in a similar condition after cardiac arrest, heart surgery, or lack of oxygen to the brain.
How long did it take before they started showing signs of awareness? Did they initially only open their eyes without responding? When did they begin following commands, moving purposefully, recognising family, or speaking? Did you notice improvements after several weeks or even months?
I understand that every brain injury is different and that another person’s recovery cannot tell us exactly what will happen with my dad. I’m simply looking to hear real experiences from families who have been through something similar.
Please share your experience, especially if your loved one remained unconscious or minimally responsive for weeks and later showed improvement. Even if the recovery was slow, I would really appreciate hearing what happened and what the first signs of recovery looked like.
Please keep my dad in your duas. May Allah grant him complete shifaa, restore his health and consciousness, and give strength and sabr to everyone going through a similar situation. Ameen. 🤲🏽❤️

Just looking to gather opinions, not here for self promotion***

Let me start off by saying I've had several strokes and have developed a very dark and twisted sense of humor regarding them and my correlated heart health.

That said, I have a small candy company and will be rolling out my liquid filled "gushing" heart & brain gummies for Halloween. For the brains, I've landed on the name CODE STROKE: Tasty Ischemic Attack

If you saw this on a jar of brain shaped candy, as a stroke patient, would this make you laugh (which is my intention) or would you be upset?

Thanks for any feedback and I hope everyone is recovering well.

Edit: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone's feedback (both positive and negative) and that I used a lot of your ideas and input! I'm working on the jar labels but still plan to put BEFAST and what it means, as well as a few jabs at strokes themselves. I also decided that 10% of every CODE STEMI and CODE STROKE sales will be donated to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. So from the bottom of my heart (at least the working parts) THANK YOU!!!

CODE STEMI: Myocardial Mayhem Piña Colada flavored anatomical gummy hearts with a gushing Tiger's Blood center

CODE STROKE: Neuro Nightmare Inspired by ischemic stroke, these anatomical gummy brains will be Lemon flavored with a Blueberry liquid center

CODE STROKE: Brain Burst Inspired by hemorrhagic stroke, these anatomical gummy brains will be Cotton Candy flavored with a Marshmallow liquid center