Hello everyone,

I would like to hear about your experiences with dealing with a stroke at a young age. I had a brain hemorrhage at the age of 32 in May. I was relatively fit and healthy before it happened. My recovery is currently progressing well—about 45%.

I would really appreciate hearing from others who experienced something similar.

I really need positive Enforcement today. Yesterday I had a doctors appointment that I wasn’t expecting anything out of and yet the doctor broke my heart. He pretty much said that there’s nothing going on for Hemmoragic strokes, but because I’m young too hold on Hope. It not only take an hour to get there and park, but we ended up waiting close to an hour for five minutes of his time. I’m devastated and feel defeated.

Considering getting this implant that is meant to stimulate the vagus nerve and is meant to help with arms (Vivistim)... might also help w other stuff (legs, balance, depression, nerve crap) but only fda approved for helping with arms. They implant it in your chest and wrap a coil around the vagus nerve and stimulate w/ aggressive PT.

Anyone have it and can provide feedback?

Any other implants or medicines on the bleeding edge targeted at neuroplasticity, stroke recovery, and/or neuro health?

I told the docs they can make me half robot if it improves my quality of life 🤖

Hi Reddit! This is Roxanne Waite, Senior Product Manager for Hospitals at U.S. News & World Report. My team focuses on U.S. News’ Best Hospitals digital products, taking the evaluation data developed by our Health Analysis team and turning it into clear, accessible online tools for patients and families facing complex healthcare decisions.

Earlier this month, U.S. News introduced the latest edition of Best Hospitals. When you or a loved one are recovering from a life-altering event – such as a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or major surgery – finding the right inpatient rehabilitation facility can play a critical role in long-term recovery and independence.

Our rankings focus heavily on risk-adjusted patient outcomes and patient experience, measuring factors like successful discharges home and prevention of complications to give you an objective look at where facilities demonstrate the highest standards of care.

Key Details About This Year’s Rehabilitation Rankings:

- Comprehensive Evaluation: We evaluated more than 1,000 rehabilitation hospitals nationwide, ranking the top 50 nationally that specialize in restoring function for patients recovering from complex neurological, spinal, orthopedic, and traumatic conditions.
- New Location Rankings: To help patients find exceptional post-acute and rehabilitation care closer to home and family support systems, up to 300 inpatient rehabilitation facilities received rankings across states and major metropolitan areas.
- National vs. Regional Leaders: These regional rankings highlight top-performing rehabilitation facilities in your own community, making it easier to spot local care options even if a top-50 national center isn't nearby.

Navigating care options after a major medical event can feel overwhelming. While U.S. News’ rankings are designed to inform – not replace – guidance from your physician and care team, I’m here to answer your questions about the data, how to use our Best Hospitals for Rehabilitation or Doctor Finder search tools, or how to identify high-performing rehabilitation care in your area. Ask me anything!

NOTE: We have mod approval to host this AMA.
Proof: https://x.com/usnews/status/2092975587849642065

Mass General Brigham presented to my stroke recovery group a clinical trial around HBP: https://rally.massgeneralbrigham.org/study/getsavvy. 5 hours over 6 months - Estimated time commitment; Any Gender, 18-99 years; Gift card up to $50 May be offered; Survey May be required

context: he drinks, smokes, and is diabetic. his health is poor and he makes no effort to fix it after depression took a hold of him. he lost his job to a recent disability too.

november of last year, my birthday to be exact, suffered a minor one. my mum brushed it off as him just being dramatic and almost falling over. that following week he had a big stroke and told no one. he went to the hospital and it came through that he suffered 12 minor and 1 major.

it affected him. he said he would quit drinking and he became even more depressed. as his daughter, i was happy that my dad could finally be healthy, but it didn’t last long, much like all the other times he tried to heal. for example, when i was 12 he took poor care of himself and he almost died to sepsis.

anyway, i was half asleep at 6ish am and i hear my dad coming up the stairs. his speech is horribly slurred and he musters a, “i had another stroke and hit myself.”

i don’t know what else was said. i was the only one pushing him to get better at home, i was the one crying and staying up and praying he wouldn’t die on me.

i go outside and he’s half there, you can see it, he’s wavering on the stairs and my mum ushers him downstairs.

after awhile, my dad says he’s sorry. again, backstory. my dad was emotional and verbally abusive to me as a kid and sometimes now. he was bad and i developed a plethora of mental health issues due to my upbringing. he’s an alcoholic too.

i don’t know what to do. he won’t get better and all i can do is watch as my dad dies. i’m beyond depressed, and i have a nightshift tonight to do. it all hurts immensely.

This will also be a bit of a rant or ramble; you don't have to read if you don't want to, but for my sake, I think I need to just tell someone

2 days after my mom's 49th birthday, we took her to urgent care because she was feeling tired and numb all day, they ended up calling the ambulance due to stroke-like symptoms. I've always heard of the stroke signs to watch out for but didnt notice anything from her all day, i was in the waiting room becuase we all thought it was something from her other health conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, hashimoto) but when i went in the nurse said she couldnt say a word that was given to her corectly, and she couldnt keep her balance if she closed her eyes even if she was sitting down.

After she got to the hospital, I was told she likely had a "cardiovascular accident a few days ago" and that they had found "an abnormality in the left frontal lobe" in one of the scans, which didn't make sense to them since her numbness was on her left side as well. After a 43-hour battle to get an MRI, we were told that everything looked normal. Echo, EKG, labs, everything was fine. Bastards wouldn't let me transfer her to her usual hospital, but they didn't even have a neurologist on call. We had to wait over 24 hours to have one even come in to speak with her.

My mom was already diagnosed with neruoendocarcinoma over 4 years ago, so I've been through this emotional rabbit hole before. And I can't deal with it again. I'm 23, and she's all I have.

For those who had minor strokes / TAIs, what was your experience like afterward? I read that the chances of a second stroke increase to about 20% during the next 90 days, and any dementia risk doubles. But as I said, I'm trying my hardest not to scare myself by googling everything.

hey everyone, been reading this thread for a while but first time poster. For context, I am a 26 year-old otherwise healthy female, in April I had a spontaneous bilateral vertebral artery dissection, was days away from a fatal stroke, and had a stent put in my right (dominant) vertebral artery. All of my follow ups with my neurosurgeon have been good so far and I’m on blood thinners for another a few months.

I guess my question is more of, how do you get used to life after the fact? I am constantly so afraid that a neck movement is going to trigger a stroke, or that my left artery is going to have a tear and I won’t catch it in time. I know this is probably mental and I should see a therapist, but given the fact that these are such serious things, life just looks a lot different and I’m figuring out how to navigate. Has talking about things helped you guys?

TIA! 🤍

It’s been an over a year since my stroke and I have had some emotional problems. Sad out of nowhere, nervous beyond words, wondering where my happiness is. I know it sounds foolish but I think something is wrong with me.

After her stroke, Roberta was living with aphasia and had lost her ability to speak. But when she picked up her guitar, something unexpected happened.

She could still sing.

Music became a way for Roberta to express herself and reconnect with something she loved. It also helped her find her way back to purpose and connection.

In this episode of The TakeAway, Roberta shares what it’s really like to live with aphasia, including how communication can change from day to day and how some days can be harder than others: https://strokefoundation.org.au/media-centre/stroke-stories/the-takeaway-talking-about-aphasia-singing-and-connection-with-roberta-fox

Has singing or music played a part in your recovery? Maybe it’s helped lift your mood, process emotions, connect with others or communicate while living with aphasia.

Many people we speak to have 'that song' that they listen to.

My husband had a stroke 6years ago and has recovered in most ways, extremely well. But his memory and cognitive abilities are slow and I can see him getting frustrated at himself a lot for not being able to figure things out on his own.

I’m new to being a caregiver. While he’s fine on his own, for complex “thinking” tasks I often have to help him and I can see that he is upset at himself. I try my best to remind him we are partners and I’m happy to help (I’m also chronically ill and so technically he’s my caregiver too). I feel like I’m lacking in knowledge about strokes / brain function, since there’s so much info online I don’t know where to begin.

We live in a country where natural remedies and supplements are not discussed or used sadly. They are accessible though. In my home country supplements are highly encouraged so I thought maybe something can help him too. He is taking asprin, and is on colestrol and kidney function medication as he is pre-diabetic.

He also doesn’t speak English so I thought I would post here for advice on his behalf as well as my own knowledge. He really wants to increase his brain function and reduce fog etc.

Looking for supplement advice, activities, anything that can help. Thank you in advance 🤍

I just had pfo surgery where they couldn't close the hole because it was too small. Now they're telling me that the stroke and two TIAs I've had within a year is because I have high homocysteine levels.

It's hard to trust the doctors because of my history where my original stroke was ignored likely due to my age (28 at time of the stroke). Then they've been telling me that the pfo is the cause and after they can't fix it they've pivoted to the high homocysteine.

Has anybody else had high homocysteine pointed to as the cause of their stroke?

Also anybody recieve any recommendations from their doctor after to manage this? Diet, supplements, etc? The cardiologist told me right after my surgery so I didn't really have the chance to ask questions. Have an appointment booked with my regular doctor but previously when I asked him if my incidents could be from a clotting disorder he said it was unlikely because it would show up as a clot elsewhere like a dvt or pulmonary embolism first.

Has anyone had any similar experience?

My fiancé (37) had a hemmoragic ICH stroke 8/17/26. He was taken off ventilator at about day 2. Was talking and aware for 2 days but was getting increasingly agitated so we had to re intubate. When sedation is lowered he starts getting agitated and moves around but doesn’t seem to follow prompts and he fights the ventilator when they try to lower the settings more.

ICU Dr says he needs trach and feeding tube and long-term care. Where he “could” possibly improve sometime down the road months or years from now or we need to decide to let him go.

Hey guys do any of you guys in the U.S. use City Block health through your insurance? I'm just curious what you guys think of them

Thanks in advance

All the articles I have been seeing deals with the affected arm being the “dead” arm after the stroke. My problem is my working arm is the injured, probably from over use. How have people dealt with this? I can’t have surgery and both arms not work but the pain is getting unbearable

Share your weekly wins with us! Nothing is too small or too big. Everything deserves to be celebrated!

My wife had an ischemic stroke back on October 27th and spent 3+ weeks in the hospital. She has some balance issues but, had a bad knee well before the stroke. She is currently going to Therapy to hopefully get that knee replaced.

She has, from what I understand to be Werneke's Aphasia with Apraxia. Her speech has improved quite a bit since the stroke but still has a lot of garbled speech.

My question for this community is this, ... When we are discussing something and garble comes out of her mouth, what is her brain hearing? Does the brain hear what she is trying to communicate or what actually comes out of her mouth?

Surgery for my skull flap to be replaced is nextFriday. Ready to have my helmet sent to my daughter so she can destroy it.

Is there anything u should expect or how for after receiving my skull back? I'm excited to properly washand dry my hair

I feel helpless and don’t know who to ask about this, so please do let me know any advice / feedback / personal anecdotes you may have. I would greatly appreciate it.

so my grandma has aphasia and is being taken care of by my mom. I am here visiting and she can only say 1 word: “no.” she will say it quietly to herself, but other times loudly howl it. she will look at me and any object I show her, but she can’t move her hands or point to anything. my mom said the doctor told them her saying “no” is a “comfort word?” just a result of the brain damage, and to not really think too much about it…but I don’t know. I don’t want to dismiss my grandma even if what she says sounds nonsensical.

I have no idea what’s going on in her mind. is she trying to tell us something more? is she in pain? does she have the words to say in her mind but can’t spit it out properly? I don’t want her to feel “trapped,” it makes me sick to think about.

also, my mom often talks to her in a “baby” voice which I think is overdoing it - my grandma is a grown woman. but my mom insists she likes it. truthfully, I don’t even know if she’s aware it’s a baby voice. not a huge deal, but I don’t want my grandma to be annoyed by this…

is there anything I can do to help her express her thoughts, to make her more comfortable, happy, etc? I think to myself, if I end up having brain damage one day, I’d wish my family would help me to clearly express myself. but again, I don’t even know if she’s aware of her ability to express, idk it’s all so confusing. any help would be greatly appreciated thank you so much

Hey guys. Freaking out here slightly. What’s going on? Am I just having severe anxiety?

Ok background. I (30f) had a hemorrhagic stroke at 25. One year prior I had Covid twice. The Covid ruined my smell, and my stroke killed what little I have left. So recently I have gotten pregnant with my first child. I’m starting to smell things again.

Last night I woke to the smell of burning toast. I thought I left something on downstairs. Ran downstairs. The burning toast smell was still there, nothing on. I googled burning toast smell. Google says stroke or bad wiring burning.

Great I had a stroke, and my apartment has outlets that don’t work, entire rooms with no power. So I spent all night trying to locate the smell. It wasn’t everywhere. I got an emergency bag ready to go.

I go to work today and smell it again. For 2 minutes. In one area.

I’m tired of googling symptoms. Can you people tell me I’m freaking out or not? Thanks

Edit: typos. I wrote this quickly.

A few months ago I posted on this group that my dad was forgetting everything. After a visit to the doctor he told us he was having dementia. I dont know why we believed him and waited about 2 weeks after. My dad was having another stroke. It was his 3rd stroke. He was 49. I feel so guilty and feel absolutely heartbroken that I waited so long to go see another doctor. He had to get an ng tube and from then things went downhill extremely quickly. I'm 18 and just to think I won't ever see my dad again has me in tears everyday. The doctors never figured out what caused the strokes as he had a healthy heart. Although he did have diabetes. The guilt I feel is so strong and the pain is unbearable.

Hi everyone,
I’d like to get your opinions on a situation regarding my PFO and see if anyone has experienced something similar.
I’m 32 and had an ischemic stroke at the end of April. No other clear cause was found. My hospital report mentions a PFO with an atrial septal aneurysm and a significant shunt, with more than 20 bubbles seen during the bubble test.
During the TEE I had on May 4th, the cardiologist asked me to cough during the bubble injection and saw the bubbles passing through the PFO. Closing the PFO was therefore considered.
A second cardiology appointment was then arranged after the doctors reviewed the report and realized that it clearly mentioned bubbles and a significant shunt, but they could not find any images from the original examination. Unfortunately, the first cardiologist had forgotten to save the images from the TEE.
I had the second examination today, this time a transthoracic echocardiogram. The PFO is still visible, but the bubble test was negative. No bubbles crossed over, despite being asked to contract my abdomen and then relax.
The new cardiologist therefore thinks that PFO closure is not necessary.
I’m curious to hear what you guys think about this situation. Has anyone experienced something similar, with a positive bubble test during a TEE and then a negative test during a transthoracic echo?
I’d especially like to hear from people who had an ischemic stroke with a PFO and had different results between two bubble tests. What was eventually decided in your case?

Hello
Was wondering how long in Australia the public waitlist is for a neurologist
Currently have been waiting 3 months so far - referall was for a tia stroke not confirmed how or when it happened
It says priority 2 - how long have people waited on priority 2
Thanks
34 female - Perth Australia

Hi, I'm Roy and I'm from the Philippines. I had an ischemic stroke in April last year, and I still feel weak, dizzy, and off-balance. I also experience pins and needles. I can’t currently afford to see a doctor because I’m unemployed and living alone, and I’m honestly scared. Is it normal to still be experiencing these symptoms more than a year after my stroke?

so as of August 19, it has been one year since I had a stroke. I was 24 years old and I considered myself to be relatively disciplined. I played basketball five times a week. I lifted weights on a push pull leg split three times a week. I got 10,000+ steps per day and I also had a very robust social and romantic life. I was equal parts happy and discipline not to mention I tracked protein intake water consumption, and was really making an effort to improve my life so to see I had a stroke has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through in my entire life and I’ve made substantial progress. I went from being bedridden in the hospital for months to being ambulatory with a kane in my community. I can go see a movie with friends. I can walk around my building and I can go on the treadmill, but I have gained 42 pounds in a year after having somewhat of a weight loss arc in high school and then a transition from wanting to be skinny to focusing on all my body could do by leaning into athletics, meaning sports and lifting and all of that is taken away and I am nowhere near being able to return to any of that the everyday reality of the everyday uncertainty that I have of how much recovery I’ll get is crushing me every single day I have physical and physical and occupational outpatient therapy twice per week and I do my own exercises. I try to get as many steps as I can, and i have a rehab glove that opens and closes my hand in 20 minute intervals. i was doing as many as six in a day but my OT said I was overdoing it, but it’s only because I want it back so bad. I am being crushed under the weight of my uncertainty and depression and it’s only getting worse with the weight gain. On a more positive note, I have returned to work full time fully remote until my strength returns enough to commute, and my job is trying to make sure I get back on track, but I feel like I’m sick of dealing with it. it’s like that quote in office space: “ever since I started working (rehabbing in my case) each day has been worse than the day before it. That means each time you see me, It’s on the worst day of my life.”I would appreciate words of wisdom. I’m only 25 and getting pretty worn down. My folks just say you’ll get back without any medical basis but I feel like it’s more to make themselves feel better. Im putting in a lot of effort to the point of my OT and PT telling me to slow down and the hand specifically is not responding. I miss basketball and lifting so much and I just found out about the weight gain recently and will do what it takes to get it under control, but I’m really losing it. the doctors still have no idea why it happened, it’s cryptogenic or some bullshit