Recovering from a stroke

 Even the Mayo Clinic doesn't know about or have the right goal for stroke survivors!

Recovering from a stroke

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. and a major cause of serious disability for adults. More than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke each year. Risk increases with age, especially after 55, but strokes can occur at any age.

Recovering from a stroke varies from person to person, says Dr. Felix Chukwudelunzu, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The rate of recovery is generally greatest in the weeks and months after a stroke. However, there is evidence that performance can improve even 12 to 18 months after a stroke.

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes.

A stroke is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications.

Symptoms

It is important to be aware of stroke signs and symptoms so you can act quickly and seek necessary treatment. Symptoms of stroke include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a stroke, you should call 911 and seek emergency medical care right away.

A stroke can cause temporary or permanent disabilities, depending on how long the brain lacks blood flow and which part was affected. Complications can include paralysis or loss of muscle movement, difficulty talking or swallowing, memory loss or thinking difficulties, emotional problems, pain, and changes in behavior and self-care ability.

Rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation is an important part of recovery after a stroke. There are many approaches to stroke rehabilitation. Your rehabilitation plan will depend on the part of the body or type of ability affected by your stroke.

The goal of stroke rehabilitation is to help you relearn skills you lost when a stroke affected part of your brain.(WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! It is to fully recover! Once again trying to push the tyranny of low expectations because your stroke medical 'professionals' ARE COMPLETE FUCKING FAILURES! The only goal in stroke is 100% recovery! You'll have to scream at your medical staff for being incompetent!) Stroke rehabilitation can help you regain independence and improve your quality of life.

The severity of stroke complications and each person's ability to recover vary widely. Researchers have found that people who participate in a focused stroke rehabilitation program perform better than most people who don't have stroke rehabilitation.

The duration of your stroke rehabilitation depends on the severity of your stroke and related complications. Some stroke survivors recover quickly. But most need some form of long-term stroke rehabilitation, lasting possibly months or years after their stroke.

Provided by Mayo Clinic

This story was originally published on Medical Xpress