Emotional support

 

My anxiety is taking the best of me.

My mum stroke on Friday . Doctor said her BP was high and we never knew she had HBP. She had mri done yesterday and result shows it was a bit severe to her left brain. She is still in between sleep and on oxygen. It’s been 5days now. I am so worried . She has not been speaking since Friday . We don’t know when she will be off oxygen. I m so worried and scared . Does it take so long to be off oxygen? Will she be able to breath on her own? She wakes up when they call her name, nods and shakes her head when they speak to her. I am just so worried , I don’t think I have bee breathing since Friday.

You must be worried it is your mom but you must try to relax or you will be ill yourself. I think it is early days yet . why dont you ring the stroke association it might help if you can talk to someone and get it off your chest.  I hope your mom will soon improve  and best wishes to you . Norma.

Thank you Norma. I really appreciate your kind words.

Hello Lsly,

Anyone would feel anxious in your situation but the good news is that you're over the Worst of it - Mum has had a bleed on the brain which is one of the of the worst types of Stroke in terms of causing death and she has survived. Strokes can cause permanent brain damage and her loss of speech is consistent with a stroke to the left side of her brain. She can hear but her brain cannot unscramble the jumble of signals that her ears are sending to her brain.

Oxygen-wise, if she is on it, it is to help her to heal and minimise any brain damage. If she can breathe oxygen, she will be able to breathe ordinary air.

Her nodding and shaking her head is fairly normal - it may make you think she understands what is being said to her but it is still very much early days yet.

Many people experience spontaneous recovery in the first few days and weeks after a stroke, so you may see some rapid early progress.

She should be assigned a Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) while in Hospital who will assess her on many fronts and should liaise with you regarding her prognosis, and disabilities and deficits and how and when she will be able to go home.

There are millions of people who survive strokes every year- mine was over ten years ago and I am much recovered from all of the disabilities I initially had. People can and do regain their speech and many go on to lead normal, happy lives.

 

Take care now and do ask us all the questions you may have. We are not medical experts but have much experience of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly that is life after Stroke.

 

Damian.

Hello Damian,

I gained strength and hope in your reply. Physio came to assess her yesterday. I am hoping this does not put too much stress on her. It's unfortunate she lives far away in another country and I can only rely on informations given by my dad and other siblings. If it's okay, I might message you if I have any further concerns. Thank you so much. 

you are more than welcome . I could tell you were in a bad way and needed someone to turn to. Please keep us informed how your mom is progressing. Love to you and your mom. Norma. 81 yrs young.

I joined mystroke guide as I have been anxious lately about getting another stroke. I am new to this site and found a section about having another stroke but I couldn't find it again. I think I got a reply, I am also on a mental health site as the anxiety doesn't seem to go away. I have bipolar affective disorder in addition to having had a stroke in 2017. I don't know which of the things I have had is causing the anxiety. I have a very supportive husband but he is deaf and hasn't got his hearing aids in so I am on my own.

Dear all,

MRI scan result for my mum came back she had acute pontine infarct. Affected her both arms and legs. 9 days she is still on oxygen. No speech, doctors are not giving much information. We do not know how long she will be on oxygen for. I am devasted and so helpless seeing my mum in that state.Will she ever walk again? Will she be off oxygen?will she ever speak? To everyone who ever went through this, I cannot begin to imagine how you got through it. 

...it's resilience, strength of character, determination,and wanting better,  luck probably  comes into the mix ...family support will help her drive herself forward...you/she will always get practical advice from many on here who all will have some understanding of your plight...good luck. ..

Lily, This is quite a specific type of stroke and worth talking to her doctors about. At the moment she is in the right place and receiving treatment. These early days are the worst for both the patient and the family. I am five years post my big stroke and six months post a second milk stroke.

As already said, determination and encouragement are a great help. Today was my last exercise class before lockdown two, but I cheered up today when a classmate I am not familiar with told me I had come a long way since she first saw me. Recovery is slow, because this is a brain injury and not an illness.

Dear Lily

stroke recovery is  usually very slow. But can be quite good. Mums brain will be busy working on the essentials, including trying to repair the damaged bits around the main area of the infarct. I recall how i just couldnt cope with conversation. Or indeed cope with much at all. I was blessed by a most unusually quick initial recovery. Even with a fast initial recovery, it was three months before my speech got going and two years before things settled. 
after five years I am not the person of prestroke. 
no two strokes are the same. 
The stroke association leaflets are good. But as wise John suggests, listen to the doctors. They are doing all they can.

colin

There is always hope. Never give up.

So sorry to hear of your problems. I think anxiety is becoming a big deal for a lot of us stroke survivors at the moment.mine is worsening due to all the doom n gloom surrounding covid.tv and newspaper coverage doesn't help so I've stopped watching news n reading about it.i was hoping to return to work soon but 2nd lockdown put a stop to this..I hope you start to feel better soon and try to get in touch with a professional about your mental health.even just to talk.i wish you well.x