Looking for a hopeful answer

Hello i am a new user & i apologise if i have posted this in the wrong section, i am very worried about my mother who had a stroke one week ago, i know the worst may happen but my question is simply, is it possible for a 75 year old to survive a stroke? -Ian

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Short answer is yes. Will she recover is more complicated (sorry). Every stroke is different so there’s no set answer.

I’d recommend you gert a copy f a book called Had a stroke? What now? by Tom Balchin. It’ll help understand what’s happened and what to expect.

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Thankyou, i was struggling to find stories of elderly people surviving & i’m just looking for hope as it is still early days

Yes - our Mum was 81 when she had hers in April 2020. Recovery is slow but possible

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Thankyou so much for giving me hope

The answer is most definitely yes. I survived mine at 72 and am now 78. Every stroke, however, is individual as is recovery. A stroke on the right side of the brain affects the left side of the body and vice versa. Recovery is slow and needs determination. It also involves lifestyle changes and sometimes accepting a certain degree of disability.

Please ask anything you want on this forum. Take care of yourself and best wishes to your mum. Encourage her all you can.

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Hi Ian-- Well, all I can say is “I"m still here!!” :smiley: I had a stroke 3 1/2 years ago at the age of 73 1/2. I was totally paralyzed on my left side and had to drink thickened water in order to swallow at first. I had to learn how to walk again. I had excellent physical therapy (OT and PT) , inclluding electrical stimulation 3 times a day for 3 weeks, then twice a week for five months after going home. I needed a tub transfer bench and toilet rails at home at first. Used a walker a while, then quad cane, then regular cane, then no cane. Now , 3 1/2 years later, I walk 2 miles a day and do most of the things I once did, including play the piano and ukelele. I still have post stroke fatigue, but that is improving. Others have not been quite so fortunate as me. My particular brain damage, xcellent therapy, family support and hard work made all the difference. I won’t say it was easy, or quick, but I am very grateful for all the help I got. Just want you to know there is always hope. I’lll remember you and your mom in my prayers tonight. :heartbeat: Jeanne

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Thankyou so much, this has really helped me

Thankyou Jeanne, & thankyou for your sharing your story with me, it has helped me a lot

I am eighty three years old and had a stroke three years ago. I was paralysed on my right side, unable to swallow or talk properly. I have made a good recovery, now able to walk with a rollator and eat normally. She will recover with your support and her determination.Lilian

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Thankyou Lilian, you have really helped me

I am 92 and had my stroke at 83. Initially I had no voice, no right arm, no right leg. I was expecting that the stroke was going to put me in a wheelchair for life. In hospital the first night found that I could very clumsily get myself to the toilet unaided but using a walker. You have no idea the elation that gave me!
I am still daily exercising to try and get more out of my limbs but can now walk without a stick, play the guitar and keyboards again (Though rather badly) and take some of my share of the housework. My speech is appalling, but singing was never a part of my attributes.
Deigh

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Thankyou Deigh, knowing that you are doing well makes me so happy & it really helps

Hi Ian. My mum had a stroke in October and is a similar age. At the time I thought I’d lost her but she is making good steps to recovery (still in hospital) albeit up and down. I presume your mum is also in hospital and visits are stopped again? We had a small window of visiting which helped until they stopped it again. Happy to help if I can- and I also second the recommendation on the Tom Balchin book- I’ve read it as has my Mum.

Take care of yourself.

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Thankyou Joanne, yes she’s in hospital & one family member has had a visit but it’s still early days, i just really really want her to make it. I am so glad your mum is making good steps to recovery. Thankyou so much

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From what I understand, getting through the first 48 hours is critical, then the first week, then the first month. The more time that passes, the more likely that your Mum will get through this. It’s a matter of taking one day at a time. And also it’s still very early days - the doctors may not have an idea yet of what recovery might look like and what lasting effects there might be.

Was your Mum’s stroke caused by a bleed or a clot? Have you had any information yet from the hospital about what the prognosis might be?

What I’ve found is key with my Mum is massively celebrating and praising any steps towards recovery, however small they might seem. Whether that was starting to eat normal foods, twitching her left toe, taking her first steps. Strokes are awful - they can take away so much of a person’s independence, mobility and dignity without any warning. So it’s only normal for a survivor to then feel very low at times as they realise what they might have lost - trying to keep them positive to help recovery is really important.

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Thankyou Joanne, my mum suffered a bleed & i know how bad that can be but i’m trying not to think about that at the moment, yes the doctors are saying it’s early days for any prognosis, i am holding on to hope as much as i can.

Yes, a bleed can be more dangerous in the beginning but generally speaking (so my Mum’s physio and also my neuro physio friend has told me), recovery can be better in the long term than a clot. Keep positive.

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Thankyou so much Joanne

Hello Ian. My 72-year old mum had a massive bleed on the brain last February. Was touch and go for the first week, and as others have said, you have to take things day by day. She spent three months in hospital - with not a single visit allowed because of CoVID, and was then discharged to a nursing home. She’s proven everyone wrong though - is now walking and talking, and is now living with me. A long way to go, but survival and recovery is possible. Take care of yourself and all the best to your mother.

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