My mum’s had a stroke - any experiences please?

[Gerdticker]

My Mum (75) had a haemorrhagic stroke last week. We managed to get her to A&E within 1.5 hrs.

She’s paralysed on her right side, and while she can talk, she struggles to find the right words and mumbles a lot.

She’s in a great hospital on a stroke ward, but our family are so worried about her. She’s very depressed and frustrated. She has a feeding tube and catheter.

We feel so helpless - visiting is very limited due to covid.

Any experiences, advice or thoughts greatly welcomed. Thank you

Not directly, but on a positive note two of my friends mums who seemed quite bad after their strokes both went on to make significant improvements over the next 6-12 months. I do remember them fighting a lot to get more physio and help than they were initially offered via NHS. hopefully some other people will be able to advise where you should search to get this.

Wishing her a strong recovery x

Thank you @biggreenhouse

My Nan 87 had a stroke last year and my family was worried what she would be like as initially she couldn't talk well or walk. Once she left hospital though she did make a great recovery with physio and was able to talk and walk again on her own within a few months. She did break her hip not long ago though which set her recovery right back sadly.

It's such very early days - don't judge anything by what you're seeing now. DM had a stroke at 91 and she recovered her speech and swallow within the first year though sadly not her mobility on one side.

It could be a long process of recovery but the hospital Stroke Unit is the best place initially. We also found community Stroke clubs and rehabilitation centres once she was out of hospital.

There's a really informative video online BBC Horizon 2018 - My Amazing Brain. It was really useful and hopeful.

MIL had a bad stroke in her late 40s and fully recovered. She was paralysed too.

Another relative had one during an op and recovered about 90% of movement, there was just some slight facial paralysis that wasn’t noticeable unless you knew her.

I hope she makes a full recovery soon. They are likely to offer physio, which she needs to work bullishly at to make a good recovery.

My best friend had a severe haemorrhagic stroke (full bleed on the brain not a clot for anyone who doesn’t know what that means) she’s been left paralysed and not regained sensation nearly 5yrs later - hers was extreme and she had 5% survival chance BUT even she regained her speech and eating abilities and learned to take a few steps with a stick. You’re in very very early days so keep the hope!

She lives a good life now.

The things that mattered most to her there was someone washing her hair (you’d think this would happen but often there isn’t the staffing for nurses to do it), finding things she could do and taking her to the gardens in hospital to be outside. Fighting for a place at a rehab centre once she could be discharged from hospital (this was another 6m away from home but she made astounding progress there). Letting her feel her feelings (anger, sadness, grief for her old life) because too many people tell you that you should be grateful to be alive but at that point she was in a living hell.

Reassuring her and yourself it does get better ❤️‍🩹 really hoping for a strong recovery for your mum.