Aibu to worry if my dad has had a stroke?

[user0786]

Currently on holiday and got a call from my sister saying she thinks my dad is having a stroke.

She's saying he seems confused. She's called for an ambulance. They said it's best for him to get checked out due to the confusion and history (heart patient, diabetic etc).

Could he have had a stroke? No slurred speech. His face hasn't fallen to one side and he has an issue with one of his arms so cannot really judge based on that.

He's type 2 diabetic and has only had one meal today ...

I'm worried sick and being in another country isn't helping.

What were the signs when your loved one had a stroke?

Thanks in advance.

So sorry to hear this. Hate to say it but my dm had no facial droop or slurred speach so paramedics initially said it wasn’t a stroke but it was. Get him checked asap thoroughly as time is key should it be a stroke. Awful for you all

Thank you. What were her symptoms that led to an ambulance being called? What was the outcome?

My partner had a mini stroke (tia??) was just losing the feeling in his legs and the room spinning

@Mangogogogo Is a mini stroke just a warning that it can turn into something bigger? Is your partner okay now?

My stroke had no classic symptoms either, I just lost a little vision and had a bad headache for a few days. I thought it was migraine and by the time I contacted my doctor it was too late to do anything about the clot.

If it's any consolation I was about 95% recovered within a year and I was enormously lucky as it was in the part of my brain that makes most people lose the ability to read.

But yes, if I knew then what I know now I'd have gone straight to the emergency room, preferably in an ambulance. Not everyone presents typically

My mom has just had a mini stroke. It apparently increases the risk of another mini or indeed a “full” stroke. She had numbness in one arm and hand and a slight drop to one side of her face. Speech was slurred but hasn’t realised until her DH came home from work. The day before had a general feeling of not being right and lots of spots before her eyes (but has that a lot generally so wasn’t concerned at the time)

Confusion could be lots of things, some not really serious, like a water or chest infection, or his blood sugar. Try not to worry too much.

I think it was very thoughtless of your sister to tell you this and worry you when you're on holiday and can't do anything- she should have waited to see what the ambulance crew/doctors said before informing you if necessary.

She woke up and couldn’t use her legs on one side. She had to basically throw herself downstairs to get help. I hope your dad is ok

@Dutch1e He does have a headache too so it's probably best if he gets it checked out. It probably won't be a good outcome will it based on the fact that he has high BP, four stents and is diabetic :/

My dad is diabetic and when his sugar goes low he can't concentrate and gets confused! Hoping this is the case for your dad! Hope he is okay 💗🩷💗

Has anyone checked his sugar? Both high and low blood sugar can make people act very strangely!

Get him checked asap. No point guessing.

My husband had one last year, a month short of his 55th birthday. His symptoms were a massive headache and blurred vision. He thought it was a migraine so didn't discover it was a stroke for 24 hours.

The hospital will be able to check fairly easily if it is a stroke, my husbands was clearly visible on a CT scan. They then did a load of heart checks, various scans of his head and neck. It's best to get checked out and it not be a stroke than the other way (my hubby has lost 50% of his vision)

DH is type 2 diabetic and had a stroke 2 weeks before Christmas. He's 53
No classic symptoms. He'd had a headache for a couple of days, tingling in his left hand and difficulty swallowing but he'd just lost his mum so we put it down to stress.
I came home from shopping and found him slumped over the kitchen table. And when I shook him thinking he'd dozed off, he couldn't string a sentence together.
I called an ambulance immediately.
He was in hospital for a couple of days and is still recovering at home 4 months later. He does slur when he's tired and struggles to think of words and names of things still. He's weak on his left side but should regain his strength given time. He's left handed so it's very frustrating for him. I
He's on blood thinners for life.

His symptoms are a headache and confusion. When asked questions like about colours or to touch his nose for example he is really confused. I'm worried sick. I know there's nothing I can do. I'm glad my sister told me as my dad had two heart attacks a few years ago and we've always been transparent (in real time) with his care as we've often shared the load.

Results are back. He has had a stroke. Doctor said that my sister did the right thing by bringing him in on time as they can start treatment straight away.

Can people live a somewhat normal life after a stroke? (Don't mean to offend anyone who has lost loved ones or has had a loved one experience irreversible damage).

Thanks

My brother had a stroke and took himself down to A&E where they said it wasn't and sent him away, presumably because he had no symptoms, though he had had them. He went back the next day, was very insistent and got a scan. It was a stroke, TIA in his case.

This was years ago and he's fine. Completely symptom free.

All strokes are different and you dad will be given advice on future health and any rehab he might need.

I hope all goes well, OP.

So sorry to hear this. The good news is it’s been diagnosed quickly and they can work immediately on his recovery. Every person is different so just stay strong and see how ge goes over the next few days.

My father had a stroke a few years back. He had the clot busting drug and made an almost full recovery so yes it is possible.

Everyone is different though but it sounds like your father is having the treatment he needs. Hoping for a similarly good outcome for him xx

I had a full stroke, no slurred speech nor facial droop nor any cognitive damage either. It depends where in the brain it hits

Hope he recovers well, which is often dependent on swift action,

If it is a stroke, if you (and other family) get advice from the physio to help him do short bursts of soft exercises it will be an enormous help. Unfortunately I was given very limited physio and next to no rehab whilst in hospital, but having had no cognitive damage was able to help myself. The more you can do in the first few days often better the recovery x

I had a TIA 18 months ago and am absolutely fine! I was not aware I’d had the TIA but my optician noticed some loss of vision in one eye and scarring on the eye during my routine eye test. On reflection, I recall waking up with some blurring in my eye and feeling very tired but just went back to bed for a couple of hours and everything was fine when I woke up.

I was referred within two weeks to a stroke clinic and also to the eye hospital. At the stroke clinic, my blood pressure was found to be very high, I was already on medication so the consultant tweaked it immediately and also prescribed blood thinners. Subsequent mri and 72 hr wearing of bp monitor showed no issues but my cholesterol was slightly high so I was given statins as well. I keep an eye on my bp, it is better than it has been for years and my cholesterol is now reduced.

My eye sight is permanently reduced now in one eye, about 25% reduced in one quadrant although at my last visit to the eye hospital it appears my brain is making new pathways as I could read more of the smaller letters on the chart.

As a result of the excellent care I have received from the NHS and my optician, I am perfectly well and not really affected by my mini stroke. I think that with careful monitoring and medication, there is no reason to worry about having a more serious stroke.

I am aiming to lose some weight, very obese at the moment, and then get both my knees replaced, they are both totally knackered and I have very limited mobility. That will obviously help reduce my stroke risk as well.

So your dad should be fine if he has all the other tests, scans, mri, monitors etc. Your sister made the right decision thankfully.

I'm so sorry, that's tough news. Yes, he can make a good recovery but it's often a difficult 12 months (the time when the most significant healing happens but also when the fatigue & personality changes are most dramatically felt).

The type of help he will need depends on what area of the brain the stroke happened in but in all cases be prepared for him to be EXTREMELY tired, often falling dead asleep at peculiar times, and also feeling quite confused/disoriented.

@user0786 it's my understanding that the after effects are dependent on the type of stroke (clot or bleed), the part of the brain it occurred in and whether it was possibly to get treatment quickly- my head tells me within 8 hours if it's a clot stroke. My husband has lost 50% vision in each eye, his stroke was in the occipital lobe which is where the images from the eye are processed. Other than fatigue which is hugely common that is his only issue. Whilst in hospital he saw people with loss of mobility who over days were regaining use of limbs. Other people are not so lucky and it's a long hard journey. The hospital will be firstly intent on trying to find a cause to see if there is anything they need to fix to stop it happening again (usually heart or blood vessels in the neck, sometimes an issue in the brain). The stroke association is good for info as is different strokes.

@user0786 I meant to say that some parts of the brain are able to almost require around the damaged but, sadly for my husband the occipital live isn't the best at that. That's why there is good rehab available for some of the issues people are left with.

I had the same kind of stroke as your husband. Just wanted to pass on this case study of a man who completely regained his sight 10 years post-stroke using Co-enzyme Q10 on top of his usual vitamin regimin. I can't afford that brand and less expensive types of Q10 didn't have much effect on me but perhaps it will be useful to you at some point.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6296271/