Stroke in grandparent

[boredaf]

My grandad is 77 and he had a stroke yesterday. Thankfully as far as strokes go it wasn’t horrendous and he appeared to respond well to the clot busting drug. He was kept overnight to do a repeat CT today. He seemed okay during the day, passed his physical exam and CT is clear but this afternoon and evening he’s become more and more contused. Not remembering where he was, what happened, insisting he had to go to a hospital appointment, he’s been irritable which really isn’t like him normally he has the patience of an absolute saint. He remembers us all, his sense of humour is still there, he’s just muddled for want of a better word. He was less confused yesterday when the stroke was happening. I’m heartbroken for him, my nan, my kids who absolutely adore him. He doesn’t deserve this.

Does anyone have experience with this, specifically the confusion gradually getting worse. His speech is fine, he’s walking around, it’s really the confusion. Is there a chance this will get better, maybe not to where he was before but improved at least? I’ve been asking the nurses questions but it’s a lot to take in and I’m getting confused with it all myself.

I am not a medic and hope someone qualified can help you but in the meantime can speak from some experience - look up anosognosia, which is post-stroke confusion and is temporary. A stroke is tough on the brain and the medication for it is strong stuff too, he may need some time to recover.

Thank you so much I’ll have a look into it. It’s just come as a shock, which maybe it shouldn’t have but he seemed so with it when we left him yesterday and he was texting me this morning. Then tonight was shocked he’d had a stroke and asked my nan why she hadn’t told him he’d had a stroke! Bless him, I just want to bring him home and look after him but I understand why I can’t of course.

Bump x

I’m not medical but my dad had a stroke in his 60s and while he was quite badly affected in the initial week or two, he improved significantly from there. His stroke mainly affected his speech centre, and from having no words at all in the first few days, he now speaks pretty much normally. Mixes up or loses words now and again, but he’s in his mid 70s now so some of that is to be expected anyway.

The doctors told us that they can never fully know what to expect when it comes to the brain but they can heal in time like anything else. Things may never be quite how they were before but they can regain a lot. You have my sympathy, it’s scary as hell, but don’t lose hope, especially as it’s still early days.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It really is very scary and it’s heartbreaking to watch. His memory of things prior to the stroke seems to be okay, he knows who we all are, remembers where he lives and other details about his life, just everything from Wednesday to now comes and goes and is very fuzzy for him. Hopefully it’s something that improves with time, I’m expecting it won’t ever fully heal largely due to his age but hopefully will get better than it is now. He seemed a bit better when I saw him today which is good, he was still confused about what’s happened and not remembering what’s happened but wasn’t fixated on completely random theories and ideas which he was yesterday. So hopefully that’s a positive sign!

My Dad is 71 and had a stroke at the end of June. I picked up on it due to his confusion and not making sense. Unfortunately because he lives alone and we couldn't be sure what time it happened so was unable to have the clot busting drug.
Although he could still walk and talk he has required quite extensive speech and language therapy. He could not 'find' the right words he wanted to say, this made him appear a lot more confused as a lot of what he was saying wasn't making sense purely due to the issue with language. Although initially there was small element of confusion. This may not be the case but possibly worth a thought?
He will improve if he engages with the therapy, it's amazing what they do now. my Dad is still receiving speech/language and occupational therapy weekly at home. In some ways he will never regain certain skills, he was a cryptic crossword king but he wouldn't be able to manage now, but he is really improving every day. It just takes time and patience. Best wishes to you all and I hope your Grandad has a speedy recovery xx
Sorry for such the long post xx

Often post stroke there can be initial confusion which can be caused by immediate swelling and fatigue. The non-damaged part of the brain is having to work a lot harder than it usually would. Obviously there can be residual long-term damage but it is very early days in terms of recovery so try not to worry too much about the confusion - although of course it is distressing.
he will be assessed by speech and language and Occupational therapy and will have rehab if appropriate.
(Im not medical have worked in stroke rehab but not for a long time).
sending best wishes to you all

Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re waiting for the drs to review his MRI and ultrasound that he had earlier so they can put a care plan in place, but I think it’s going to involve physio and OT as well from what I understand. I think he will engage with the help offered. I did wonder about his speech being affected cos he was saying some weird things yesterday that really didn’t make sense, but today it was just confusion but what he said was in context with the conversation so I think it’s his memory rather than speech. I might be wrong though, I guess the MRI will tell us more.

I hope he can regain some normality, he was so independent up until Wednesday and it’d be awful if it was completely torn away from him just like that. If it is, we will manage between us, but for his sake and my Nan’s I hope he can go back to some kind of normality. Best wishes to you and your DF as well, thank you again xx

Thank you for your input! The confusion is limited very much to the here and now, everything prior to the stroke he can recall fine, just the events of Weds onwards seem to not be sticking but as you say, his brain has been through a lot in the last 72 hours so it’s not surprising (although it took us by surprise as he was pretty lucid until yesterday, but in hindsight perhaps it shouldn’t have been). I think OT did an assessment today but I think the hospital are reviewing the results of that and the scans altogether to set up a plan. All seems to be in hand thankfully. Thank you for your advice it’s much appreciated!