need info... heart attack and stroke

[AAP]

Ok, 65 year old neighbor had a stroke last week. While laying on the floor he had a heart attack too. It paralyzed his right side, including face and his hand curled up in the claw hold... (typical stroke signs).
He is recovering... but is really down on himself. he can move his right side now and hands are normal. But he can not count change or remember where keys are on the keyboard.

I am just looking for some kind of info and links to share with him to pick his spirits up and look forward to a positive recovery. Mental state is normally 50% of recovery and if he is depressed and sad, it is only hindering him.

Thanks.

 

[PICK3]

I'm no doctor, but I'd say heart attacks and strokes are bad.

 

[Bikini Mod]

What did the docs say his prognosis was?

 

[AAP]

Well they postponed an angioplasty that was suppose to be doen before this happened. This is like his second stroke in six months.

i can imagine how depressed he must be because this man's mind is/was truly as sharp as a tack and he had been the silent counsel for many a highly important person over the last 30 years. Now he can't even count change money.

 

[Bikini Mod]

Well they postponed an angioplasty that was suppose to be doen before this happened. This is like his second stroke in six months.

i can imagine how depressed he must be because this man's mind is/was truly as sharp as a tack and he had been the silent counsel for many a highly important person over the last 30 years. Now he can't even count change money.

I am so sorry... It's hard not to get depressed when you realize that you can never be what you once were - whether it be physically or mentally.

I dont have any usefull advice, for which I feel quite badly. The only thing I can say is if he is a good friend to you, be patient and let him work through this.

I hope that he will get better. It is my understanding that the more quickly treatment for a stroke is administered the more likely the chance of a fuller recovery.

 

[AAP]

Yes, I know how he must feel. So far all the doctors have said is that they would like to keep him for 3-4 weeks observation.

i was wondering what kind of treatment/therapy/recovery program is out there that might be prescribed for him. What to expect and so forth.

 

[musclemom]

The brain is capable of some truly remarkable recovery, but it can't recover if it isn't given therapy. Different parts can be retrained to take over new jobs, but he can't sit around, the faster he gets into occupational therapy/physical therapy and starts stimulating his brain the better.

Strokes aren't like spinal cord injuries, spinal cord injuries the wire is CUT, in strokes ... well, the more willing the patient is to try and work the more that can potentially be regained.

There is a major frustration factor that kicks in with stroke patients, that's a sign that a different part of the brain is being forced to take on a new task, frustration reduces as the neurons repath, but the frustration causes a lot of stroke patients to just give up, and that's the worst thing that you can do, because while there is no limit on what the brain's recovery is, in an older person, since they're already working from a lower muscle mass state, it's very easy for the body to start to atrophy, joints freeze, tendons and ligaments shorten. Intensive physical therapy, including range of motion exercises, is really important.

Long story short, tell your neighbor that his level of recovery, to a certain degree, is going to be in direct relation to his level of willingness to work towards recovery (this is exactly what was told to me when my ex husband's grandfather had two strokes back to back). He can't give into the frustration.

 

[BrothaBill]

Sorry to hear that AAP. Not much information I can provide for the stroke. A stroke IS brain damage, lack of blood flow to the brain causes brain tissue death and damage.
Rehab. should start immediately to help regain some movement function but also to learn how to "compensate" for the damage.

It's a matter of learning to live with a new disability and that comes from rehab and rehab therapists.

The heart attack is also bad. Strange that they postponed his angioplasty, but who knows why, may have been your neighbor holding off, its usually the patient that doesnt want to have it done for whatever reason given that Docs have gone to jail for giving unnecessary angioplasties b/c it makes a lot of money shortly and with little risk.

But, the whole thing is how much damage was there to the brain, how much movement is lost? How much damage to the heart from the heart attack meaning was mild, mod, severe and where in the heart muscle? What does his coronary arteries look like with plaque? Did the clot that caused the stroke come from the heart b/c of a previous heart attack?

So many pieces of the puzzle that it cant be answered except to say that stroke, its a matter of working to restart his life to compensate for the new disability and the harder a person works the more they will regain

 

[AAP]

BB you are the Da Man.

MuscleMom you are Da Mom (or Da Woman, whichever you prefer.)

Other than ROM exercises, what else would be given to him? Also, what is the percentage that his memory function returning. This is man that could average 105 wpm on a MANUAL typewriter and now he can't even remember the location of the keys.

 

[eat big]

I would be frank with him. If he doesn't work to get better he's not going to. My grandfather had a stroke at 88. So massive he would never recover. He was in a bed and fed by a feeding tube for the last two years of his life because my grandmother thought he would get better.

People recover all the time. I bet he will be able to remember stuff more as it goes on. He will probably recover faster as he has already learned much of it before. Was he on blood thinners when this happened?

 

[HiDnGoD]

I have no expert advice on this, but my Grandmother had a stroke at 63. She was able to relearn things, & retrain her limbs. Something about forming new synapses?
Anyways, with effort, therre is hope.

 

[eat big]

I have no expert advice on this, but my Grandmother had a stroke at 63. She was able to relearn things, & retrain her limbs. Something about forming new synapses?
Anyways, with effort, therre is hope.

If I'm correct, synapses are the gaps/parts that join neurons together.

 

[BrothaBill]

BB you are the Da Man.

MuscleMom you are Da Mom (or Da Woman, whichever you prefer.)

Other than ROM exercises, what else would be given to him? Also, what is the percentage that his memory function returning. This is man that could average 105 wpm on a MANUAL typewriter and now he can't even remember the location of the keys.

Impossible to say, most of the healing will come in the first month and say three to six months improvements will usually occur. But with work that more movement can be regained and such.

The brain as it ages gets harder to recover from injury, in young children you can take out a whole half of the brain and the other brain will compensate. Thats not true for an older person. Although some activity can be relearned and some rewiring as well as some damaged brain tissue becomes healed. The dead stuff and the movements and functions it controlled will be lost or very much disabled.

Really though, its so individual, some success stories some not so successful.
It'd be better to gauge him in a month.
There are TIAs are mini strokes that are temporary, people go blind, cant talk etc... Then they regain it all back in 48hours luckily.
To permanent disablement. THe continuum is large and only time can tell. In one month's time he could be ALOT better or not much better at all. Its a time will only tell type of deal

 

[GoldenDelicious]

at this point support and reassurance are the two most important things he needs, in order to avoid unneccessary mental torment, as well as improve his compliance with rehabilitatory regimes.

if i were in your spot, i would hammer home the idea that the brain is highly compartmentalised, and a brain injury doesnt take 20 IQ points off across the board - and so while he may feel upset that he cannot count coins anymore, he may be completely unaffected in other areas of higher thinking - so angle it by saying that he is still worthy of giving brilliant advice to highly influential people regarding complex situations...but he might slur in his speech a little, or something similar.

whatever you do, keep his spirits up and support him as he relearns or reorganises his brain to take on the roles his damaged tissue used to do...but try not to give him grossly high expectations, or youll set him up for a fall. youre the guy who knows him, so youre the one who will know jsut what needs to be said to get him what we want him to do, which is to stay positive, and actively participate in his rehab

cheerios

 

[Lestat]

best of luck to him man.

great posts from BB and MM on here.

 

[gotmilk]

His brain can relearn most of the functions he could do before. Driving, typing, etc can all be relearned depending on how much time people spend with him.

The worst problem stroke victims have is that they sit around by themselves for most of the day.

Simple mind problems such as puzzles and coloring books actually help the brain relearn thought processes.

I hope he socked some money away because the next year is going to be tough.

 

[Razorguns]

i had a stroke in nov. albiet not as bad as him, i got much better week by week.

if he's not on blood thinner get him on that. I assume they did TPA on him first 3 hours. Did he have a hemmorage or a ischemic stroke?

Rehab takes time and take anti-d's if he gets depressed. Just be patient and read up on stroke survivors. That's what I did. Too bad he's not close to the UCLA Stroke center, best stroke center in the world.

He won't be the same, but he can learn to do most of what he used to do, so tell him to have no fear.

 

[AAP]

i had a stroke in nov. albiet not as bad as him, i got much better week by week.

if he's not on blood thinner get him on that. I assume they did TPA on him first 3 hours. Did he have a hemmorage or a ischemic stroke?

Rehab takes time and take anti-d's if he gets depressed. Just be patient and read up on stroke survivors. That's what I did. Too bad he's not close to the UCLA Stroke center, best stroke center in the world.

He won't be the same, but he can learn to do most of what he used to do, so tell him to have no fear.

How old are you bro? Any idea what lead to it?

 

[jnevin]

My grandfather had the same thing happen. I don't know any links to anything, but he just liked having us spend time with him, being patient with him, etc. They know something bad has happened, they just seem to need to be comforted after. It scared the shit out of him, and he was at Normandy.

 

[JarheadChiro]

Maybe look into some EDTA therapy.

 

[BrothaBill]

Maybe look into some EDTA therapy.

Complete garbage bor, anyone telling you that that stuff works is lying b/c scientific studies prove that it doesnt do a thing.

 

[Razorguns]

How old are you bro? Any idea what lead to it?

33. not sure. they don't know. i did take dnp, test, eq, dbol and work out like a monster. Other than that -- normal.

 

[JarheadChiro]

Complete garbage bor, anyone telling you that that stuff works is lying b/c scientific studies prove that it doesnt do a thing.

I stand corrected.
Thanks BB for enlightening me, I gotta shake this Chiro cult thought process.

Haha.

 

[jimmy d]

what about a dog or cat to visit with him