My mom had a stroke 5 days before Christmas

Nabeek

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your mother, it must be a difficult time for you and your family.

I am not sure what emphasia is. could you possibly mean "aphasia?"

Recovering arm function after stroke is definitely possible. Whether it can be returned to full function, I can't say. Strokes affect everyone differently. Usually, the most gains in motor tasks are made in the initial 6-8 weeks after the stroke. However, continued improvements can occur after this period. Your mother will need some intensive physiotherapy to help restore her arm function. And yes, depending on where in her brain the stroke was, memory problems are very common. Again, it's a bit of a waiting game to see if it returns.

Wishing you the best of luck.

MissLijChristne

Thanks for your reply. I probably did mean aphasia. I had a hard timr understanding the doctor's Southern accent...

The waiting is the hardest part. I worry night and day since I live a good 3-4 hours away from where she is. Hopefully thinks will go as planned... the Therapist did tell me that it will be 4-6 weeks before she is back to normal, but its hard to say.

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DonnaKay

My mother-in-law had a stroke on Christmas Eve. We are told it is a mini stroke because there is no paralysis. But she has speech problems. And swallowing problems. She says she is full after a couple of bites (which are ground up). She just got out of rehab Saturday (15th). She will have rehab as outpatient now.

I'm learning about all this, too. I'd like to know if she'll get all these functions back (like be able to have a two-sided conversation). She seems to know exactly what we are talking about, laughing at appropriate times, and occasionally a sentence will come out very clear ... but the majority of the time it sounds like gibberish.

Best wishes for you and your family.

mlgable

It depends on how severe the stroke was and what side was affected as to how the recovery will go. Also a lot depends on how motivated the patient is to following their therapy program. One other thing is to be sure that they are in a good therapy program to try to help them recover the skills they have lost. Sometime the damage is permanent. Since your mothers right arm is paralyzed it is hard to say just how much movement she will regain in that arm if any. As for the aphasia she may learn to speak a few words but if the doc said aphasia and not dysphagia she may not be able to speak more than a few words. One of your best bets would be to see the doc and get him to put in writing just what kind of stroke your mom had and what she has as an end result of the stroke such as right sided paralysis and aphasia. This way you have all of the info in writing instead of trying to understand his thick accent. Also speak to your mom's therapists while she is in therapy and find out what kind of progress she is making and if what they speculate her final outcome will be etc. I realize you said you were 3-4 hours away but take a day off work and go find out all this info so you have some kind of a clue what is going on. Without your mom's written consent these people cannot legally tell you anything via the phone or writing due to the new HIPAA (health insurance portability and accountability act) laws. Good Luck.