http://www.uwmedicine.org/health-library/Pages/embolic-stroke.aspx
https://strokefoundation.com.au/About-Stroke/Types-of-stroke/Haemorrhagic-stroke-bleed-in-the-brain
https://strokefoundation.com.au/About-Stroke/Types-of-stroke
Most people know someone that has had a stroke. It can occur at any age and at any time in a persons life. The effects of a stroke on the victim is devastating, and life altering. No one can possibly imagine what it is like to experience this unless it has happened to them. I want to talk to you about an embolic stroke from the survivors point of view.
Having a loved one that is a survivor of an embolic stroke, I have an inside view of the effect up close and very personal. A few of my relatives have had strokes, most of them aged between 35 and 60. It is heart breaking to hear of their suffering and see it first hand.
However there is a difference between a Haemorrhagic Stroke, TIA stroke and an EMBOLIC the loved one that had the embolic stroke and survived, has taught me a great deal of what it is like to come through this, and how day to day life is as a survivor. First of all there can be brain damage and some of this can very serious damage. It all depends on the individual's particular event, age and health prior to the Embolic stroke. Sadly my loved one was just unlucky and had one of the worst cases of an Embolic stroke. A healthy individual, who ate well and a non smoker. Just a history of heart problems that are hereditary and high blood pressure also hereditary.
It takes a while to recover from a stroke, at least a couple of years and no two people are the same. Keep that in mind for a start, and the age and health status. Now add to that the what sort of brain damage is there, and that depends on what part of the brain is affected. My loved one has several parts of the brain affected and it is quite serious literal holes in the brain.
These side effects affect everyday life. It is not a simple thing as some people think, just exercise, get out and about. This is impossible after this sort of damage, and in an elderly person that once led a very busy productive life, and has done so much in the world. Just talking for more than a few minutes is very exhausting, doing chores is exhausting and it is not recommended by medical specialists, to do any more than 15 minutes of tasks such as house work.
I can tell you there are a lot of people out there in the world, that have utterly no concept of what it takes the embolic stroke victim each day just to get out of bed, shower and dress and eat breakfast. This has to be a gradual thing punctuated with breaks between each task. it takes as long as it takes so please do not rush the person as it puts undue stress on the person and can aggravate their condition. They feel bad enough without a reminder.
Being around a house full of noisy people is very bad on their central nervous system and it totally exhausts the individual. Please be mindful of noise and stress levels on the stroke victim. Public places become very stressful and difficult to be around too. Due to noise and a lot of activity that can confuse and distress the stroke victim with sensory overload, the person will always need to stop and rest every few minutes too. Again with aged people this will be very frequent. They need peace and quiet and rest.
The embolic stroke victim sometimes cannot focus on more than one person at a time either depending on the level of damage they have sustained. So if you have a group of people talking this is highly stressful to the person. Background noises also make it extremely difficult for them to focus on what you are saying. Understanding what people are saying is hard enough as they are struggling to process what is being said to them.
Many are no longer able to read and write after an embolic stroke. Something that we all take for granted. Just think how hard it must be for the person having to live like this. Parts of the brain actually die from an embolic stroke and will never recover or regenerate. It is important that people take the time to understand this and take it on board. Heaven forbid that it might happen to you or a loved one, one day.
Please stop and think of this, be mindful not to pressure or push the individual to do anything. They are not the same as they once were and never will be. I have seen my loved one on a few occasions distressed by the lack of understanding by others over the lack of recovery. There is NO recovery with this. No amount of exercising , walking etc is going to cure a massive hole in the brain.
Please take the time to click on the above links to read up on what the symptoms are on the different types of strokes. Also please remember that no two individuals are the same. Some get off light but many do not and are disabled for life. Please be kind, loving, mindful and above all respectful to the poor soul that has had this terrible misfortune.
Alex
