Learn About Stroke
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What is Stroke?
A stroke happens when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted. This stops the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells. It only takes a few minutes after you have a stroke for brain cells to begin to die. Learn more about the types of stroke and how to recognize them.
Stroke Treatment and Recovery
If you have a stroke, your doctors will work hard to restore normal blood flow to the brain. There are two basic types of treatment for stroke: medical and surgical. Your doctor will talk to you about the treatments that are best for you. The sooner treatment can be started, the better the chances of saving brain cells from permanent damage, so all strokes are treated as medical emergencies. Learn more about stroke treatment and recovery.
Behavior Changes after Stroke
When someone has a stroke, there are often lasting effects to the brain that may change the way a person behaves. Your brain is composed of over 100 billion cells working together to understand your environment and respond to it appropriately. When a stroke happens to a particular part of the brain, this activity is disrupted, leading to changes in memory, language, emotions, personality and behaviors. Understanding how stroke can change behavior can help you prepare for and adapt to the difficulties after a stroke. Learn more about behavior changes after a stroke.
Emotional Changes and Depression
There is a direct link between our brains and our bodies in determining how we feel. Changes in the brain, such as stroke, can impact how we react to what has happened to us and how we react to others. Chemical changes in the brain caused by the stroke can make it difficult to manage emotions and anger, and damage to different parts of the brain can lead to trouble regulating our emotions. A decrease in certain chemicals in the brain can lead to depression. Depression can happen to up to half of those who have had a stroke. Depression can cause a patient to have a poor recovery. Often, both the patient and the family want to deny or minimize depression because they don’t want to be labeled as "depressed," but treatment for depression can lead to a better life. Learn more about emotional changes and depression after a stroke.
Cognition
Life after a stroke is often marked by difficulty in the mental processes of understanding and using knowledge, known as cognition. Cognition affects how a person interacts in daily living with their environment. You might notice new behaviors in your loved one, such as trouble paying attention, becoming easily distracted, an inability to avoid inappropriate behavior and repeating topics. These are all areas of behavior controlled by cognition. Learn more about cognition after a stroke.
Feeling Tired After Stroke
You probably take activities like standing from a sitting position, walking or even just watching television for granted. After a stroke, these simple activities can drain your energy because of a common problem called Post Stroke Fatigue, or PSF. Learn more about feeling tired after a stroke.
Speech and Language Problems
Speech and language impairments are a common result of stroke. Not being able to communicate can lead to isolation and depression in the stroke survivor. In turn, as a family member or caregiver, you may feel frustrated or helpless. But working together to recover and compensate for communication difficulties can make a big difference. Learn more about speech and language problems following a stroke.
A stroke happens when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted. This stops the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain cells. It only takes a few minutes after you have a stroke for brain cells to begin to die. Learn more about the types of stroke and how to recognize them.
Stroke Treatment and Recovery
If you have a stroke, your doctors will work hard to restore normal blood flow to the brain. There are two basic types of treatment for stroke: medical and surgical. Your doctor will talk to you about the treatments that are best for you. The sooner treatment can be started, the better the chances of saving brain cells from permanent damage, so all strokes are treated as medical emergencies. Learn more about stroke treatment and recovery.
Behavior Changes after Stroke
When someone has a stroke, there are often lasting effects to the brain that may change the way a person behaves. Your brain is composed of over 100 billion cells working together to understand your environment and respond to it appropriately. When a stroke happens to a particular part of the brain, this activity is disrupted, leading to changes in memory, language, emotions, personality and behaviors. Understanding how stroke can change behavior can help you prepare for and adapt to the difficulties after a stroke. Learn more about behavior changes after a stroke.
Emotional Changes and Depression
There is a direct link between our brains and our bodies in determining how we feel. Changes in the brain, such as stroke, can impact how we react to what has happened to us and how we react to others. Chemical changes in the brain caused by the stroke can make it difficult to manage emotions and anger, and damage to different parts of the brain can lead to trouble regulating our emotions. A decrease in certain chemicals in the brain can lead to depression. Depression can happen to up to half of those who have had a stroke. Depression can cause a patient to have a poor recovery. Often, both the patient and the family want to deny or minimize depression because they don’t want to be labeled as "depressed," but treatment for depression can lead to a better life. Learn more about emotional changes and depression after a stroke.
Cognition
Life after a stroke is often marked by difficulty in the mental processes of understanding and using knowledge, known as cognition. Cognition affects how a person interacts in daily living with their environment. You might notice new behaviors in your loved one, such as trouble paying attention, becoming easily distracted, an inability to avoid inappropriate behavior and repeating topics. These are all areas of behavior controlled by cognition. Learn more about cognition after a stroke.
Feeling Tired After Stroke
You probably take activities like standing from a sitting position, walking or even just watching television for granted. After a stroke, these simple activities can drain your energy because of a common problem called Post Stroke Fatigue, or PSF. Learn more about feeling tired after a stroke.
Speech and Language Problems
Speech and language impairments are a common result of stroke. Not being able to communicate can lead to isolation and depression in the stroke survivor. In turn, as a family member or caregiver, you may feel frustrated or helpless. But working together to recover and compensate for communication difficulties can make a big difference. Learn more about speech and language problems following a stroke.