Did not get the signs of my husband's stroke soon enough

I know what you mean. My mother has been on psychiatric meds for years and I did not catch the fact that she had a mild stroke at first either. Sometimes its so hard to tell. I have suspected since then that she had a small stroke but when I get to the hospital they say "she's fine now" and let her go. When she was off her psych meds I am sure she had a stroke but she refused treatment and there was nothing the hospital could (or would) do. She had a lot of trouble with her leg for a long time after but now it seems better. Finally we were able to force mom into a hospital and get her back on meds but they put her on newer ones and they don't seem to be working as well. I'm wondering though if part of the problem is that she is having small strokes and we don't know it and this has affected her brain.

If the family have any history of heart problem, preventive measures must always be the first in line, especially if we are already getting more older and when we are more into stressful works and activities than we should normally have. Stroke/heart attack can be view as a silent killer. you may really not know exactly when and where you will have an attack. signs and symptoms are not so clear that its the same as other signs and symptoms of other deseases or underlying causes. Maybe this can help: warnings signs are chest pain, sudden numbness of face, usually radiating to left arms and shoulder, cold sweats, dizziness, shortness of breath and lightheadedness, there may be weakness and abdominal pain too, nausea and vomiting, loss of balance and coordination, sudden confusion. if you are experiencing any of the said signs, might as well go to the nearest hospital and if possible have someone accompany you.

I think it is hard to tell the small signs of a stroke. They are hard to tell if there is really a problem or just from being drained. Don't beat yourself up over it. I would make sure he does all the exercises and everything they tell him.

Look at me I thought I had heartburn for a week and then found that day I had a heart attach!. and all the tests I went through before and after bereast surgery didnt find a bad heart! So reall no sure mini signs to look for! GUess ya have tio check every muscle spasum and twitch. ANd you are right to not sell in 2 years as he could be very well by then and not think he needs to go.

I agree that there should be a list of more subtle symptoms that might occur with a stroke. My ex had many incidents that were danger signals before he had a slight stroke. One of those weird symptoms was a tingling in his bottom lip. He never mentioned it to a doctor, because he didn't know that it could be something serious. His stroke was a small one, a bit more serious than a TIA, I think, but not much. He was paralyzed for about 18 hours, but has had numbness and tingling in his foot ever since (and it's been 21 years since it happened.) The only permanent damage he received was that he could no longer remember the words to songs. That doesn't sound like such a big deal, but since he was a professional singer/piano player it was. Having a warning stroke is not, in my opinion, reason enough to rush off to senior housing. However, in some areas, there are senior housing complexes that have apartments for seniors, then assisted living, then full fledged nursing homes all in the same complex. It's often best to get in while you're healthy, in order to take advantage of the other services...since there can be waiting lists.

That's true suspenseful i agree with you that "it would not be right for us to go to senior home when someone in worse condition" because having that kind of conditions needs proper care, moral support and touch of love because they get strenght out of it. Maybe, he is just in self-pity and so concerned about you because he do not want you to find hard taking care of him, but who would know deep inside them he needs you the most especially in his weakest point in his life. Shall i share this - my mother -in-law is also in the same condition as your husband, she's bedridden for 4years now, and with that span of time the family is still taking care of her, maybe that was the reason she still live longer more than we think she will live. A strength from the family is the best contribution that we can give to them...Be strong also...

I really do not think that they can really do anything about strokes to prevent them or track rather you will have a stroke...They do give you medications to help to prevent stokes,like asprian a day, blood pressure medications if you have high blood pressure,medications to help keep your colesteraol down,they say don't smoke,or drink a lot, watch your diet etc,but these are just preventatives...If any of these preventatives get out of control then you can be in danger...I know my blood pressure gets high so i take blood pressure meds but i also monitor my blood pressure as well...I think they say if you feel someone might be suffering from a stoke,you can ask them to make a sentence & if their speech is slurred thats a sign,also ask thenm to raise both arms,and to look for tic's like a twist of the tongue,but thats usually too late at this point...I really do not think anything can be done to prevent except to take percautions..Its sad but thats really how it is...My sister has high blood pressure & the meds she was taking was not working well for her,so she got excited and her blood pressure shot up suddenly and she had a minor stroke,but she was not left with any limp or any damage..Doctors really can only tell you how to help prevent but they cannot trace a stoke unless you are actually having the stroke..I used to do this lady;s hair ,and she had a major stroke brought on by stress,it left the left side of her face twisted,i felt so bad for her...But i saw her last week in the store and she was all back to normal but it took about a year..This poor lady was taking care of a disabled husband & her daughter was not a good mother so she was having to take care of her 3 grandchildren & her husband and it was just too much for her,so she had a stroke....I think consistering what i have seen concerning stoke victims,your husband is doing well,but it will take time& he alos needs to exercise to try & regain his strength in his leg..Men are careless about doing these things sometimes...Just try as much as you can to encourage him to do exercises and keep a eye on his blood pressure & COLESTEROL....This might also hep him and you as well to get some fish oil and take that ,it protects the heart...I got mine at Walgreens its "Omega-3 Fish oil concentrate 1200 mg softgels..My siters doctor put her on these 7 SHE TAKES 2 PERday and it has been 4 years since her stoke & she does fine...I do not blame you for not moving to a senior home site,i would not like that either.I think maybe your husband is just a little uneasy since his stroke..He may NEVER have another one....Good luck to you !

Sorry to hear what happened to your husband. I don't know much about stroke I have been too busy offline but now I can have some spare time and I will start paying attention to our health again. My husband is over 40 years old so I think he should start putting more time into exercise and diet on top of quitting smoking. I may not be 40 yet but being healthy can start at any age. So now that he is suffering from stroke why can't he go to senior home if he wants to? None of my parents ever goes to senior home but that's because it's too expensive in my homeland. I heard over here some are affordable.

My mother had about 5 or 7 strokes before she was no longer able to live on her own. It sounds like your husband is anticipating trouble. I feel bad that we had to put her in the healthcare center because in the 2 years since she's been there, she's gone down hill at a much greater rate than when she was living in her own place. Its been 10 years since mom had that first stroke, tell your husband that it may be 10 years before he needs to be in that kind of place. Now, mom did have 3 strokes before she went to the Manor, which is an independent living senior's place that has part of it being the healthcare center that you buy into the place. If you were looking at a senior living arrangement where you have your own apartment or condo that might be different.

When a stroke occurs, I have seen possible two reactions of the party involved. One is to feel very fragile. The other is to try to overcompensate to feel like they can still do what they always have. It seems like your husband feel fragile.

You are obviously a good wife. I think the subtle signs should be more widely spread because many people have mini strokes TIA's and don't know it and each one effects the brain. My mom is seventy something and she lives in a sort of do it yourself assisted living complex. They start letting people in at fifty five I think. She is happier there then she's been in years. She has someone come in and do her hair for next to nothing, as well as having her apartment cleaned, she kind of took over groups and started new ones, from discussion groups to art and gardening classes. And within weeks they had voted out the person in charge of the discussion group and voted her in. Its a beautiful complex with each apartment centered around a green and leafy square with a lot of flowers. There is bus that runs twice a week and takes them anywhere they want to go - plus public transportation near by. She is more social then she has been in years - of course she worked hard all of her life as a single mom. She goes to the senior center a few times a week for scrabble tournaments while one of her friends joins the excercise class there and they eat there as well. There are group trips - less expensive and just always something going on. They have a panic button in each apartment which is nice. Most people there are christian but they accept her being Jewish. Her apartment is very sweet too. For her it wasn't the end of life but the beginning of a more fufilling, social life she never had time for before.

That is terrible to hear. I do pray that he has a quick recovery. I think there are so many thing in the medical society that all we hear are the worse or most common symptoms. Granted we don't want to think everything that we experience is as bad as a astroke, but educateing us better on these would definatly help some.

I get what your saying about not going into a home yet, but the reality is that he wants to go and he has every right to and I think he should go even if you dont go with him. He could have another stroke before he recovers, things can get worst. But it sounds like you want to stay where you are for now. Can you live in two different places? Have you checked out homes and places for the two of you? Maybe there are places that dont have enough people and have plenty of room. It sounds like to me he knows something is going to happen and wants to be prepared.

my friend's husband had a stroke last year.he's half paralyzed now.i felt sorry for my friend because she's been through a lot taking care of her husband. she didn't even noticed symptoms because her husband is an active guy.she just got alarmed when her husband's speech turned slurry and fell on the floor...

If he continues with therapy he may feel differently in two years time. It may be, though, that he is just tired of being responsible for the house. It would be cheaper to hire someone in than it is to move to a care facility. I think you have an excellent point about not knowing the possible signs of a minor stroke. Never thought of it that way. I think if he had been given an aspirin right away there is a possibility it would have helped, but who can tell, when looking back? Do not second guess yourself now.

Hi Suspenseful, I am sorry to hear about your husbands stroke and can understand that you would have liked to have known the warning signs in advance to maybe enable a quicker recovery. I will prayer for a speedy recovery for him but like you see no reason why you should plan to go into a home at this stage whilst you are both still very active. I don't know whether this is the reason recovery is taking so long or not and also wouldn't know what any of the signs are. Ellie :D

We have a lot of commercials here that tell the little signs, they're really trying to get people aware of stroke here. But you know, I wouldn't have guessed it if I were in your situation. Even your husband must've thought he was just overly tired, so don't beat yourself up over it. Senior homes can be a blessing but I can't imagine living in one. Too little privacy, too many people around. Lots of people really like them, though.

My mother had a light stroke about 3 yrs. ago, the only signs that I see now, was that she was having headaches. It was the year that we had Christmas dinner at my house, and she couldn't make it because she had a bad headache and was getting sick to her stomach all day. I also noticed a few days before that she had another headache. The day after Christmas she came to my house, she said she felt a little better, then a few days later, she had a headache again, so this time I took her to the doctor, but they didn't find anything wrong, her blood pressure was up a little but they thought thats probably why she was having the headaches. So they sent her home, then about a week later, my sister calls and tells me that she took mom to the ER, and they think she had a stroke. I rushed to the hospital, and they had her in there, and it was wierd, she didn't know where she was, she kept looking at me funny, I was beginning to think she didn't know who I was, then she kept asking me where she was, about every 5 mins. she would ask me. Its hard seeing a loved one in that condition, she lost her memory, so every 5 mins. she would ask you the same questions or she'd tell you the same thing over and over. She lost some of her mobility in her right arm and her right leg was weak, and she lost her peripheral vision in her right eye. It took about a year of physical therapy, for her to get the mobility back in her arm and leg. It will come back but it takes time. I know we get impatient, but thats all we can do is wait. Tell your husband that, tell him not to give up, that it affects some people alot worse. I'm happy to say now that my mother is almost herself again, she's driving again, her eyesight hasn't come back all the way but its better, she now lives on her own again and working, that was her goal, to be independent again, and she is. Its taken awhile for her to get there but she did it. I don't think your husband is ready for a senior home, if you've seen some of the ones I've been to, I know I wouldn't want to be in there. Good luck to you

Try to convince him that you shouldn't move into a senior home yet. In six months, when he is feeling like normal, he will be happy that you didn't. I am sure it will be better to stay at your current home. I guess senior homes can be kind of depressing, if you are able to get around and do things for yourself. I pray that your husband has a speedy recovery.

sign of a stroke, first the speech is all mess up, and the eyes looks weird., also the pain the right arm as well. and walks weird too not normal. and a heart attack is pain in left arm, think the rest is about the same.