Hemorrhagic Stroke Recovery vs Ischemic Stroke Recovery (bursting, bleeding, arm)
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I have a question that may be difficult to answer.
Let's begin: Dr. Brad Steinle, an expert in stroke rehab, says that hemorrhagic strokes are easier to recover from, if the person survives (they are deadlier at first than ischemic strokes). He says that the "damage is usually not as permanent." His reason for saying so is not given. I thought it was an error on the site, but it's not.
Could it be somehow that ischemic strokes deprive the brain of less oxygen than a brain bleed? I'm not understanding.
On the contrary, I've read the opposite also: ischemic strokes are easier to recover from overall.
All that said above, I've read about people making excellent recoveries from massive hemorrhagic strokes and massive ischemic strokes alike.
I'd like for anyone who might know something on this subject to inform me.
Please take care and thank you so much in advance.
Could it be somehow that ischemic strokes deprive the brain of less oxygen than a brain bleed? I'm not understanding.
Hemmorrhagic strokes are the result of an aneurysm or other weak spot in a larger cranial artery/arteriole suddenly bursting, depriving the "down stream" area of the brain it feeds with blood supply. But thanks to the redundancy of the circulation in the brain, that area can get fresh blood from "the other side" (Circle of Willis). Hemmorhagic strokes tend to be larger & more extensive.
Ischemic strokes occur when an intracrainial artery/arteriole suddenly gets plugged by a blod clot- either one forming at the site or an embolism from elsewhere. These tend to occurr in the smaller branches of the circulation, so they affect a smaller area of the brain tissue.
More important than the type of stroke is its location-- A pea sized area of brain damage out in the cortex somewhere may make you forget how to spell "cat," but the same pea sized damage in the brain stem where breathing & heart beat are controlled will kill you, for instance.
Recovery from strokes depends on several factors including how much of the impaired brain function is reversible-- kind like the dif between angina pectoris (temporary, reverisibe lack of oxygen in the heart) vs a myocaridal infarction ( prolonged lack of O2 and death of heart muscle). ...Another factor is how much of the lost function can be "relearned" by nearby, undamaged brain tissue.
My mother died of a massive hemorrhagic stroke, I think she survived a couple of hours after the stroke. Thank goodness she FINALLY got one of those medical alert buttons, which she finally got a few months before her stroke. She apparently hit the button on the way to the floor.
She was 95, that may have had something to do with something. Like survivability.
The first thing I was told when I began my physical therapy, no two strokes are alike. The second thing they mentioned was to not compare your stroke or recovery to any one else's. Strokes are unique to each individual. I had a stroke on the right and left sides of my brain, the right basal ganglia, the left thalamus and in the corona radiata. My stroke was massive and I am truly blessed,lucky, however you want to look at it to survive. My stroke was ischemic and caused by an undiagnosed blood clotting disorder. I was paralysed on the left side, my arm and hand suffering the most damage. I had to learn how to walk again but the hand and arm are still useless. The doctors were pretty amazed that my cognitive only suffered from short term memory loss. I had some problems with my emotions. I had my stroke almost 6 years ago. Improvements continue regularly as long as you keep working at it. I use a cane and a wheelchair. I'm still working on my endurance because I don't want to have to use the wheelchair for longer distances. I want to hike again. For now I have an off road chair for easy trails. I walk till I need to sit. My amazing husband walks behind me with the chair until i need it.
Support from loved ones is necessary for stroke recovery. One other thing they tell us is Patience is absolutely necessary because we recover at different paces than other stroke survivors.
The folks I have known who had strokes were so badly damaged I would have rather died. Paralyzed for life and in a nursing home unable to speak? Ugh.
These are the people who did not receive proper after care. Neuro rehabilitation is so important! Along with support and insurance. They needed therapists with training in Neuro rehab and some compassion from those with no understanding.
Hemmorrhagic strokes are the result of an aneurysm or other weak spot in a larger cranial artery/arteriole suddenly bursting, depriving the "down stream" area of the brain it feeds with blood supply. But thanks to the redundancy of the circulation in the brain, that area can get fresh blood from "the other side" (Circle of Willis). Hemmorhagic strokes tend to be larger & more extensive.
Ischemic strokes occur when an intracrainial artery/arteriole suddenly gets plugged by a blod clot- either one forming at the site or an embolism from elsewhere. These tend to occurr in the smaller branches of the circulation, so they affect a smaller area of the brain tissue.
More important than the type of stroke is its location-- A pea sized area of brain damage out in the cortex somewhere may make you forget how to spell "cat," but the same pea sized damage in the brain stem where breathing & heart beat are controlled will kill you, for instance.
Recovery from strokes depends on several factors including how much of the impaired brain function is reversible-- kind like the dif between angina pectoris (temporary, reverisibe lack of oxygen in the heart) vs a myocaridal infarction ( prolonged lack of O2 and death of heart muscle). ...Another factor is how much of the lost function can be "relearned" by nearby, undamaged brain tissue.
Thank you for your explanation. It was really good.
My mother's brain bleed stroke was caused by low platelets. I'm not sure how that works. They said it was a "leak." Never told us much.
I read that hemorrhagic strokes are deadlier overall at the beginning (cannot stop the bleeding). However, there was an interesting study that showed that people who survive severe hemorrhagic strokes recover better physically (walking and arm usage) than those with severe ischemic strokes. They don't know why. They also said that they recover their speech better as well over time. I don't know - it's just a study that I read about. They said that mentally, however, both showed similar outcomes in the long-term.
My mother had a moderate-severe brain blood stroke (3.5/5 on scale of severity) and recovered physically like no other, considering her age. After 8 months, everything was back perfectly, except a little weakness in her affected hand. Her reflexes, speech, strength and balance were all excellent. However, she never recovered her mind, particularly her emotions; in fact, she regressed mentally over time (became irrational with bad attention span). Hard to believe how her mind decayed over time, when we were all thinking that everything would came back like her walking and speech. How wrong we were!
She had no vascular dementia, as they did several brain scans. No medicine helped her mind, either. They said it was just from the stroke, or from PTSD (she had signs of that, but no clear-cut diagnosis). Not sure. We never got any real answers. She was in her 70's and no one really cared, sadly. We lost her to sepsis. But her life was over after the stroke. If you don't have your mind, and you have no will to live, it's game over. She was becoming impossible to care for, as she was really losing her mind. I can just cry thinking about it. We were helpless. I tell people that you can lose your mind from a stroke, PTSD, and never have dementia. Her memory was sharper than anything, even at that end. She could walk up a flight of stairs faster than most people in their 70's. It was all very strange. So bizarre.
I have a question that may be difficult to answer.
Let's begin: Dr. Brad Steinle, an expert in stroke rehab, says that hemorrhagic strokes are easier to recover from, if the person survives (they are deadlier at first than ischemic strokes). He says that the "damage is usually not as permanent." His reason for saying so is not given. I thought it was an error on the site, but it's not.
Could it be somehow that ischemic strokes deprive the brain of less oxygen than a brain bleed? I'm not understanding.
On the contrary, I've read the opposite also: ischemic strokes are easier to recover from overall.
All that said above, I've read about people making excellent recoveries from massive hemorrhagic strokes and massive ischemic strokes alike.
I'd like for anyone who might know something on this subject to inform me.
Please take care and thank you so much in advance.
Unfortunately for me, my late first wife and the mother of my children, passed away from Ischemic Stroke.
I had learned that the stroke was caused by a small piece of plaque which had mounted in her arteries, that led to her brain.
I had held her as she died in my arms. This happened at the home of her married best friend who was a newlywed at the time as she had invited a bunch of people to a dinner party.
I try everyday since 12-17-2015 to put it behind me. This is an image that will haunt me for a long time.
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