Stroke

Firstly sorry to hear about your husband's stroke, so young too. Best wishes for a full recovery.

Luckily no personal experience regards severity but my mother had a milder one several years ago in her early eighties, now at 86 pretty good, only real thing we are all aware of is her drop foot. Our son is a sports therapist who did hospital work and ensured she had walking frame (long story but required a fight!) And was insistent she did every exercise. She has since had another unlabelled event which hasn't effected her any worse way.

My advice would be to ensure he gets good physio, here it is offered in the community, so that exercise is tailored to progress and however hard follow it through little and often every day. 

I think only time will tell but I sincerely hope he makes a full recovery.

Make sure you take time for you and I like the idea that you're going to sort out towing yourself. If you need light relief you know Shere to come 😉

My hubby had heart attack at 43 and touch wood we've made it through, he was 65 last year. It makes you look at life very differently 😍

Best wishes to you both, Arty.  Sorry, I can't help.

Sorry to hear your news. Can't help much but your consultant should be able to advise. My father had a stroke loosing his speech and the use of his right arm in his fifties - about 56. I was woken early one morning before daybreak by a phonecall. When I answered there was just the sound of somebody tapping. It was my father and he was using a coin in his working hand to spell SOS in morse. I do not understand morse but new the SOS. I just said 'OK dad I'll be there in 15 mins'. We were lucky that he had a retired neighbour who would spend time talking to him to get him speaking again. He did recover from it after several months of slow progress. I remember the time when he could finally manage to hold a fork in that hand although for a while he kept dropping it. Then came a phase where he no longer dropped it but could not let it go. 

I would echo an above comment that physio is important. I can remember that as dad improved he sat squeezing a squash ball whilst watching TV etc

I hope that you may have similar results. 

Artyboo, sorry to hear your news.

I don't think there is a clear answer to your question, because there is just so much variability with strokes.

That said, your husband is relatively young and has a good chance of a substantial recovery. I should add that I am not medically qualified, but base my comments only on having met many people who have had strokes. 

I think that with good support, good diet and a healthy lifestyle with plenty of stimulation and retaining plenty of 'purpose' in life, he could make an excellent recovery.

Fingers crossed.

Arty, each person is affected individually. A close friend had a stroke the dropping of the face was the worse part(for Him) He was just short of His 50th birthday when it happened. It took 7 months to get back to as near as Himself(pre stroke) As is possible so far. He is back driving but it tires Him on fairly long journeys. When He's tired He suffers the worse symptoms. His speech is a little slurred, & His face slips slightly. He has been told He's in the early stages of recovery, the situation is expected to get better in time. It's a marathon not a sprint. I wish you & your partner well, if anything changes, good or bad I'll update you on CT.

Arty, first of all very sorry about what has happened, it will be life changing for you both. It is difficult to give much advice, as every person is different, but as above, get the best help you can, take advantage of whatever is offered, you can always change your mind if the help doesn't suit.

It won't just be the physical effects of loss of speech, lack of arm use that will need time to progress, it will also be the mental impact of what has occurred for you both. Aim for little steps, hard, but try not to look back, work on progressing, keep moving forwards. Let your husband help you as much where he can, it will help build his confidence as much as yours. Focus on what he can do, work around what he can't do at the moment, and try and keep motivated. 

I have a BIL who had a major stroke, just about as severe as possible, but he is back walking, doing the things he loves, and we took him and my lovely SIL away with us, even using our MH as a mobile rest station and cafe for him to make the most of his days. It was perfect for him, home from home. He is much older than your OH, was very sedentary and motivating him is the hard part, but he is getting there. Please don't use this as a measure, because everyone is different, and I have had work colleagues who you wouldn't know had had a stroke come back to work. 

It might be a long road to recovery, there may even be small set backs until he becomes stabilised, especially if on medication, but it will get better for you both, just take small steps and keep moving forwards. Also, while you are focussing on him, don't forget to try and take time for yourself as well, caring is bloody hard work and you will need a break no matter how small. This will help you both in the long term. All the very best.

Our friend and neighbour suffered a severe stroke a few years ago - affecting her speech and mobility and she was much older than your OH - and now you wouldn't know at all.  Admittedly everything seemed to go right - she was taken to hospital immediately, treated promptly, scanned, given whatever treatment was required and received all the support and services which were needed.  She is now back to normal - has little evidence that it ever happened.  BUT she says you need to take all the advice on board,  make sure your OH does everything that is suggested - exercises, diet advice, drug treatment, and a positive state of mind - not 'I can't possibly do that' but 'I will do that, if not today but tomorrow...........'  It takes time, and immense willpower, but it can be better tomorrow than it it today - and that applies to every day from now on.

Good wishes - but don't forget to take some time out for yourself too - to recharge batteries, etc.  Remember the advice to new mums - you can't look after a baby if you're not looking after yourself.

Arty, I am so sorry to hear your news that it has caused me to break my silence ,

Keep your faith going, The medico's are far better at dealing with strokes now than they were even a few years ago.

A close friend had a severe stroke about 18 months ago soon after losing his wife. We all feared the worst, but the care he received from the dedicated stroke unit locally has been fantastic. His speech has all but returned, he is walking again, with a stick and even more importantly for him he has got his driving licence back, and happily gets himself about.

So keep the faith, and keep in contact.

TF

Really sorry to hear of Mr Artyboo's stroke  and wish him all the best. A bloke at work had a stroke not long ago & is now back at work ... admittedly on reduced hours. Get  well soon.

Thank you all for your positive words and support. He is a stubborn so & so - he will get there.