Medically Reviewed. Use this list of questions to guide you in your conversation with your doctor: Questions to Ask About Stroke Recovery What caused my stroke?
Your doctor will probably give you a technical explanation of why you had a stroke, but you also need to know if any preventable factors contributed to your stroke. Once you have this information, you can work on lowering your risk of having another stroke. Smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, being overweight, stress, drinking a lot of alcohol, and being physically inactive can all contribute to your stroke risk.
What can I do to reduce my risk? There are a lot of steps you can take after your first stroke to reduce the risk of a second stroke, including changing your diet, taking your stroke medications, and getting more exercise.
Try to set some concrete goals with your health care provider so you know whether you are succeeding. Am I getting the rehabilitation services I will need to achieve my goals? If you feel you need specific assistance after your stroke, but haven't received help with individualized concerns related to diet or speech, for instance, talk to your doctor about referring you to the appropriate specialist. What are my treatment options? Depending on the underlying cause of your stroke, you may benefit from taking certain medications or even having special surgical procedures to reduce your risk of another stroke.
Ask your doctor about which specific stroke treatment options are available to you. Neurosurgeon — A subspecialty of neurology and general surgery, a surgeon who is specialized in surgical procedures specific to the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and cerebrovascular system.
Vascular Neurologist — A subspecialty of neurology, a physician who is specialized in cerebrovascular disease and vascular diseases of the central nervous system. Vascular neurologists have expertise in the diagnosis and management of stroke and brain imaging. In addition to stroke specialists, other medical professionals may be involved in your stroke treatment and recovery, including: Physical Therapist PT — A physical therapist establishes a plan to improve functional mobility skills and teaches exercises designed to strength daily large motion actives.
Occupational Therapist OT — The occupational therapist establishes a plan to improve the performance of daily tasks such as bathing and dressing. Speech and Language Therapist ST — A speech and language therapist establishes an improvement plan and teaches exercises designed to strength communication, cognitive and linguistic skills, hearing and swallowing abilities.
How to find a stroke specialist Stroke is a medical emergency. Set My Location This setting allows you to view available services and providers associated with your preferred location. Long Beach Medical Center location. Did you know? Doctors may order perfusion imaging tests done with CT or MRI to help determine how likely it is that someone can benefit from endovascular therapy. To decrease your risk of having another stroke or transient ischemic attack, your doctor may recommend a procedure to open up an artery that's narrowed by plaque.
Options vary depending on your situation, but include:. Emergency treatment of hemorrhagic stroke focuses on controlling the bleeding and reducing pressure in your brain caused by the excess fluid.
Treatment options include:. After emergency treatment, you'll be closely monitored for at least a day. After that, stroke care focuses on helping you recover as much function as possible and return to independent living. The impact of your stroke depends on the area of the brain involved and the amount of tissue damaged. If your stroke affected the right side of your brain, your movement and sensation on the left side of your body may be affected. If your stroke damaged the brain tissue on the left side of your brain, your movement and sensation on the right side of your body may be affected.
Brain damage to the left side of your brain may cause speech and language disorders. Most stroke survivors go to a rehabilitation program. Your doctor will recommend the most rigorous therapy program you can handle based on your age, overall health and degree of disability from your stroke. Your doctor will take into consideration your lifestyle, interests and priorities, and the availability of family members or other caregivers. Rehabilitation may begin before you leave the hospital.
After discharge, you might continue your program in a rehabilitation unit of the same hospital, another rehabilitation unit or skilled nursing facility, as an outpatient, or at home. Every person's stroke recovery is different. Depending on your condition, your treatment team may include:.
One way to evaluate the care of patients diagnosed with stroke is to look at the percentage of patients receiving the timely and effective care measures that are appropriate. The goal is percent. The graphs below display the percentage of eligible Mayo Clinic patients diagnosed with stroke receiving all of the appropriate care measures. See related graph. For additional information and data visit Medicare Hospital Compare.
For additional information about quality at Mayo Clinic visit Quality Measures. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
A stroke is a life-changing event that can affect your emotional well-being as much as your physical function.
You may sometimes feel helpless, frustrated, depressed and apathetic. You may also have mood changes and a lower sex drive. Maintaining your self-esteem, connections to others and interest in the world are essential parts of your recovery. Several strategies may help you and your caregivers, including:.
Problems with your speech and language can be especially frustrating. Here are some tips to help you and your caregivers cope with communication challenges:. A stroke in progress is usually diagnosed in a hospital. If you're having a stroke, your immediate care will focus on minimizing brain damage. If you haven't yet had a stroke but you're worried about your future risk, you can discuss your concerns with your doctor at your next scheduled appointment.
In the emergency room, you may see an emergency medicine specialist or a doctor trained in brain conditions neurologist , as well as nurses and medical technicians. Your emergency team's first priority will be to stabilize your symptoms and overall medical condition. Then the team will determine if you're having a stroke. Doctors will try to find the cause of your stroke to determine the most appropriate treatment.
If you're seeking your doctor's advice during a scheduled appointment, your doctor will evaluate your risk factors for stroke and heart disease. Your discussion will focus on avoiding these risk factors, such as not smoking or using illegal drugs.
Your doctor will also discuss lifestyle strategies or medications to control high blood pressure, cholesterol and other stroke risk factors. Stroke care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version.
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