Effects of a Stroke

Written by Julie Taylor

Unique speech and language therapy workbook - every exercise is shown in detail here so that you can use them.  The most wonderful book if you have difficulty expressing yourself...  "WHAT I MEAN IS" by Hilary Dibben and Anita Kess - read more about it here.

Effects of a Stroke...

Every stroke is different.  Recovery from a stroke depends upon so much  including how much and which parts of your brain were damaged, your age and your health before the stroke. The work you do balancing all 5 elements of what makes you human will effect how successful your recovery is.  This includes your stroke rehabilitation team and the support from family and friends.

"At the end of this article is a link to Jill Bolte-Taylor's FREE VIDEO about her own inspirational true story about her experience with stroke...  Well worth watching." Her amazing story "MY STROKE OF INSIGHT" is available here on audiobook and both paperback and hardback book.  This is the best real-life story I have read in years - fabulous.

There is a lot of evidence now of brain plasticity and I would really encourage you to immobilize the stronger side of your body and force your weaker side to work hard and so recover.  After all, if you want to develop and strengthen part of your body you exercise it...  I didn’t have a stroke, although my symptoms were similar.   I was 28 and having any catastrophic injury or condition is apparently easier for the body to deal with between about 25 and 35 as the body is an ideal age to adapt and fight.

A stroke damages the brain and causes a sudden loss of brain function. Because your brain controls everything you say, do and think a stroke can be catastrophic and have a lot of different effects.

The cerebrum is responsible for controlling movement and sensation, speech, thinking, reasoning, memory, sexual function, and regulation of emotions. It is divided into the right and left sides or hemispheres.

Effects of left hemisphere strokes

• Weakness or paralysis on the right side of your body.
• Trouble reading, talking, thinking or doing math.
• Your behaviour may become more slow and cautious than usual.
• You may have trouble learning or remembering new information.
• You may need frequent instructions and feedback to finish tasks.

Effects of right hemisphere strokes

• Weakness or paralysis on the left side of your body
• Vision problems.
• Problems distinguishing distance, depth, between up and down, or between front and back. This can make it hard to pick up objects, button a shirt, or tie your shoes.
• Problems understanding maps.
• Problems with short-term memory. You may be able to remember something that happened several years ago, but not something you did a few minutes ago.
• Forgetting or ignoring objects or people on your left side (this is called neglect). You may even ignore your own left arm or leg.
• Judgment difficulties, such as acting impulsively or not realizing your own limitations.

Brain stem strokes

This is an uncommon type of stroke.

If you have a stroke in the brain stem, you can have problems with:

• Breathing and heart function.
• Body temperature control.
• Balance and coordination.
• Weakness or paralysis of your arms and legs on both sides of the body.
• Chewing, swallowing and speaking.
• Vision.

LIVING WITH STROKE is a useful book to help you cope with everyday life after a stroke of any kind.  There is another book, WHAT I MEAN IS that is unique (if you know different, please LET ME KNOW) and will help everyone who is 'higher functioning' - ie can speak slowly and simply.  The lady who wrote this book is my hero and the language therapy here is  exactly the treatment that I received.  This is a workbook and includes all the exercises to allow a caregiver or other therapist to give this language therapy - CLICK HERE to read more.  

Strokes in the cerebellum

Although strokes are less common in the cerebellum, the effects can be severe. The cerebellum is a relatively small area compared to the cerebrum but it is important for coordinating voluntary movements (e.g. walking, posture, speech) and for learning motor (skilled) behaviors.  Four common effects of strokes in the cerebellum include:

• Inability to walk and problems with coordination and balance (called ataxia).
• Dizziness.
• Headache.
• Nausea and vomiting.

Long Term Effects?

Any major illness will change your life. Almost all stroke survivors recover and the amount of recovery depends on so many factors. Most stroke survivors go on to lead satisfying lives. ReBuildingYou can help you to address the five elements of what makes you human and co-ordinate your stroke rehabilitation team, family, friends and relatives can help you make the best possible recovery.

Brief Physiology

The cerebrum, Latin for "brain" -- is the newest (evolutionarily) and largest part of the brain as a whole.  It is here that things like perception, imagination, thought, judgment, and decision occur.  The surface of the cerebrum -- the cerebral cortex -- is composed of six thin layers of neurons, which sit on top of a large collection of white matter pathways.  The furthest forward is the frontal lobe (from the Latin word for forehead).  This lobe is responsible for voluntary movement and planning and is thought to be the most significant lobe for personality and intelligence.

The cerebellum is a smaller part of the brain which is wrapped around the brain stem, under the cerebrum.  The cerebellum controls fine movement coordination, balance and equilibrium and muscle tone.

The brain stem is the area at the very base of the brain, right above the spinal cord and is also known as ‘the ancient or reptilian brain’ and controls autonomic functions.  It plays a vital role in basic attention, arousal, and consciousness.  All information to and from our body passes through the brain stem.

Like the frontal and temporal lobes, the brain stem is located in an area near bony protrusions making it vulnerable to damage during trauma.

The following VIDEO is an amazing short presentation by Dr Jill Bolte Taylor who was a brain scientist before her injury and who explains blow-by-blow what is actually happening to her as she suffers a major stroke - from which it took her 10 years to recover.