Diagnosed with A Stroke: Here’s What the Patient Can Expect in the Aftermath
Patients who have experienced a stroke face an unexpected interruption of blood flow to the brain. Various factors increase the risk of a stroke, including stress, hypertension, and blockages in the arteries. The severity of the stroke determines what patients face when recovering. Reviewing what to expect in the aftermath of a stroke helps the patients understand what’s coming as they recover.
Table of Contents
Here’s what a patient can expect in the Aftermath of a stroke.
Follow-Up Appointments With Your Doctor
Follow-up appointments with doctors are a must and will continue throughout the patient’s recovery, even after the patient is released from the hospital. Instead of increasing the patient’s risk of infection and taking the patient to a doctor’s office, the cardiovascular doctor could provide an assessment through telehealth services. Reviewing how a telepresence cart works for doctors and patients defines how the doctor will monitor the patient’s progress and provide treatment after the patient leaves the hospital.
What the Doctor Tests for After a Stroke
Patients who experience a stroke have symptoms that appear after the cardiac event. The symptoms start with the loss of speech, difficulties with memory, and weakness and paralysis on one side of the patient’s body. The stroke’s severity defines its effects on the patient and their ability to take care of themselves. If the stroke was milder, the patient could go home once they are stable. However, severe strokes require a stay in the ICU until the patient recovers fully from the effects of the stroke.
What Type of Care Will the Patient Receive After the Stroke
Stroke victims that experience a more severe stroke will need long-term care while they recover. The type of care the patient receives depends on their health insurance coverage, the patient’s needs, and the family’s ability to provide care for the patient. Their options start with long-term care in a nursing home, inpatient care at a medical center, or home healthcare nursing. The family reviews all these options with the patient’s doctors and decides the best option for the patient.
Some Patients Need Speech Therapy
Speech therapy helps stroke patients regain their ability to speak and refine their language skills. After a stroke, the patient suffers some setbacks that prevent them from forming words and communicating properly. A speech therapist can work with the patient in a clinic or via telehealth services.
Doctors Prescribe Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a part of recovery for stroke patients and increases their mobility. Some patients who suffer a stroke become paralyzed on one side of the body. Physical therapy can help them regain some physical abilities on the affected side of their body. It can also fine-tune a patient’s progress and help them get their life back in order. Physical therapy improves mobility and the patient’s quality of life. It strengthens limbs affected by the stroke and helps the patients complete normal daily tasks on their own.
Stroke patients face many challenges when recovering. The steps for recovery improve the cognitive and physical abilities of the patient. Speech and physical therapy are necessary parts of the stroke recovery plan. Doctors monitor the patients closely and change care plans according to the patient’s progress. Telehealth systems help doctors treat patients via the internet and lower the risk of infection for the patient. Reviewing what to expect after a stroke shows the patient and their family the most common obstacles on the road to recovery.
