Stroke explained
Stroke explained
A stroke is when
blood
can’t get to all parts of your
brain
. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients for your brain cells. If blood can’t get through, your brain can be injured. Your arteries can get blocked, which is called an ischaemic stroke. Or your arteries can break, which is called a haemorrhagic stroke.
The F.A.S.T. test is an easy way to remember the signs of stroke. If you see any of the signs, call triple zero (000) straight away. Even if you aren’t sure, or the signs only last for a few minutes, call triple zero (000).
After a suspected stroke everyone should have a brain scan.
Stroke affects everyone differently. It depends on:
Which part of your brain was injured
How badly it was injured.
Rehabilitation is where you work on things that have changed since your stroke. Your rehabilitation team will help you to do things again and find new ways to do things.
Signs of a stroke
The F.A.S.T. test is an easy way to remember the most common signs of stroke.
Face
. Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
Arms
. Can they lift both arms?
Speech
. Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time
is critical. If you see any of these signs call triple zero (000) straight away.
If you suddenly experience any of these symptoms, get to a hospital immediately. Remember, a stroke is a life-threatening emergency.
There can be other signs too:
Your face, arm or leg can be numb, clumsy, weak, or paralysed. This can be on one or both sides of your body
Feeling dizzy, losing balance, or falling over for no reason
Losing your
vision
. This can be in one or both eyes
Headache
, usually severe and sudden
Trouble swallowing
Nausea and vomiting.
If you see any of the signs of stroke, call triple zero (000) straight away. Even if you aren’t sure, or the signs only last for a few minutes, call triple zero (000).
Causes
A stroke risk factor increases your risk of having a stroke.
Stroke risk factors include:
High blood pressure
High
cholesterol
Atrial fibrillation
Diabetes
Not being
physically active
.
Unhealthy
eating
Being overweight
Drinking
alcohol
Smoking
.
Medical problems can also cause strokes:
Weak or tangled arteries in the brain
A hole in the heart
Heart problems
.
These things increase women’s risk of having a stroke:
Taking the
contraceptive pill
Taking
hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Being
pregnant
.
After a stroke, your doctor will talk to you about your risk factors. They’ll let you know what you need to do to lower your risk of another stroke. They’ll talk with you about being active, eating well, being a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol and stopping smoking. They’ll prescribe medication to lower your risk of having another stroke.
Tests
Tests vary from person to person. Some of them include:
Brain scans
.
Computerised tomography (CT scan)
or
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
take detailed pictures of your brain. After a suspected stroke, everyone should have a brain scan. Doctors determine if you have had a stroke by looking at the scan. The scan shows which part of your brain was injured and how badly.
Imaging of the arteries
.
Ultrasound
, CT angiogram or MRI show how the blood flows through the arteries.
Heart tests
. An electrocardiogram (ECG) tests for abnormal heart rhythm. You may also need to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours or longer. Your doctor may also order an echocardiogram.
Blood tests
. You may need
cholesterol
(fasting lipids), blood sugar levels, and tests to see how well your kidneys work and the way your blood clots.
Blood pressure check
. After an initial check of your blood pressure, you will need it checked regularly.
Your doctor will discuss your test results with you.
Treatment
Ischaemic stroke
. You may be given medication to clear your artery. This is called thrombolysis. You may have an operation to unblock the artery. This is called thrombectomy or endovascular clot retrieval (ECR).
Haemorrhagic stroke
. Doctors and nurses may give you medication to slow down or stop the bleeding in your brain. You may need an operation to remove blood, relieve pressure or repair an artery in your brain.
You may also need treatment for medical problems that caused your stroke.
Changes after stroke
Stroke affects everyone differently. It depends on:
Which part of your brain was injured
How badly it was injured.
After a stroke, you may experience some of the changes listed below.
Walk and move
Your arms, legs and hands may not work like they used to. This can change how you sit, stand, balance, walk and move.
Your muscles may be weak and floppy. They may be stiff and tight. Your brain may have trouble getting them to move.
Talk, understand, read, write
You may find:
It’s hard to think of the right word
You use the wrong word
You don’t understand what someone is saying
You have trouble reading and writing.
This is called aphasia.
If the muscles you use to talk don’t work properly, your speech may be slurred.
Swallow
You may have trouble swallowing. Food and drink can go down the wrong way. It can get into your lungs instead of your stomach. This can make you sick.
Think and remember
It may be hard to:
Pay attention
Figure out how to do things
Remember things that just happened.
Personality
You may find you:
Don’t feel like doing things
Get annoyed easily
Do things without thinking it through
Say or do things that seem a bit strange.
Vision
Your vision can change:
You may have a blind spot
See double
Things may be blurry
Your eyes may move all the time
Your eyes may be more sensitive to light.
Touch, taste, smell
You may find how things taste or smell is different. You may find you:
Feel touch, hot and cold differently.
Have no feeling or have pins and needles.
Don’t know where parts of your body are
Ignore people and things on one side of your body
Feel overwhelmed when you are in a busy, noisy place.
Pain
You may feel pain if a part of your body is injured. Stiff and tight muscles can cause pain.
You may also feel pain because of changes in your brain, even though you are not injured.
Going to the toilet
You may not know you need to go to the toilet. Movement changes can make it hard to get to the toilet in time.
Sex
Stroke can change how your body feels, and how you feel about yourself. You may have trouble with:
How well you can move
Muscle weakness, stiffness or tightness
How you feel touch, as well as pain
How you go to the toilet
Feeling sad, worried or tired.
Fatigue
Fatigue
is a feeling of weariness, tiredness or lack of energy. Fatigue is common after a stroke.
Emotions
It’s normal to have strong feelings after a stroke. You may be worried, scared, sad, embarrassed, grateful or hopeful.
Emotional lability is when your emotional responses don’t make sense. You may laugh at something sad. You may laugh or cry uncontrollably.
Depression and anxiety
It’s normal to feel sad or worried after a stroke. Depression and anxiety are different – they are medical conditions. Depression and anxiety make life hard.
Depression:
you may have
depression
if you:
Feel sad or down for more than two weeks.
Lose interest in things you enjoy.
Have no energy.
Find it hard to concentrate.
Can’t sleep or sleep more than usual.
Anxiety:
you may have
anxiety
if you:
Feel nervous a lot of the time.
Find it hard to calm down.
Feel restless or fidgety.
Never ignore the signs of depression and anxiety. You can get treatment. Most people get better. Talk with your doctor. Let your family and friends know how you are feeling.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is where you work on things that have changed since your stroke.
There are different types of rehabilitation services. It depends on what’s best for you and what’s available in your area. Your rehabilitation team will help you to do things again and find new ways to do things.
Rehabilitation helps your brain change. If part of your brain has been injured, a different part can learn to take over its job. It takes a lot of work to make this happen. You’ll need to do exercises and practice doing things over and over.
Medication
After a stroke, most people need to take medication for the rest of their life. Your doctor may prescribe:
Blood pressure lowering medication
Cholesterol lowering medication
Blood thinning medication.
Always talk with your doctor before you:
Stop taking a medicine
Change how much you take.
Where to get help
If you see any of the signs of stroke, call triple zero (000) immediately. Even if you aren’t sure, or the signs go away, call triple zero (000).
Your
GP (doctor)
.
StrokeLine
External Link
. StrokeLine’s allied health professionals provide advice on stroke prevention, treatment and recovery. StrokeLine is a free and confidential service. Call Tel.
1800 787 653
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, (AEST). Visit strokefoundation.org.au
Carer
Gateway
External Link
is a free service that can help you get the support and services you need. Call Tel.
1800 422 737
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.