You Had a Stroke. Now What?

If you or a loved one had a stroke, you’re not alone — every 40 seconds in the United States, someone has a stroke.

The first thing we want you to know is that plenty of people go on to lead happy and healthy lives after a stroke, but with an extra layer of precaution and risk.

To give you an idea about what you should know about life after a stroke, Dr. Satjit Bhusri and the team here at Upper East Side Cardiology pulled together a few key points.

Assessing your brain after a stroke

Immediately after your stroke, we’re going to spend some time evaluating the damage to your brain. As we’re sure you know, when you had a stroke, the blood supply to your brain was compromised or you had a brain bleed. In either case, the extent of the damage depends upon how long your brain went without adequate oxygen.

Also important is the area of your brain that was affected by the stroke. Was it the frontal lobe, which controls impulse, personality, and reasoning? Or, was the damage in your parietal lobe, which controls touch and speech?

Through advanced imaging and a review of your symptoms afterward, we can get a clearer picture about your rehab moving forward.

Rehabbing after your stroke

During the first months after a stroke, many people benefit greatly from a period of rehabilitation to address your complications, which might include:

• Fatigue
• Cognitive difficulty
• Memory issues
• Speech problems
• Paralysis
• Weakness
• Seizures
• Spasticity
• Mental health issues, such as depression

There are therapies that can address all of these areas, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy.

After your rehab

After-stroke rehab is incredibly important in getting you back to your life, which might look a little different. Once you go through your intensive therapies to regain function, you can start to see how your life will be moving forward. 

You may have to make some adjustments, such as using tools to help with short-term memory or using an assistive device for walking and balance.

It’s impossible to say here what your life will be like after your stroke, as it depends on how your brain was damaged. What we can say is that, if you’re reading this, you have every reason to look forward to life after a stroke, though it may be a little different.

Your heart health after a stroke

When it comes to your heart health, we will monitor you very closely after a stroke. For example, researchers have found that people who have had an ischemic stroke (which represents 87% of all strokes), have a much higher risk for major heart complications during the first month after the stroke. 

So, during the immediate months after your stroke, you can expect that we will be paying very close attention to your cardiovascular health through our cardiac urgent care.

Even if you don’t develop complications, we may place you on medications, such as blood thinners, to ensure that your blood is flowing. And, we will place you on a more heart-healthy path that will include exercise and improved eating habits.

Again, it’s difficult to cover here the different scenarios of life after a stroke. For a more targeted and thorough evaluation, we invite you to contact our New York City office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to schedule an appointment. You can also call (212) 752-3464.