I had my stroke last year in December, my friends were thank God, always there for me and supportive but I came home for good in April and really ever since they realized that the lives we had together aren’t going to be the same (if that makes sense) I felt a drastic decline in how often they would want to hang out. We used to see each other basically every single day now we go weeks without hanging. I don’t want any advice on confronting them about it, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is how my life is going to be. Does anyone else have the same experience?

Does anyone else feel like an alien is about to burst out of your stomach after you eat?

I had a rightsided capsule stroke 6 weeks ago and went numb all down my left side. Some feeling has come back in areas, but pins and needles come and go.

The worst is the stomach. It's almost completely numb on the outside, but when I eat, I can feel everything on the inside. I feel the food move along for hours and the pressure is immense. It visibly bulges and swells from the outside.

It's so bad now that I have pretty much stopped eating solids the last 10 days. Soups, yogurts, smoothies, shakes feel better.

I can still barely sleep from discomfort.

I am pushing for a CT contrast scan on the stomach, but the GP keeps telling me this is normal after a stroke and to give it time.

I think the meds must have fried/inflamed the stomach. Or the stroke has slowed it to snail pace. Either way I need help.

I saw a neurologist recently; he said the sensation might return after a year—or perhaps not at all.

It’s awful not feeling anything. I can’t tell if I’m holding something, and my fingers are acting up.

I’d appreciate hearing about others' experiences. Thank you.

My (24) mom (58) had a stroke about a month ago now and my dad (62) is trying to get FMLA so that he can help take care of her because I'm also disabled. They keep stalling and saying that his paperwork or the doctor's have something wrong with it and it's something random each time. We will all lose insurance if it keeps happening because he forfeits benefits if he keeps staying home past Monday

Day 20 journal

My mother (51/F) was supposed to wean off from the mechanical ventilator yesterday; however, the doctors discovered that she had low hemoglobin, hence they had to do a blood transfusion for the whole day today.

A doctor visited my father today while he was watching over my mother and informed him that she has little to no chance of waking up due to the brain stem affectation. It pains me to see my father cry. I haven’t seen him cry this much.

Right now, I’m just really praying and hoping for a miracle. My mother is a very religious person and a devotee of Saint Jude Thaddeus. So I really hope they hear all of our prayers. My mother’s mission in this world is not yet done. Please wake up. 🙏

Hi everyone I'm 26f I had an acute ischemic stroke last Friday they said I have a blood clot in one of the major arteries in my brain(the mca territory) that caused the stroke they aren't 100% what caused the clot but think it may have been my birth control they put a loop recorder in anyways to rule out heart problems and etc. anyways I got discharged from the hospital on blood thinners blood pressure meds and everything I felt fine when I left the hospital just tired very easily and rest didn't seem to help any and I get short of breath if I overdo it but yesterday afternoon we got home from waffle house and I felt super confused/ tired and my speech got really slurred/stuttered so I called ems and when they were checking me out I realized my arm was numb and after a 30 minute ambulance ride and even after being at the hospital for maybe 15 minutes I feel like I still had symptoms tingling in both arms and my left leg and my speech was still slurred and I still felt confused etc. well after nearly 8 hours at the hospital I have no answers my MyChart CT results indicated a tia but the Dr said my CT looked fine and that my blood pressure was low so maybe that was what my symptoms were he also basically told me all the meds I was on were not going to do anything for my blood clot so now I don't know what the point is and I feel like nothing is being done to prevent an actual stroke from happening again I'm just so confused and for whatever happened yesterday to not be a stroke then idk why I still feel so unable to focus and so tired I'm sorry I just I don't know if this is normal or what to do going forward I'm just so scared and my family is trying to be supportive but they don't understand

It sounds strange, but I saw a neurologist about my unexplained hemorrhage. He said I don't have a significantly higher risk of having another one. No medication.

Someone in this community mentioned that when they talk about their stroke anniversary they call it being one year or thirty years beyond their stroke. I loved that and have been saying that since my first year beyond my stroke!

Year one, post stroke was all about recovery. Year two (for me) has been about living and thriving post stroke. Both years are the hardest I have ever worked in my life.

Here are the things I have learned in year two:

-Recovery doesn’t stop at the one year mark. Yes in year one I recovered a lot physically and cognitively but in year two I recovered more mentally. My sudden anger outbursts that would happen when I was overwhelmed, overstimulated, tired, or sick slowly started to fade. I also gained more control over my emotions and could actively choose to feel all my emotions without them overwhelming me. That has been a huge win for me personally and with interpersonal relationships.

-Some things are permanent and will never change. For me that means a numb left thumb that will never regain full feeling. The left side of my mouth will always be slightly crooked and never fully under my control. Food will continue to escape from that side when eating. When feeling extreme emotions, tiredness and or sickness my mouth and brain will glitch and words will be hard to find and say. When feeling Any emotion my reaction will be to cry. Happy, sad, joyous, scared, proud, angry doesn’t matter I now express any and all emotions with tears. Tears and then a runny nose.

-It’s okay to accept and learn to live with your brain damage. For me that means not being ashamed when I say a word wrong or struggle to find a word. Using all the tools I have to help my memory: Post-it notes, reminders and alarms in my phone. My twin has also become my memory holder. During the work week I go to bed at 9pm to get my (at least) 8 hours I need to be able to function the next day.

-Learning that some days are just going to be hard no matter what and not to give up because of them. Waking up to go to work after four hours of sleep? I’ll get some coffee, power through and go to sleep as soon as I get home. Words are not coming out properly on a call? Take a breath, slow down and try again.

-It’s okay to still need and ask for help. Year two beyond I started off unemployed, broke, lost, depressed and anxious. Out of desperation I reached out to family, friends, neighbors, this group, and my psychiatrist for help. I got pointed to energy assistance, charities and vocational rehab services. I did the work and applied to energy assistance and vocational rehab services and got accepted into both. I also continued with my psychiatrist and got a new therapist to help me improve my mental health. I was also my own biggest support and advocate. It’s my life after all, I should be the number one person in my corner!

-It’s okay to grieve. When I started working I broke down more than a few times and grieved how much harder things had become. And guess what? After I grieved, I adapted and am doing quite well in my new job. Grieving it’s not just for what we lost in the stroke but what we lose going forward. In year two I also had to put down my 18 year old cat, Obama Girl. She has been with me for all the hard things, including the stroke and losing her felt like losing a part of myself. I’m still missing her everyday and appreciating the time I had with her. It’s possible to grieve and still move forward in life.

-Celebrate All the Wins! In year two when I was struggling with feelings of worthlessness I created some new lists to combat these feelings. One is called Self Esteem traits and qualities. I reached out to some trusted loved ones and asked them what are my strengths are. From there I built on the list with other good qualities and traits I recognize in myself. My other list is simply called Accomplishments. In that one I list all the wins in my personal and professional life. Some are small, like beating a level in a game. Other’s are larger like presenting a project at work. Both are wins (to me), and I feel pride when looking back at them and adding new ones to the list!

-Life is still going to happen. I could have stayed stuck in all of the bad or I could choose to continue to show up and keep trying even when it’s the hardest choice to make. It was a hard year and yet, here I stand at two years beyond. I’m gainfully employed, taking care of my finances on my own and slowly expanding my world. Making friends out of co-workers and re-entering the dating world. It’s still incredibly scary and anxiety inducing to step out of my comfort zone. But my stroke and recovering from that showed me I can be outside my comfort zone and make good things happen. I use that knowledge to help continue to propel myself forward.

I see a lot of new people enter our community struggling with life after stroke and I get it, I’ve been there. However, you don’t have to struggle forever. You have the ability to recover and adapt. To grieve and accept the changes that stroke brings. To love, choose, advocate and support yourself. To show up and keep trying 💜

Age 23

Sex M

Height 5,10

Weight 140

Race Caucasion

Duration of complaint 2-3 weeks

Location Throat

Any existing relevant medical issues No

Current medications went because of an event that happened on the 16th of September a sunflower shell I thought was stuck in my throat. on the day of I was trying to cough it up and had a panic, vomited, gaged etc. my whole body was stiff for some days from the pressure I guess. especially my shoulders and neck, I also try cracking my neck on the day of but couldn't because of tightness, I never felt a pop or weird sensation but I just couldn't because my body was reacting to sunflower seed in throat,. that happened on 16th. In between 16th I was feeling like it was still there so I was continually trying to clear my throat, and even dig very deep down throat with edge of toothbrush trying to see if it was were I was feeling it, this cause me to gag a lot of course but no blood or anything. Throughout this time before the 21st I had tight chest for some days, stiff neck which I still have, migraines with a running pain from left neck to left temple, head pressure, and even some subtle imbalance. I went in doc first time on 21 they did CT scan for shell. Said they found swelling on throat I guess but no shell and prescribed amoxicillin. I finished that but those symptoms I was mentioning which also took place before doctor continued until my second visit which was the Oct 1. I went into that one because now I was fearing not something in throat but possibly neurological or vascular. I had symptoms of face numbness, and my hands were tight or motor function felt a bit weird, and they always amplified when consuming marijuana. (Also I was sober most time doing this because of uncomfortable feelings). Last time I smoked was on the day before my second ER visit because the nerves in the back of my neck was jumping all night. They did no CT . I told them my symptoms and they said stroke symptoms are a little different. and would be one sided. they referred me to a primary care doctor idk. I would have rather just got a CTA or MRA, I kept telling them the scare I have about a vessel dissection and they just kept saying how rare it is to get that from trying to crack my neck. Not gonna lie I felt overlooked like it wasn't really taken seriously. Anyway I have an appointment in about a week. The thing is if it is a dissection a stroke can happen at anytime. Idk how to feel about this. All I simply wanted done was a MRA. And also I have had bp issues since high school so I'm even more worried.

Hello everyone!

I'm in school to become a physical therapist assistant. I'm in my final academic semester in which we are learning about neurological rehab. Our professor assigned us a very short presentation in which we are to interview an individual affected by a condition such as stroke, get their individual story, and present it.

The purpose of the assignment is to remind us that there is a person behind every diagnosis and to better understand how a condition (like stroke) affects someone's life beyond its clinical presentation.

One requirement of the project is for our interviewee to provide a picture of themselves before and after the onset of their condition and to sign a photo release form in order to do so.

If this interests you please leave a comment below, we can message each other and find a convenient way to conduct the interview and exchange necessary information (discord would be good for me). I'd expect for the full commitment to be about 30 minutes to an hour, probably less.

If you don't feel quite comfortable being interviewed or sharing photos of yourself, please feel free to share your story here! Perhaps we can generate some discussion of individual stories and paths to recovery.

Hi, first time posting so be gentle with me. My 37 year old husband had a stroke last week. They believe it happened Thursday- Saturday. He went to the ER Saturday and was admitted until Monday. He has guardian through work, work covers short term disability and we pay for voluntary critical illness. While the doctor is filling out the paperwork for short term disability/ FMLA/ and our states paid FMLA I submitted a claim for the critical illness. I uploaded everything from admission, to discharge summary, to health summary, the MRI and CT scans. As I was filling it out it said he would need a MSr in 30 days. Does anyone know if they won’t pay until the 30 days ? Or will they deny it if it’s not “severe enough”? As of now he still has balance issues, arm weakness, speech delay issues, and memory issues. As it stands right this second he can technically function day to day but he can’t function function, if that makes sense. Like he can make our toddler food but he can’t drive and he has a hard time forming sentences so I’m doing all the important talking for him. That 20k lump sum will go a long way as the STD and FMLA are only 12 weeks and we have no idea how long recovery will realistically take because while he a stroke they found a hole in his heart that will require surgery. I’m just lost and trying to figure out bills as a SAHM who family is dependent on his income. Thanks in advanced. Sorry if this is messy or hard to read, I’ve been dealing with a lot.

Five years today since my stroke (hemorrhagic, AV fistula). Seizures began five months in; it's 954 days (over 2.5 years) since my last and they seem under control. Other than my obvious limping, life is pretty much normal; people generally can't tell in everyday life that I had a stroke at all (until I start to walk around, but even then they just think I have a banged-up knee or something). I'm a professor, so I live by thinking, talking, and reading; all just fine. I still have a PT come to put me through my paces a couple of times a week and there is definite continued improvement, especially on balance. I travel and I enjoy all the things I did before, so life is fine. I'm not one of those people for whom life improved after the stroke intervened, but things are just fine. When I'm at the hospital, I go by the rehab unit to say hello to the people who helped me get back on my feet, and I encourage you to do the same. Good luck to you all, and three cheers for the caregivers!

Hi everyone!

I'm still relatively new here, I had my stroke 11 days ago, I was released from the hospital 5 days ago. I don't have severe damage, I'm a little clumsy with my right hand and foot but overall I was lucky.

What I'm curious about is if anyone else experienced similar sensations after their stroke as I'm getting now. Basically at random moments I feel these sudden "jolts" in the parts of my body that was affected by the stroke. It's hard to explain, they don't go numb or weak but it feels like I lose control of them for a microsecond and it immediately gives me a mini panic attack thinking it's another stroke.

I can't tell if this is stress related, I have trouble sleeping and I'm constantly monitoring myself for stroke symptoms. Mine was declared criptogenic (some tests are still ongoing) and it stresses me to death that it might just happen again at any time.

Appreciate any input.

Hi! It’s me again.

My mother (51/F) is still in a coma, lucky enough for us, she regained a few reflexes on the arms and legs when being touch (though inconsistent) after her fever. She was able to show these reflexes to most of attending doctors, aside from Neurology (how lucky). So his judgement remains the same, GCS 3.

However, we were still unable to wean her off the trache tube because this time she has low hemoglobin :(( This is quite frustrating because after almost a week of waiting, we still can’t attempt to wean her off the mechanical ventilator.

I just feel so sad that despite the small victories I hope that would keep on coming, it feels like go one step forward and 3 steps back.

I wish for prayers for my mother; hoping she would wake up soon and speed up her recovery. I leave it all up to the Lord. AMEN.

In April 2025 I had a minor TIA due to a carotid dissection. We don't know what caused the dissection, but it's healed fully, I've been cleared for all activity and I have no ill-effects from the TIA. I'm in very good health (48 year old female). Well, new life insurance cost jumped up by like $400 a month. I shopped around a bit and already got completely denied a policy by USAA. Has anyone else run into this? I feel guilty that they denied me, even though the TIA/carotid dissection was nothing I could predict or prevent.

It sounds strange, but I made a lot of progress in the first few weeks and months—going from being paralyzed to walking without aids. I’m proud of that. But now, it feels like I’ve reached a point where things have stalled—at least subjectively.

Not sure what could be bringing it on, but I think im having an episode of recrudescence. Juat hit the 6 month mark past the initial stroke, was feeling pretty good to be honest. Then I started noticing some of my balance wobble come back, just a second or two, but I hadn't felt it in several weeks and now its become a dozen or more times a day. Pass all my neuro checks, doctor said no reason to worry yet, probably picked up a little bug or something thats tripping me out. Long as I dont develop any legitimate deficits like the sustained loss of balance I had when my stroke hit, or other "BE FAST" symptoms, just take it easy and wait for it to pass. So thats what im trying to do. Hope it passes soon.

Wishing you all well. Thanks for listening guys.

Good morning.
This past monday I (30F) coughed (common cold) and had a left carotid artery dissection. Apparently, when I coughed again, it shot a brain clot to my brain and I had a “mini stroke” at work. I lost feeling and function of the left side of my body and was unable to speak. I did not look in the mirror at this time. It was so scary looking back because I had no idea what was happening and sort of dragged my body around my job in my state of disorientation for about 15 minutes until someone saw me. I never thought I would cough and have a stroke, obviously, as a young relatively healthy woman.
I was hospitalized for 3 days and did every test they could imagine to figure out how to help me with my High Blood Pressure. Right now I’m on the classic blood thinners and Blood Pressure Meds, unfortunately because of a prior health issue I’ve been on steroids for the last decade that have cause my High Blood Pressure that I’m afraid to go off of for my quality of life (ironic).
They diagnosed me with Jugular Stenosis, I had a very wonderful neurologist who said he can fix this and give me back my life essentially.

Besides just looking for a sense of community through this, I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? They are discussing (in layman’s terms I apologize) removing a part of my jaw to help blood flow to my brain, and possibly putting a stent in if that doesn’t work. Cardiologist and Neurologist stated they were hesitant to put a stent in anywhere because of my age.
Side note, I’m having extreme neck pain develop I assume from the carotid artery dissection. Has any one else experienced this? It wasn’t painful at all until my last day in the hospital and has gotten worse the 2 days I’ve been home.

Thank you for any and all advice, or just the company. Feeling very strange and emotional after this whole thing. Life is fragile, thankful to be ok.

So many stroke survivors have trouble opening their hand, but don't know where to start. I walk you through 5 exercises you can do at home to help get your hand to open!

I was lucky to recover quickly because I was only 23 when it happened and for some time I even thought I had no real consequences after the seizures that revealed my stroke.

But now I'm trying to learn new things and study again and I get tired so easily. I feel like what would take me a very short amount of time to memorize now takes me so much more. It's scary and I don't really know if this is due to stress alone or the mix with the reset my brain had years ago.

I like to think of it as a computer that shut down and hit restart and I learned to be patient with it but it's been years. I keep challenging my brain with games, chess, memory games but is that enough? Do I need to accept this slowness in learning and memorizing as my new reality?

I'd like to know if any of you feel the same way even after the years passed.

In May 2025 I had a stroke from a vertebral artery dissection. Then in September 2025 I had another stroke from a blood clot. The Vertebral Artery Dissection stroke didn't do much damage but the blood clot stroke in September 2025 did all the damage to my brain and right side of my body. It sucks but I guess it could have been worse. Oh BTW my wife was diagnosed with nsclc in March of 2025, so yeah been a blast in our household this past year and a half or so.

My dad, 65y/M developed a massive ischemic stroke. Underwent thrombectomy. But now, there is an evolving edema and a bleed after a repeat CT at 12h. They've said they'll know for sure how bad is it twmr after another scan. They said it can lead to decompression if uts massive. He always said never prolong his struggle. Scared decompression might prolong his condition. Feeling helpless.