u/cafe-bleu

Just over 5 weeks post large hemorrhagic stroke my father in law has started to mouth words and is now able to whisper the answer to questions. Even the ability to answer very quietly with some effort has been amazing for us all to see (we've missed speaking with him more than anything else).

My mother-in-law and wife have been taking photos into the hospital and asking him to whisper who is in then and what they're doing, he's managing to do well with names to faces and can explain what's going on in the photos "at the beach" etc...

He's waiting for a place at a rehab centre but it feels like the hospital S&L team aren't really doing enough with him.

Is this the start of his speech coming back properly? will it just get stronger as the weeks ago on?

secondly is there anything we can do to help him regain good speech (we're at the hospital every day)

Thanks in advance :)

https://preview.redd.it/bbzb9zbwxsih1.png?width=468&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ec2b621238dc57f35d27141f33b10e4c952dc1a

My father-in-law (58) is 4 weeks and 2 days post hemorrhagic stroke and currently doesn’t have any speech. He occasionally does try and mouth words but with no joy.

 

Cognitively he’s doing quite well, understands a lot and can write on a whiteboard etc.

No movement in his right-side at the moment but he’s soon being moved to a rehab centre. He’s now able to swallow pureed food and drink liquids. He does have a feeding tube in his nose that’s being removed tomorrow when he moves onto a PEG.

 

A nurse at the hospital told my wife that if he hadn’t started speaking by 6 weeks it will be very hard for him to regain his speech going forward, is there any truth in that? Everything I have read tells me otherwise.

 

I understand stroke recovery is highly individual but wondered if anyone could give me their experience…

 

Thanks in advance.

https://preview.redd.it/c7xbqzq2jffh1.png?width=451&format=png&auto=webp&s=0fb27d368296d1c490f95f65d929e74557d3c930

Two weeks yesterday in father in law suffered a haemorrhagic stroke with a “substantial” bleed deep in the brain, they said it couldn’t be operated on as it would cause a worse outlook for him if they had to cut though healthy tissue to reach it.

 

He was never treated by ICU or needed to be ventilated just taken care of for the first few days in a private room (nhs uk) before being transferred onto a ward. 

His right arm and leg is paralysed and he is unable to speak. A couple of days ago he was moved to a different ward to start a rehab but is currently suffering from a chest infection as a result of the feeding tube.

We’ve seen some small improvements over the past 5 days, he is awake for longer stints now and they’re getting him sat upright in the chair for 2.5 hours a day.

 

Since it happened, he’s always been aware of people around him. He even tries to pull faces at his granddaughter and rolled his eyes when I told him England still haven’t won another World Cup. 

He can move his tongue but they haven’t asked him to try and swallow yet, I assume until the chest infection has cleared up.

 

He’s only 59 and lived a fast paced work life before the stroke (business owner) but wasn’t particularly health conscious.

Can anyone shed any light on how his recovery might look going forward or give any stories of hope? I understand every stroke is individual but as a family we’re at a complete loose end. 

Thank you in advance