<p>Strokes affect people in different ways. If you have a stroke you may not be able to move one side of your body, or you may have difficulty speaking or swallowing. A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off. You will have symptoms almost immediately, which is why a stroke happens without warning.<br /><br />Without a supply of blood, your brain cells won’t get enough food and oxygen. Because your brain has so many different functions, having a stroke can cause lots of symptoms. The symptoms depend on which part of your brain is affected.<br /><br />What happens during a stroke? You may find that you suddenly:<br /><br />*Feel weak on one side of your body. If you can’t move one side of your body at all then doctors say you have a right-sided or left-sided paralysis.<br /><br />*Can’t feel anything on one side of your body. One side may feel numb.<br /><br />*Have trouble speaking or understanding what is being said.<br /><br />*Can’t see out of one or both eyes. You may have gaps in what you can see or you may see double.<br /><br />*Feel dizzy and unsteady, and have trouble walking.<br /><br />*Have problems swallowing.<br /><br />*Have a terrible headache, either on its own or together with some of the symptoms mentioned above.<br /><br />If you or someone you know have any of these symptoms, treat it as an emergency and get medical help straight away. The earlier you are treated for a stroke, the better your chances of making a good recovery.<br /><br />Doctors may talk to you about where in your brain you’ve had a stroke. A stroke in the front of your brain (the cerebrum) will give different symptoms to a stroke in the base of your brain (in the cerebellum or the brainstem). If the stroke affects your cerebrum: Your arms or legs may be paralysed; you may have problems getting washed and dressed or understanding instructions; you may have problems with reading, writing or speaking; and you may have problems understanding what is being said.<br /><br />If the stroke affects your cerebellum: You may have problems with coordination, balance and you’ll probably feel dizzy and sick. And if the stroke affects your brainstem: You may have difficulty speaking and swallowing; you may see double and feel sick; you may not be able to breathe automatically or your heart may stop beating. A stroke in the brainstem can be fatal.<br /><br />Mini-strokes<br /><br />If your symptoms go away within a few minutes and you recover completely, it is called a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke. A TIA happens when an artery supplying blood to your brain gets blocked and the blood supply is cut off temporarily. This usually happens if the artery is blocked by a blood clot or has been narrowed by hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).<br /><br />But this type of attack should always be taken seriously because it can mean you have a high chance of having a full-scale stroke, which could leave you with permanent brain damage. About 10 in 100 people who have a TIA will have a full-scale stroke within a week. Having treatment quickly (within 24 hours of having symptoms) can reduce this risk to 2 in 100.<br /><br />It’s difficult to say what will happen to you if you’ve had a stroke. Every stroke is different. It’s especially difficult for doctors to predict what will happen to your symptoms in the first few weeks after a stroke. Once these symptoms have settled down your doctor will probably have a better idea of what kind of progress you will make. But even then there’s a lot of guesswork involved. You may find that you are still getting better months and even years after your stroke. <br /><br />Depression, loss of sex drive<br /><br />It’s common to feel depressed after a stroke. It’s thought that as many as 1 in 5 people get severe depression one month after their stroke. You may be particularly likely to get depressed if you have had a bout of depression before or if your stroke was bad and it’s difficult adjusting to a new lifestyle. But you have a good chance of getting over these feelings with treatment (usually with antidepressant drugs). <br /><br />It’s quite safe to have sex after a stroke. But, understandably, many people feel less like having sex after a stroke, and many stop having sex altogether. Part of the problem may be the loss of feeling in one half of the body, although a stroke may simply turn some people off thinking about sex. Sexual therapy, which involves talking through any difficulties with a counsellor, may help you find ways of enjoying sex again.</p>
<p>Strokes affect people in different ways. If you have a stroke you may not be able to move one side of your body, or you may have difficulty speaking or swallowing. A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off. You will have symptoms almost immediately, which is why a stroke happens without warning.<br /><br />Without a supply of blood, your brain cells won’t get enough food and oxygen. Because your brain has so many different functions, having a stroke can cause lots of symptoms. The symptoms depend on which part of your brain is affected.<br /><br />What happens during a stroke? You may find that you suddenly:<br /><br />*Feel weak on one side of your body. If you can’t move one side of your body at all then doctors say you have a right-sided or left-sided paralysis.<br /><br />*Can’t feel anything on one side of your body. One side may feel numb.<br /><br />*Have trouble speaking or understanding what is being said.<br /><br />*Can’t see out of one or both eyes. You may have gaps in what you can see or you may see double.<br /><br />*Feel dizzy and unsteady, and have trouble walking.<br /><br />*Have problems swallowing.<br /><br />*Have a terrible headache, either on its own or together with some of the symptoms mentioned above.<br /><br />If you or someone you know have any of these symptoms, treat it as an emergency and get medical help straight away. The earlier you are treated for a stroke, the better your chances of making a good recovery.<br /><br />Doctors may talk to you about where in your brain you’ve had a stroke. A stroke in the front of your brain (the cerebrum) will give different symptoms to a stroke in the base of your brain (in the cerebellum or the brainstem). If the stroke affects your cerebrum: Your arms or legs may be paralysed; you may have problems getting washed and dressed or understanding instructions; you may have problems with reading, writing or speaking; and you may have problems understanding what is being said.<br /><br />If the stroke affects your cerebellum: You may have problems with coordination, balance and you’ll probably feel dizzy and sick. And if the stroke affects your brainstem: You may have difficulty speaking and swallowing; you may see double and feel sick; you may not be able to breathe automatically or your heart may stop beating. A stroke in the brainstem can be fatal.<br /><br />Mini-strokes<br /><br />If your symptoms go away within a few minutes and you recover completely, it is called a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke. A TIA happens when an artery supplying blood to your brain gets blocked and the blood supply is cut off temporarily. This usually happens if the artery is blocked by a blood clot or has been narrowed by hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).<br /><br />But this type of attack should always be taken seriously because it can mean you have a high chance of having a full-scale stroke, which could leave you with permanent brain damage. About 10 in 100 people who have a TIA will have a full-scale stroke within a week. Having treatment quickly (within 24 hours of having symptoms) can reduce this risk to 2 in 100.<br /><br />It’s difficult to say what will happen to you if you’ve had a stroke. Every stroke is different. It’s especially difficult for doctors to predict what will happen to your symptoms in the first few weeks after a stroke. Once these symptoms have settled down your doctor will probably have a better idea of what kind of progress you will make. But even then there’s a lot of guesswork involved. You may find that you are still getting better months and even years after your stroke. <br /><br />Depression, loss of sex drive<br /><br />It’s common to feel depressed after a stroke. It’s thought that as many as 1 in 5 people get severe depression one month after their stroke. You may be particularly likely to get depressed if you have had a bout of depression before or if your stroke was bad and it’s difficult adjusting to a new lifestyle. But you have a good chance of getting over these feelings with treatment (usually with antidepressant drugs). <br /><br />It’s quite safe to have sex after a stroke. But, understandably, many people feel less like having sex after a stroke, and many stop having sex altogether. Part of the problem may be the loss of feeling in one half of the body, although a stroke may simply turn some people off thinking about sex. Sexual therapy, which involves talking through any difficulties with a counsellor, may help you find ways of enjoying sex again.</p>
