StrokeSurvivorBlog

Stroke pain is a constant, but unwelcome companion for my husband, a stroke survivor since February 2008. I call him a stroke survivor, not stroke victim because he is still alive and recovering.

Steve has literally experienced stroke pain from head to toe, and it’s unlike ordinary pain. Regular pain relievers are ineffective against nerve pain (neuropathy). The massive stroke he had left him with a tingling, pins and needles sensation on the left side of his body.

His arm and hand are extremely sensitive to touch. The stroke affected the side of his head and nasal passage. It feels swollen and stuffed up, and this affects his speaking, which sounds nasally. He used to have a very deep, rich, bass voice, and that is gone, much to his dismay. Now it sounds raspy and a little hoarse, but on rare occasions his head will clear and his voice becomes stronger and deeper. So I do have hope that this is only a temporary condition.

Steve has other stroke pain extending to his shoulder, which is dislocated from the weight of his dangling arm. This condition is also known as shoulder subluxation. Even though he wears a sling, it doesn’t eliminate the pain completely. Through continued therapy to make his arm stronger, this shoulder pain hopefully can be diminished.

Another area of constant pain is in his leg, ankle, foot and toe. His ankle was broken 3 weeks prior to the stoke which complicated his recovery. But the stroke caused foot drop, which is weakness in the ankle that prevents him from lifting his foot. This condition requires him to wear a device known as an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO). The AFO is a plastic-acrylic molded brace that extends from the sole of his foot up to the calf of his leg. Wearing that thing all day is painful, but it’s more painful without it.  I massage his leg and foot two or three times a day to give him some relief. His doctor prescribed a Lidocaine Patch that I apply once a day to the most painful parts of his leg, and that gives him some relief for almost 12 hours. We also use Voltaren Gel, a topical inflammatory medicine for localized muscle inflammation.

Sometimes the most severe stroke pain Steve has is produced by spasticity in his big toe, which causes spasms and cramps all the way up to his knee. He received a Botox injection in the muscle in his shin that controls the toe. It has helped considerably, but he says his leg feels like a slab of meat to drag around. For a while, pain was the only sensation he had in his leg. When the pain is relieved, it’s hard for him to “feel” his leg. The Botox injections only last about 3 months, so he’ll be getting them on a regular basis. He jokes that at least he won’t have any wrinkles in his toe.

With continued therapy and exercise, we hope to eliminate the stoke pain. Sitting as much as he does causes pain in his lower back, buttocks and thighs, so the best thing is for him to ambulate as much as possible. That isn’t easy when it requires so much exertion. Steve can walk about 50 feet before he gets completely worn out, so he is limited in what he can do. There’s no doubt about it, stroke is a pain, but God is our strength and stronghold in times of trouble.