Stroke Survivor Blog

With World Stroke Day approaching on October 29, 2011, it is important to be aware of a condition called Pseudobulbar Affect or PBA that can affect stroke victims. PBA is a neurological condition that is often overlooked or can be misdiagnosed as depression. Five Clues That Your Loved Ones’ Unpredictable Emotional Outbursts Are Not Depression [...]

The thought of being a burden is a concern for many stroke survivors including my husband, Steve, who feels like he’s such a huge burden to me. But yet I don’t feel like he is. I have to be very careful not to show my frustration to him when things become difficult for me. Sometimes [...]

Stroke depression plagues many stroke survivors, because they bemoan the loss of their abilities and the person they were before the brain attack changed their lives forever. We’ll be celebrating our second Christmas since Steve’s stroke, and we’re so glad he is with us and improving in his stroke recovery. But he has difficulty in [...]

The thought of winter and the early onset of cold weather in Wisconsin has been the source of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in my husband, a stroke survivor. He’s been having a lot of depression in the last year, but coupled with SAD, it’s taking its toll on him and he dreads the long winter [...]

Many stroke survivors suffer from depression and lack of motivation that slows their stroke recovery. This often happens as a result of their high expectations for recovery not being met. When that happens, they often feel hopeless, useless and worthless. My husband Steve is experiencing depression and a lack of motivation right now. Shortly after [...]

The other day I talked with Rose, a friend of Steve’s mother who had heard all about his stroke and depression. Rose told us she was praying for him and knew just what he was going through. You see, Rose at 82 years of age, is a 10-year stroke survivor. I was surprised to hear [...]

Steve is in desperate need of prayer!! He appears to be regressing considerably physically and mentally. 1. He’s had four seizures since December, and each one does some damage to the electrical part of his brain. Last night he started on an anti-seizure Keppra, so I’m monitoring him for any side effects that may be [...]