Recovery can take anywhere from a few weeks to years. Some people may fully recover while others may have lifelong disabilities. A person who has experienced a stroke that has caused minimal damage to their brain may fully recover and require rehabilitative therapy for less time.
This can cause sudden symptoms similar to a stroke, such as speech and visual disturbance, and numbness or weakness in the face, arms and legs. But a TIA does not last as long as a stroke. The effects last a few minutes to a few hours and fully resolve within 24 hours.
The good news is you absolutely can live a full life after a mini-stroke. Here's how. Like strokes, mini-strokes occur when a blockage occurs in a major artery to your brain, disrupting the flow of blood and oxygen. The difference is in a mini-stroke, the disruption lasts only minutes, so there's no permanent damage.
Seek treatment immediately. The main takeaway is that a mini stroke, no matter how quickly it seems to resolve, is a medical emergency. If you have experienced mini stroke symptoms, your brain was starved of oxygen for a period of time and was not functioning properly when that happened.
Someone who had a mild stroke could return to work within a week or two, while others may return after months or a couple of years. There's no set pattern, and no comparison against which you should measure your recovery. Talk to your doctors, nurses, and therapists about what you can expect.
Fatigue can happen after any type of stroke, and you can have severe fatigue after a relatively mild stroke or a TIA. Even if you have made a full physical recovery, or your stroke was some time ago, fatigue can still be a problem.
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a prevalent symptom among stroke survivors. This symptom is an independent risk factor for stroke and may reduce stroke survivors' quality of life, cognitive functioning, and daytime functional performance.
A person who experiences a TIA may have a 10-20 percent risk of having a full stroke in the next seven days depending on the cause, Streib said. The American Stroke Association confirms that 9 to 17 percent of people who have had a TIA have a stroke within 90 days.
Most people, and even many doctors, don't realize that the risk of a second stroke is as high as 12.8 percent in the first week after a TIA (transient ischemic attack). If you do not change certain lifestyle factors, the risk of a second stroke within the next five years can be as high as 30 percent.
Fatigue after a stroke is likely a mix of physical and emotional factors. In the weeks and months following a stroke, the brain and body are healing. This recovery process takes a lot of energy out of a person and can lead to months of chronic fatigue.
Feelings of fatigue and tiredness could last for some while afterwards which could make life more difficult to cope with. Some people said that they felt lacking in confidence for some while afterwards, and some were nervous about being left alone or going out alone.
Weakness, numbness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg, typically on one side of the body. Slurred or garbled speech or difficulty understanding others. Blindness in one or both eyes or double vision. Vertigo or loss of balance or coordination.
Chronic stress can indirectly cause a stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack or mini stroke). For instance, chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, which is a known risk factor for stroke and heart disease. Stress can also cause inflammation in the arteries all over the body.
Get Plenty of Rest
Poor sleep can slow the recovery process for senior stroke survivors. Rest is vital because this is when the body and brain experience significant healing.
A “mini-stroke" may not cause permanent brain damage, but it's a warning sign that you could be at risk for a debilitating—or deadly—stroke. Approximately one in three American adults has experienced a symptom consistent with a “mini-stroke,” sometimes called a transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Call 9-1-1 immediately if any of these signs of stroke appear: Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg; Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; Trouble seeing in one or both eyes; Trouble walking, dizziness, or problems with balance; severe headache with no known cause.
Activities like water aerobics, Zumba, spin, yoga and pilates all offer something different. You can choose something energetic that gets your heart working or you can focus on flexibility and strength. Some groups use music and some have a social side.
For this reason, the 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms are known as “the golden hour.” If treatment can be initiated within this brief window, the patient's outcome is likely to be better.
“The first three months after a stroke are the most important for recovery and when patients will see the most improvement,” says Raghavan. During this time, most patients will enter and complete an inpatient rehabilitation program, or make progress in their outpatient therapy sessions.
Strokes can cause weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, and can result in problems with co-ordination and balance. Many people also experience extreme tiredness (fatigue) in the first few weeks after a stroke, and may also have difficulty sleeping, making them even more tired.
Transient ischemic attack and minor stroke are highly predictive of a subsequent disabling stroke within hours or days of the first event. The risk of subsequent stroke after a transient ischemic attack is between 2% and 17% within the first 90 days after the initial event.
Managing blood pressure levels, reducing or quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and regular physical activity will reduce the risk of a second stroke, along with managing conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol.
The short answer is yes; the brain can heal after acute trauma from a stroke or brain injury, although the degree of recovery will vary. The reason the brain can recover at all is through neuroplasticity, sometimes referred to as brain plasticity.