Having a brainstem stroke can be a very serious condition. Stroke treatment or recovery can be difficult. The brainstem is located in an area that is beneath the cerebrum of a person's head and in front of a their cerebellum. This is a vital area of the mind for a person's functioning. This area of the brain connects to a person's spinal cord. A person can have several symptoms of this type of stroke such as decreased capacity to breath, problems with balance, dizziness and sleep difficulties. Strokes that are localized in the brainstem may have a specific pattern of deficits in functioning that is the result of the interruption of the nerves there.
For many people, current therapies may be of limited value. However new technologies are constantly being created by scientists and may eventually help even very difficult cases. Japanese scientists have recently been able to synthesize whole brain tissue from stem cells. Stem cells may enable doctors to replace a person's damaged brain cells in the future. Recently the company reneuron has gotten the green light by the FDA to test stem cells to help stroke patients. Robotic neurosurgeons have been specifically developed so as to allow doctors to perform more precise brain surgery.
New methods of brain stimulation might also be used to alter the brain's plasticity and improve deficits in functioning. Transcranial magnetic stimulation has been used in the recent past to awaken a patient who was in a coma. These tools are becoming increasingly refined in their ability to affect the brain. They will likely enable doctors to precisely activate or deactivate specific brain areas. Another novel tool that could become available is called ultrasonic neuromodulation. It could potentially be used to increase neuron growth non-invasively. Other methods for altering brain functioning include transcranial direct current stimulation and deep brain stimulation. All of these could become future ways to rehabilitate those with strokes.
Scientists have been modeling new computer simulations of the brain. Ultimately they hope that these simulations will be able to accelerate research for all types of brain disorders. They could be used to test out pharmaceutical drugs ahead of time, before being tried on a patient. A few of the more ambitions computer brain models may not actually be that far off (15 years).
Brain-computer interfaces are another area of research that is being developed by scientists. They could be used to help people who are currently paralyzed. A brain-computer interface essentially takes brain waves recordings from a person's head. Those EEG readings are then translated into moving some kind of external device. This would enable a person who is "locked in" to be able to move some sort of robotic appendage, for example, solely with their own thought processes. Brain scanning technology is also something that is getting better. It is able to help stroke victims in a variety of ways. Brain scans have allowed researchers to communicate with patients who have had severe brain damage. MRI brain scans are also increasing in resolution of detail so as to allow doctors to assess strokes much better.
A brainstem stroke can often leave a person with a variety of disabling ailments. A person may to undergo either a brain scan or a neuropsychological examination to assess the stroke damage, depending on the extent of their condition. Then they may also need to have stroke rehab if their condition is not too severe.
The brainstem can control very specific involuntary muscles of a person's body. These muscles include those that are attached to the heart and the stomach. The brainstem is actually a relay station between the mind and the rest of your body. So a stroke here can affect a variety of different functions and it has many downstream effects on a person's body. Sometimes after a person has had a stroke, they may in fact become paralyzed from the stroke. The brainstem can be extremely vulnerable to having a stroke as it is at the rear of a your head. While this area may be a fairly small portion of the mind, it is very vital to your own bodily functions. It is important that people that exhibit this type of stroke symptoms seek both the proper medical and legal advice. It may be possible to successfully treat certain types of strokes. However, for many people the treatment options may currently be limited.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Brain Stem Stroke Treatment Recovery (updated june 2009)
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10 comments:
My brother Nelson suffered a brain stem stroke a few days ago.
He can move his arms and legs, squeeze my hand and open his eyes from time to time.
However, he needs help to breathe.
Nelson has not talked or made a sound.
We are still not sure of the full extent of his condition.
Right now, it is wait and see.
It is a hard thing to deal with.
Many warning signs were there for years.
My advice to you is watch your weight and blood pressure.
Ask questions and eat right.
Be as active as you can and see a doctor regularly.
George Vreeland Hill
geoerge we found a way to help our 7 year old breath better. he had a brain stroke 1 year ago. please email me and i'll give you the info
brettfegel@yahoo.com
My Mother sufferes a massive brain stem stroke 9 days ago, she opens her eyes for a few seconds an then closes them again,she does not respond to comands. she cant follow the light in her eyes, she does react to pain. can some one help to bring my mother out of this an help her win this fight, I love her so much an miss her every minute of every day. can some one please give me some light at the end of the tunnel. Thank You so much. Lisa in Ohio
my father in law had a brainstem stroke about a week and a half ago and he is still in the ICU. he can open his eyes and squeeze his wifes hand but that is about it. right now we are just waiting to see if he comes out of it. they are talking about putting a trach in his throat. this has been one of the scariest things to go through.
Al from Ohio... I had a brain stem stroke in Jan 2009. It is now Oct.2009 and have gotten rid of the feeding tube and trach. I t has taken a lot of hard work. i am walking with a walker and I continue to take therapy because some day I will walk again. There is hope but encouragement is needed by the patient and faith, never give
My 33 yr old son had a brain stem stroke almost 3 weeks ago. he was in the ICU until last Friday. He was moved to a specialty hospital on Blow By through his trach. he was placed back on the vent that night. He can not talk, swallow. or breathe very much on his own. Now they tell me has tested positive for TB. They are runing more tests tomorrow, but I know he will never come home, this is so heartbreaking for me. I hope some one can tell me what will happen, but I think I already know. Please pray for him and our family.
Chris from Wisconsin, I am age 50 and suffered a small brain stem stroke 2 days ago. I experienced a sudden onset of vertigo, loss of balance, and loss of speech (I could mumble things that didn't make sense). After an hour or so someone found me on the restroom floor and called 911. In the ambulance my vision came back into focus and I was able to communicate with the paramedic. The ER doc thought it was an a-typical migraine but I stayed in the hospital and had ultra sounds on my throat and heart and a MRI on my brain which revealed the evidence of the stroke. I consider myself lucky to be alive and despite being in decent health I have a lot of bad family history working against me. I will pray for those of you with family members who are suffering from their strokes.
My father had a stroke on Thanksgving day. He has been on a ventilator, however when they tried to remove it, his throat swelled up and they had to put it back in. He has since gotten a Trach. Since then he has suffered a Brain Stem Stroke and is paralized from the neck down. We are told there is 0 chance of recovery. I would like to hear from someone who has recovered, even if it was minimal. Please pray for us.
My dad suffered a brain Stem stroke 3 days ago. He is currently on a Ventilator but has not opened his eyes since the attack.He hasn't moved since or squeezed our hands. They say it's early days nut what a nightmare we've fallen into
Anna, there is hope. My father had a brain stem stroke in June 09, and several doctors told us he probably would not survive. He survived and they inserted a trach and feeding tube. It was a long road, he was "unconsious" for almost 2 months, meaning he doesn't remember those 2 months, and unfortunatley my mother fell ill at the same time and passed away while he was in ICU. He "woke up" the evening of the day she was buried. We were astounded, and he actually knew she had passed, he said he felt her by his side. He finally came home after 3 months. He has 24/7 help and still has the trach and the feeding tube. He may never swallow normally again, or walk normally, but we recently found out that only 1 out of 100 survive the type of stroke he had. BUT, he became the miracle of the hospital. So if you ask MY family, we say never give up, don't listen to the Dr.'s giving the bad news. Keep your faith!
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