Life after a stroke. Step by step - to the old me

How exactly does a stroke patient feel dizzy?

The nature of dizziness during a stroke may vary depending on which area of ​​the brain was damaged.

In most cases, patients complain of:

• 
  Disorientation.

• Distortion of visual perception of the world (“picture jumps”).
• It seems to a person that his body or surrounding objects are rotating, falling, swaying, tilting or otherwise moving (“everything is floating”). When you turn your head, the sensation intensifies.

Outwardly, this can manifest itself when trying to move in space:

1. unsteady gait;
2. loss of balance;
3. inability to walk in a straight line.

Dizziness may be accompanied by the following symptoms:

• loss of coordination of movements, loss of balance;
• sharp and severe headaches;
• increase or decrease in blood pressure;
• speech disorders;
• weakness or numbness of a limb, right or left half of the body, asymmetrical distortion of the facial muscles: sagging cheeks, drooping corner of the mouth.

Caring for patients with dizziness after stroke

An important component of the rehabilitation treatment of patients with dizziness after a stroke is the organization of care and nursing. Impaired coordination of movements with preserved muscle strength in the limbs causes loss of self-care ability and a decrease in the functional activity of patients. They can cause injury and recurrent stroke.

In order to improve the quality of life of patients with dizziness, the latest technologies used in care are being introduced. Proper care is not opposed to treatment, but is organically included in it as an integral part and involves the creation of a favorable everyday and psychological environment at all stages of treatment. Due to the decrease in functional activity of patients with dizziness, he is recommended to use absorbent products (diapers for sedentary patients and absorbent panties for patients who have retained mobility).

After determining the cause of dizziness, an individual treatment regimen will be selected for you to get rid of the unpleasant consequences of a stroke. The use of modern recovery techniques allows specialists at the Yusupov Hospital Rehabilitation Clinic to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from dizziness after a stroke. Make an appointment with a neurologist by phone in advance.

Why do you feel dizzy during or after an attack?

The main cause of dizziness is a disruption in the normal nutrition of the affected area of ​​the brain.

After an ischemic stroke, a vessel is blocked by a thrombus or atherosclerotic plaque; in a hemorrhagic stroke, the capillaries are compressed by the volume of blood pouring into the brain.

In both cases, the blood supply to the area supplied by the vessel is disrupted. And depending on what function the affected area is responsible for, the corresponding symptoms appear.

There are two categories of causes of dizziness after a stroke.
Pathological reasons relating to the general condition of the body :

• hypotension resulting from a stroke;
• injury to the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordination and maintaining body balance;
• problems with blood vessels in combination with cervical osteochondrosis, worsening blood circulation in parts of the central nervous system;
• weather dependence, aggravating the consequences of a stroke.

Reasons depending on human behavior:

• violations of the rehabilitation regime - drinking alcohol, cigarettes, lack of rest - everything that prevents the body from recovering (for more details about why those who smoke or have recently quit a bad habit feel dizzy, read this material);
• poor nutrition – excessive indulgence in high-carbohydrate, fatty, salty foods, which also inhibits regeneration processes (read more about why you feel dizzy during and after eating, here);
• high physical activity, stimulating increased blood pressure and the manifestation of symptoms of the disease;
• psychological tension, stress and depression are factors that interfere with a full recovery (read more about the symptoms and treatment of psychogenic dizziness here);
• side effects from taking medications - they should be replaced with analogues after consultation with a doctor;
• incorrect sleeping position, which contributes to the development of tension in the cervical spine and poor blood supply to the brain.

Dizziness is not only caused by a stroke, so articles on dizziness may be useful:

• among women;
• in children;
• in teenagers;
• after training;
• with VSD.

Impact of stress and depression

Stress
Quite strong causative factors for dizziness after a stroke, noise in the head, and painful sensations are stressful situations and depression. The patient may feel dizzy due to his psychological state, manifested in the form of frustration, panic or an apathetic attitude towards his own health. Many patients are afraid of the prognosis for recovery and loss of work, continuing to destroy their body. This also negatively affects the psycho-emotional state and leads to the appearance of unpleasant symptoms.

After a stroke, it is strictly forbidden to subject the brain to various loads. That is why patients are most often prescribed sedative drugs. They have a calming effect. But at the same time, the support of family and friends cannot be excluded. during the rehabilitation period after a stroke. This is the main factor. Relatives should also provide any moral or emotional support. This helps patients gain confidence in themselves and hope for a successful recovery.

What to do to get rid of this phenomenon?

To eliminate dizziness, medications from different groups are used . The symptom can be affected by various active substances depending on the characteristics of each patient, and the optimal option for drug treatment should be selected by the doctor. The following categories of drugs are mainly used.

Antioxidants and neuroprotectors

Neuroprotectors are medications that protect nerve cells from pathogenic factors. One of these factors that requires neutralization is the effects of free radicals, which antioxidants help fight.

Below are the most popular drugs with antioxidant action among neuroprotectors and the average prices per package:

• Mexidol is available in tablets and ampoules, the forms differ in the concentration of the active substance and the presence of auxiliary components. 448 rub.
• Emoxipine – solution for injection, 195 rub.
• Glycine – available in tablets. The price, depending on the manufacturer, ranges from 37 to 498 rubles.

Vascular drugs

In the treatment of stroke and its symptoms, including dizziness, maintaining vascular tone is important, and these substances are designed to reduce the tendency of vessel walls to stretch. Also, the pharmacological effect of vascular drugs is to increase blood supply to the brain. Additionally, the energy metabolism of cells is improved.

Medications for cerebral vessels from this group relax the arteries and practically do not change the tone of the veins. In addition, drugs in this group thin the blood and prevent the formation of blood clots. Blood flow increases and oxygen-rich blood flows to the brain.

Examples of vascular drugs:

• Cinnarizine. Available in tablets, 74 RUR.
• Nimotop. Solution for injection, 3141 rub.
• Detralex. Tablets, 789 rub.

When treating the consequences of a stroke, prevention of recurrence plays an important role. Depending on the type of stroke, the medications you take may vary.

Prevention of ischemic stroke includes solving the following tasks:

• 
  blood thinning – cardiomagnyl (tablets), RUB 349;

• slowing the progression of atherosclerosis – Cerebrolysin (solution for injection), RUB 1,569;
• improvement of metabolic processes in the brain - cerakson (solution for intravenous and intramuscular administration, solution for oral administration) - 718–1659 rub. depending on the release form;
• improvement of microcirculation – Actovegin (tablets, solution for injection) – 616 – 1489 rub. depending on the release form.

To prevent hemorrhagic stroke, medications are used:

• drugs for the correction of high blood pressure - hypothiazide (tablets) - 89 rubles;
• sedatives and sedatives - persen (tablets) - 248 rubles;
• preparations for strengthening blood vessels - ginkgo biloba (tablets) - 193 rub.

Drug therapy

When dizziness occurs after a stroke, treatment consists of taking certain groups of medications. These include:

1. Antioxidants and neuroprotectors. The most effective are Glycine or Piracetam. They help stabilize the processes of inhibition and excitation.
2. Vascular. This group includes Cerebrolysin and Actovegin. They are designed to improve blood circulation in the brain and cerebellum. They also have a positive effect on the vestibular system and lead to a reduction in the incidence of dizziness.
3. Antithrombotic. These dizziness pills are prescribed to prevent a recurrent attack.

It is quite difficult to recover from a stroke. For a long time, unpleasant symptoms may occur in the form of headaches and dizziness. In order to avoid dizziness, it is necessary to eliminate psycho-emotional stress and undergo a course of drug therapy. All medications must be prescribed by your attending physician. Self-medication leads to serious consequences.

Non-drug treatment

In addition to taking medications, there are a number of recommendations that, if followed, will help shorten the body’s recovery time after a stroke and reduce the discomfort of dizziness.

Recommendations:

1. Daily regime . Build it so that your sleep is complete and sufficient, while it is better to sleep on high, hard pillows to ensure the correct position of the head for better blood flow.
2. Physical activity . Light exercise helps speed up recovery - do exercises in the morning, take a walk in the fresh air, and you will feel better. Activity may include exercises for the vestibular apparatus - tilting the head, rolling the eyes, etc.
3. Therapeutic massage from a professional . It can be combined with aromatherapy - essential oils for dizziness are recommended to be rubbed into the back of the head and temples.
4. Positive emotions . A good mood contributes to quick recovery from illness and a more stable psychological state.

It is better to solve any problem comprehensively. Consulting a doctor, the help of competent specialists, regularly taking prescribed medications in combination with a healthy lifestyle will help you get rid of dizziness and prevent a recurrent stroke in the future.

Diagnosis of stroke

More often, the picture combines several symptoms, which allows the emergency doctor to suspect a vascular accident. When visiting the emergency department of a neurovascular center, in the absence of a neurological or therapeutic department, the patient must be examined by a neurologist (or a therapist in the absence of a neurologist). After examination, if a stroke is suspected, it is necessary to urgently perform an MSCT or MRI of the brain, as well as an ultrasound scan of the vessels.

In ischemic stroke, the information content of MRI is higher than MSCT examination, however, MSCT allows to exclude foci of hemorrhage for differentiation with hemorrhagic stroke, and is also useful in case of possible skull fractures. It should be remembered that pathological lesions may not appear on the image immediately, after several hours, or may be small in size, therefore, with a convincing clinical picture or severity of symptoms, the patient can be hospitalized without neuroimaging confirmation and repeat MSCT/MRI several times during hospitalization if necessary .

Causes of post-stroke attacks

Already a few days after the crisis, the patient may complain of pain in the head area. The main causes of illness are:

• Cerebral edema is an inevitable phenomenon after a stroke, which is an accumulation of fluid in the tissues and cells of the brain.
• Premature death of neurons due to oxygen starvation.
• A depressive state caused by worry about one’s poor health.
• Reaction to medications used to treat the disease.
• Sudden changes in weather and changes in atmospheric humidity cause headaches after a stroke in weather-sensitive people.
• Tension pain caused by the position in which a person is confined to bed.
• Drug-induced hypotension that occurs after an emergency lowering of blood pressure during a crisis.

Important! Headache after a stroke should not go unnoticed, as such symptoms may indicate a repeat attack. It is urgent to inform your doctor about the problem in order to promptly prevent an impending relapse of the disease.

Precursors of stroke in men

Most often, the first signs of the condition in question in males develop after forty years. As a rule, this is facilitated by their unhealthy lifestyle, as well as stress overload.

The main harbingers of an approaching vascular accident in men are the following conditions:

• Uncharacteristic and unexplained dizziness.
• Sharp, severe pain in a specific area of ​​the head or in all areas.
• Numbness of the upper or lower limb, tongue or half of the face.
• Muscle weakness, pronounced (arms and legs become weak).
• Significant loss of vision in one eye.
• Development of uncharacteristic shortness of breath.
• Speech disorder.
• Dyspeptic disorders, or rather the development of nausea and even vomiting, which does not bring significant relief.
• Deterioration in coordination of movements.

In rare cases, such precursors disappear on their own, without any medical intervention. However, you should not ignore them, because in most cases they return, but in a more severe form.

A harbinger of a stroke. General symptoms

An ischemic state does not occur in minutes. This pathological phenomenon lasts for hours and even days. If, after waking up, a person feels uncharacteristic nausea or weakness, as well as dots flashing before his eyes, then this should definitely alert you. Experts say that such phenomena are clear signs of negative changes occurring in the intracranial vessels.

Thus, we can talk about a stroke when observing the following signs:

• uncharacteristic drowsiness and apathy;
• sudden, causeless and severe fatigue;
• alternating temperature indicators in the patient’s body;
• dizziness, painful migraine manifestations;
• significant jumps in individual blood pressure levels.

It should be especially noted that all of the above signs of a stroke may either disappear or reappear, but in a more pronounced form.

Why is dizziness dangerous?

The main danger of vertigo is possible falls. The bones of stroke patients become more fragile, increasing the likelihood of fractures. The risk of an incident increases in the presence of leg paresis, poor coordination, and muscle weakness - common consequences of a stroke.

The most important thing in an acute period of dizziness is to sit down or at least find support. You can move on only when your condition improves. If possible, ask for insurance for you, since a second “wave” is possible.

To prevent falls it is recommended:

• Organize your living space to minimize the possibility of losing your balance. For example, equip the bathroom and toilet room with handrails, and put non-slip rubber mats on their floors. Place everything you need for everyday life so that these items are easy to reach.
• Make sure your apartment is well lit. In dim light, it's easy to miss a small obstacle. For the same reason, all people with low vision are recommended to wear glasses or contacts.
• Avoid potentially dangerous places: do not go outside during icy conditions, avoid wet areas of the floor, avoid dark areas of the city.
• Keep your feet warm. Cold muscles are less efficient and more likely to let their owners down. Warming can be achieved by wearing warm clothing or maintaining indoor temperature.
• Stay focused. Most falls occur at those moments when a person stops being attentive and thinking. Therefore, until you regain full control of your body, your movements must be conscious.
• Focus on your movements. Due to paresis, lack of coordination, and sensitivity, your leg can easily become unusable. For example, pick the ground with your toe or fall on your side. While walking, control your every step, then the risk of falling will be minimal.
• Feel free to use aids - canes, sticks, walkers.
• Maintain a comfortable speed. Any rush is unacceptable.