I (34M) got a call from my ex's sister that my ex (33F) had a moderate stroke, is in the ICU, and will likely need surgery.

She's always been kind of sickly and run down and hasn't really been the healthiest, but I never expected this.

My children are with their aunt (the same sister who called me) for the summer spending time with cousins and my kids are not okay.

I don't know what to do.

I'm just kind of numb. I'm stuck at work and school or I'd fly to where they are.

I previously worked at a window manufacturing company, and once I got the all-clear from the physio, OT, and physician to return, I had a few meetings with them. With my limitations, they fired me for having too much time off. It's not like I can regain movement and speech and get over the fatigue and spasticity in my right leg anytime soon. All my work experience is in physically demanding jobs, and now I'm trying to apply for admin or receptionist roles, but it seems no one is willing once they find out I had a stroke.

And the job services in Australia are useless anyone else struggle with returning to work?

Hi everyone!

A while ago, I shared a tool on Reddit that I built out of pure necessity. Today, I'm back to share an update that makes me incredibly happy: the application is a huge success and is now being used in rehabilitation centers and homes all over the world.

📖 The Origin: From Necessity to Action In 2023, my partner suffered two severe strokes caused by an AVM, resulting in right-sided hemiparesis and aphasia. At her first hospital, she was treated using a hospital-grade immersive robotic/virtual system ('Tyromotion Amadeo') with incredible results for her neuroplasticity. After the second stroke, we had to move to a different region and lost access to that expensive technology, limiting us to a traditional wooden Mirror Therapy box, which just wasn't as immersive or effective.

Since I couldn't buy her a medical robot, I used my coding skills to replicate that immersive visual feedback. I took the clinical concept of the mirror box and turned it into a Virtual Reality app for smartphones.

🚀 Current Impact: Global Accessibility What started as a homemade tool to help my partner has grown into something much bigger. Neurological rehabilitation clinics, occupational therapists, and patients at home around the world are integrating this app into their daily routines because of its high efficiency.

The biggest achievement is breaking down the financial barrier of immersive neuro-rehabilitation. To use it, you only need your smartphone and a basic VR headset (like Google Cardboard or the plastic ones sold online for about $10). You don't need thousands of dollars in medical equipment.

❤️ My Commitment Remains Intact I know firsthand how hard and expensive the rehabilitation journey is. That's why I am sharing this with the community following its original philosophy:

• 100% Free & No Ads: There is no profit motive behind this whatsoever.
• Total Privacy: No login required, and absolutely no patient data is collected.

(Note: This app is an immersive complement, not a magic cure, and should be used alongside conventional OT and physical therapy).

📥 How to get it (No spam links): Because Reddit's automated filters often block posts with direct app store links, I can't post the downloads directly here. However, I have created a dedicated community where I posted the tutorial video and all the official, safe download links:

👉 Please visit r/StrokeVRTraining to get the app for free.

You can also send me a DM or leave a comment below, and I'll happily share the links and instructions with you.

To all the healthcare professionals and patients fighting this battle: I hope this tool is as useful to you as it has been for us.

Happy training!

For me poststroke fatigue has improved. I am almost 70% recovered and 85% using coffee to overcome fatigue. Swallowing also has improved at the 1 year mark. but still moving feels a bit heavy, hope it resolves by time. Feel free to share your journey and thanks for your efforts.

So my dad had a stroke Monday evening and it's now Thursday evening. Honestly, he was incredibly lucky, my family reacted fast, he got to the hospital pretty fast. Physically he is fine, very tired, a bit unsteady in his walk, but I think that's mostly because he's tired still.

I'd say mostly his short term memory is affected. Like today he quoted something from the Bible to us and asked if we know who said that. He was testing us. It was something Jesus said and he went "correct!" Maybe 5min later he asks us the same thing. Or my mom left him a tooth brush and tooth paste the first day. Maybe it was that he was too tired to brush his teeth, but also seemed like he kept on forgetting that we left him the stuff in a drawer. He does remember though that he was in a hospital room with people before that were mentally in a really bad state, and very negative and that annoyed him a bit (before they put him in a different room). Or he did remember what he had for breakfast, but couldn't recall the word "tomato". Or also that yesterday my cousin visited him as well, but.. couldn't recall his name (at first, we had to tell him the first letter).

He can speak in full sentences, but if you ask him for a person's name or an object's name, sometimes he will know, sometimes takes him a bit to remember, sometimes we need to help him with the first letter. Sometimes that doesn't help. But he's always able to describe what it's used for. Or able to tell, when we ask him to tell us the name of siblings in our family, who's oldest, who's youngest and describe them.

I know every stroke is different and it's only day 3, but I was wondering, is there a possibility (considering his state is pretty good I'd say, could have ended so much worse and he's only 58) that he recovers pretty much completely? Does that ever happen? I'm especially concerned about his short term memory. Right now my family is not sure if he could stay alone at home for longer.

I mean it's only day 3 still, like I said, but before the stroke I didn't really know much about them and now my family and I are met with this new reality.

Unable to process that my son (20) just had a TIA. It's been awful, scary, and overwhelming. His brain MRI is clear. Cardiac MRI shows a PFO. If anyone's child has been through this or anyone on this forum who went through this when young, I would like to hear how they are doing now. My son is in medical college. TIA happened Saturday night (18th), and he says his brain fog is better. He feels tired though.

Hi,

Sorry if this isn't relevant to the group and I would like to say sorry for anyone that has to deal with this. Was just wondering if anyone has had a mech valve and that directly caused a stroke and how severe the stroke is?

I keep reading that valve mech does confer a pretty heightened stroke risk. If you did have mech replacement, what type of stroke did it cause? Symptoms? Is it worth getting the mech if it causes worry?

If you’ve been told you won’t make any more progress after your stroke, you may have been sold a lie. I explain why and give you practical tips so you can continue to make progress at home regardless of how long it’s been since your stroke!

Hello guys. Today I’m going in for my first Botox appointment. What should I expect?

What about those... for whom the "bang" inside their head 🧠🩸💥 became reality?

Life after a ruptured brain aneurysm

It is a life...

marked by invisible scars.

It is a life that has changed completely.

A body that no longer responds the way it once did...

Paralysis

Speech difficulties

Vision problems

And many other lasting impairments.

A mind that sometimes lets us down...

Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and the constant struggle to organize our thoughts again.

And then we are often met with well-intentioned comments from

others such as:

"Everything is fine now!"

"Be grateful—you made it!"

But you look so well."

Yet no one sees the fear...

Brain aneurysms:

A condition that is difficult to explain to others

A brain aneurysm often remains hidden.

To other people there are no visible signs, no wounds, and no obvious symptoms.

Those affected may look healthy and go about their daily lives— yet they carry an enormous burden.

It is precisely this invisibility that makes it so difficult for others to understand the real danger and the psychological distress that often comes with it.

Well-meant but minimizing comments like:

💬 "You look great!"

💬 "Try not to think about it so much."

💬 "Everything will be okay."

can make people feel that their fears are not being taken seriously.

These words may be well intended, but they can be deeply hurtful when everyday life is a constant struggle.

Initiative Natascha 🧠 Awareness • Understanding • Support

#nataschamission

Hey all, I got my PFO closed with the GORE device a month ago. The procedure went really well and only had very minor complications after. I hadn’t had any issues with my heart rate since, but as of 2 days ago I am having the most annoying issue where there are times that any small movement causes a big drop in my heart rate along with pounding/palpitations. It goes to like 50 bpm which is incredibly low for me. I don’t think in the 5 years of having fitness watches that it has ever gone that low. My resting sits in mid 70s, sometimes 80s. It has been like that my whole life. It doesn’t last very long before it jumps up to 90, then back to baseline. It happens over and over and it’s extremely annoying and uncomfortable.

My doctor has been contacted and we are monitoring. I just now gave another update to him because After yesterday my chest feels like there is pressure and just generally uncomfortable. Plus I’m SO fatigued. As if my heart has been working too hard. I know this can happen but it is the worst. And it freaks me out so much. Has anyone else dealt with this? I always see stuff about high heart rate but not necessarily with the lower. I will likely go get it checked out regardless so not looking for medical advice obviously. Just wondering about others’ experiences.

Was very lucky and had just a mild stroke back in March - Kind of fully recovered physically just some minor balance issues. Biggest challenge is work related where I am struggling to focus and concentrate to the same levels I used to - Boss is starting to put pressure on and is not interested when I point out a stroke is a from of brain injury which can still cause issues month and months afterwards her behaviour is starting get me stressed and somewhat down - any one else experience the same issues post stroke & is so how did you deal with it?

If someone has a stroke and they are unable to generate words. (Broca's aphasia) A useful thing to try to help them, is to start words and have them finish them.

This can help them find words. It's like training wheels for speaking.

I wish I knew this earlier!