Stroke and After Care
Imagine sitting down with your loved ones to eat a meal or waking up from sleep one morning, only to find yourself unable to move. Feeling numb in your hands and facing difficulty in calling out for help. Chances are that it is a stroke — India’s third leading causes of death and disability. Though anyone can be gripped by this condition, the elderly are more prone to suffering a stroke. Healthy India brings to you moving stories of stroke survivors and families who looked after a stroke-affected loved one with utmost compassion and care. Get inspired by these real-life stories of people who have suffered and sworn to bounce back!
Fighting the battle
Mr Ramesh Chandra, a 76-year-old retired professor from New Delhi, was sleeping on a lazy May afternoon, when he realised his face and hands had gone numb and he was feeling generally confused. His wife, who was sitting next to him, immediately called their doctor to share what was happening. The doctor understood that Mr Chandra had suffered a mild stroke. Upon reaching a medical facility, he was immediately given medication, but lost control over his left hand and left leg.
Despite being upset and angry at not being able to move normally, a bed-ridden Mr Chandra resolved to bounce back, and fight the effects of stroke with sheer will-power. “My health was improving due to the medicines and changes in diet, but the problem was with my movements. I just could not move my hand and leg, no matter how hard I tried,” says Mr Chandra.
So he started taking physiotherapy sessions at home by a qualified trainer. Initially, Mr Chandra practiced making a fist from his left hand and opening it again and again. This needed a lot of will-power and focus, and was quite painful in the beginning. The physiotherapist placed a small soft ball between Mr Chandra’s fingers, and asked him to try squeezing it. After a few weeks, there was a small movement in Mr Chandra’s hand, and he could now make a fist and open it without any support or pain—this was his first milestone on the road to recovery.
“I then started lifting my left hand. My physiotherapist tied my right hand to the bed with a soft cloth, so that I would only use my damaged left hand for the exercise. It was a little painful, but I managed to lift it up within a few weeks. My wife and son kept motivating me and charging me up to do this. I also made up my mind to begin playing carom with my grandson once I was alright—that was the inspiration,” he says.
Slowly, Mr Chandra healed with the right medicines, diet and exercise, and now plays carom with his grandson. He is also watchful of the food he eats, and reads up on stroke and related ailments. According to him, “Everyone must love life, to live it well. Unless we realise the value of life, how can we respect what we have got—our body, our mind, and our health? Ask me how it feels to lose control over the body and mind. It is the most helpless feeling ever, but only if you think that way. It is all in the mind. If you think—and want to—recover, it will happen for sure.”
Struck twice
“I looked after my ma with care and love, just like she wanted …”
On a cool February morning in Kanpur, 80-year old SarlaMudgil woke up for her daily ‘puja’ like she had done all her life. Her husband, O.S Mudgil, was in the bathroom, while her son was getting ready for work. But, despite trying hard, she was not unable to move her hands and legs. Sensing something was wrong, she tried calling her son for help, but realised that she was mumbling. Hearing his mother’s desperate voice, her son walked in to the room only to find that the left side of MrsMudgil’s body had been paralysed. An ambulance was called immediately, and soon she was being treated for a major stroke that had taken a toll on her body. The doctors said her condition was serious, but having stabilised her condition through medicines, released her from the hospital after a few days.
Despite realising the seriousness of the situation, MrsMudgil’s family stood by her, with love and care. “Hygiene is the most important aspect of taking care of a bed-ridden patient. We ensured she was using an adult diaper and that it was changed twice everyday, and that she was cleaned with a sponge everyday to prevent infections. We also had to prevent bedsores, so we made her switch sides while sleeping after every two hours,” said her daughter, Kirti.
Kirti shared that she was “fed light and nutritious food like mashed fruits and vegetables, juices, and dal-chapati. Special care had to be taken in the preparation of food since she was a diabetic. Thankfully, however, she could eat—having a feeding pipe would have been painful for her.”
Slowly, MrsMudgil recovered from her stroke, but unfortunately, was struck by another a few months later. The second stroke further damaged her already weak body, and now she could not eat well either. However, her memory remained sharp as ever. “She could recollect many old family memories, though she managed to speak only in short bursts of words. She could identify each person who would come to visit her, and gently smile and even kiss their extended hands. Yet, she could not move her jaw to chew, or speak long sentences without mumbling. She used to get relaxed when I caressed her forehead while she was lying down,” said Kirti.
Despite the best efforts of her family and doctors, MrsMudgil passed away after a brief struggle in April this year. The second stroke proved to be the most damaging one, and further complicated her health. Though saddened by her death, Kirti insists her mother was given the best care. “She was under constant medical supervision after the stroke and medicines were given to her regularly. I am also happy that she received all the love and care she had given to others all her life. Now, having lost my mother, I wish to learn more about stroke and assist others in any way possible. That will be the best tribute to my mother.”
Fighting the battle
Mr Ramesh Chandra, a 76-year-old retired professor from New Delhi, was sleeping on a lazy May afternoon, when he realised his face and hands had gone numb and he was feeling generally confused. His wife, who was sitting next to him, immediately called their doctor to share what was happening. The doctor understood that Mr Chandra had suffered a mild stroke. Upon reaching a medical facility, he was immediately given medication, but lost control over his left hand and left leg.
Despite being upset and angry at not being able to move normally, a bed-ridden Mr Chandra resolved to bounce back, and fight the effects of stroke with sheer will-power. “My health was improving due to the medicines and changes in diet, but the problem was with my movements. I just could not move my hand and leg, no matter how hard I tried,” says Mr Chandra.
So he started taking physiotherapy sessions at home by a qualified trainer. Initially, Mr Chandra practiced making a fist from his left hand and opening it again and again. This needed a lot of will-power and focus, and was quite painful in the beginning. The physiotherapist placed a small soft ball between Mr Chandra’s fingers, and asked him to try squeezing it. After a few weeks, there was a small movement in Mr Chandra’s hand, and he could now make a fist and open it without any support or pain—this was his first milestone on the road to recovery.
“I then started lifting my left hand. My physiotherapist tied my right hand to the bed with a soft cloth, so that I would only use my damaged left hand for the exercise. It was a little painful, but I managed to lift it up within a few weeks. My wife and son kept motivating me and charging me up to do this. I also made up my mind to begin playing carom with my grandson once I was alright—that was the inspiration,” he says.
Slowly, Mr Chandra healed with the right medicines, diet and exercise, and now plays carom with his grandson. He is also watchful of the food he eats, and reads up on stroke and related ailments. According to him, “Everyone must love life, to live it well. Unless we realise the value of life, how can we respect what we have got—our body, our mind, and our health? Ask me how it feels to lose control over the body and mind. It is the most helpless feeling ever, but only if you think that way. It is all in the mind. If you think—and want to—recover, it will happen for sure.”
Struck twice
“I looked after my ma with care and love, just like she wanted …”
On a cool February morning in Kanpur, 80-year old SarlaMudgil woke up for her daily ‘puja’ like she had done all her life. Her husband, O.S Mudgil, was in the bathroom, while her son was getting ready for work. But, despite trying hard, she was not unable to move her hands and legs. Sensing something was wrong, she tried calling her son for help, but realised that she was mumbling. Hearing his mother’s desperate voice, her son walked in to the room only to find that the left side of MrsMudgil’s body had been paralysed. An ambulance was called immediately, and soon she was being treated for a major stroke that had taken a toll on her body. The doctors said her condition was serious, but having stabilised her condition through medicines, released her from the hospital after a few days.
Despite realising the seriousness of the situation, MrsMudgil’s family stood by her, with love and care. “Hygiene is the most important aspect of taking care of a bed-ridden patient. We ensured she was using an adult diaper and that it was changed twice everyday, and that she was cleaned with a sponge everyday to prevent infections. We also had to prevent bedsores, so we made her switch sides while sleeping after every two hours,” said her daughter, Kirti.
Kirti shared that she was “fed light and nutritious food like mashed fruits and vegetables, juices, and dal-chapati. Special care had to be taken in the preparation of food since she was a diabetic. Thankfully, however, she could eat—having a feeding pipe would have been painful for her.”
Slowly, MrsMudgil recovered from her stroke, but unfortunately, was struck by another a few months later. The second stroke further damaged her already weak body, and now she could not eat well either. However, her memory remained sharp as ever. “She could recollect many old family memories, though she managed to speak only in short bursts of words. She could identify each person who would come to visit her, and gently smile and even kiss their extended hands. Yet, she could not move her jaw to chew, or speak long sentences without mumbling. She used to get relaxed when I caressed her forehead while she was lying down,” said Kirti.
Despite the best efforts of her family and doctors, MrsMudgil passed away after a brief struggle in April this year. The second stroke proved to be the most damaging one, and further complicated her health. Though saddened by her death, Kirti insists her mother was given the best care. “She was under constant medical supervision after the stroke and medicines were given to her regularly. I am also happy that she received all the love and care she had given to others all her life. Now, having lost my mother, I wish to learn more about stroke and assist others in any way possible. That will be the best tribute to my mother.”
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Stroke
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