It's been a while since I have been out here, thought I would check in today and saw your post. I'll start off by saying this is my opinion only based on what I feel, and still feel to some extent. I had some issues with anger and empathy towards others for a few months following my stroke. As with your husband, I was able to progress fairly quickly getting to a point where people didn't notice the effects of my stroke. That being said, most things that were simple prior to my stroke were much harder for a while after the stroke. That had a way of making me angry and I probably took it out on my family at times. My opinion is, unless you are a person that has experienced a stroke, you really don't understand it and what it takes to get better. It's a life changing event, for some more than others, but you deal with the effects every day and life is more challenging than in the past. What I noticed is that you really are alone out there with dealing with your challenges. I get the feeling at times that people either think what you deal with is no big deal (you are not dying) or they just don't want to engage when you want to talk about the challenges. That had a way of impacting my empathy for others, unless you were in my direct family, I really didn't care what you were going through (my mother told me I wasn't being very nice on a few occasions!). In my case, that has improved over time as things get easier and life has gotten more normal for me. Having someone to talk to that has gone through a stroke and can relate helps.