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brain stem stroke
i am only 67 but have a complicated medical history including but not limited to diabetes, coronary artery disease with 3 stents which i have had for years, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis of knees and shoulders (both shoulders need replacements). i will stop there. 3 months ago i had a brain stem stroke which left me with diplopia (double vision), and very bad balance and gait. i have to use a walker. i don't know much about brain stem strokes or even how else it may have affected me. any information would be helpful. i am female if that helps.
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@theai I wanted to say Hello. My dad had several small strokes one of which took away half of his vision in both eyes because it affected where the optic nerves cross each other. We all had to realize he couldn't see anything left of center. I think it helps to talk to family members to explain what you are experiencing. It is hard for others to understand what it is like for you since the stroke. Your experience will be different from everyone else because the brain is mapped to everything in the body and what gets affected is specific to where the stroke happened. I was reading about diplopia, and they may be able to help that with prisms on eyeglasses. This link below from Mayo Clinic mentions this. The other link is from the American Stroke Foundation and it explains common adaptations that help people after a stroke.
https://americanstroke.org/after-stroke/
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-double-vision-can-often-be-effectively-treated/
I would also like to share a very short video from a guy named Pete who was a friend. He was a famous guitar player and had recovered from a stroke and learned to play the guitar again. Pete also had a rare congenital heart defect. He has since passed away, but his determination and what he accomplished after having heart failure and a stroke are amazing, and there is a lesson in his resilience.
Have your providers suggested physical or occupational therapy? Had you heard about prisms in eyeglasses for double vision?
I had brain stem stroke/I wore a patch on good eye until eye off line strengthened up/caused balance problems but keep strengthening your legs and core to help/prism glasses might help?? They also do eye surgery if muscles are effected: you will get better😊😊😊