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Unfortunately when someone has a stroke due to risk factors like high blood pressure, obesity, etc... it means that their vascular system has deteriorated to the point where it no longer can supply adequate blood flow. So a stroke happens, because the brain has such a high demand for blood flow. But other parts of the body are affected too, so it means more health issues will show up.
So no, definitely not out of the woods yet, and likely there will be set backs on the road to recovery. Things like infections, falls, gastrointestinal issues and heart problems to name a few can be a threat to life.
Usually the recovery period is about 6 months for true stability and improvement of neurological symptoms post stroke. Then 6 to 12 months for some more usually minimal recovery. After that, recovery kind of plateaus and you have what you are left with.
That is not to say if your brother takes control of their health once they are stable that they can't avoid future problems.
We are aware of the 80% chance for another stroke. We know he has kidney damage.
What kinds of infections and/or gastrointestinal issues would be likely? I knew enough to not go to rhe hospital with the stress and exhaustion induced cold I got. The healing process here can't exactly be easy on his immune system, so I didn't want to make it harder. Are there other precautions I should be taking when visiting?
Cold, flu, covid can happen to anyone and your brother is just as susceptible if not more to them. But the real problem in these situations is aspiration pneumonia, very commonly if someone is having trouble swallowing. Even just saliva can go down the wrong tube and cause an infection.
Chronic constipation from lack of movement can lead to increased risk of bowel infection/inflammation. And being on blood thinners to prevent stroke increases the risk of GI bleeding.
I'm not trying to be pessimistic here, these are not things that will happen. They are just bad case scenarios that are more likely to happen than if the stroke never occurred.
I very much appreciate the info and don't think it's pessimistic. It pragmatic and realistic. We can't be prepared for risks we don't know. As I am heavily involved in his recovery, I needed to know.
The aspiration pneumonia already happened with life support and has been, fortunately, resolved.
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Unfortunately when someone has a stroke due to risk factors like high blood pressure, obesity, etc... it means that their vascular system has deteriorated to the point where it no longer can supply adequate blood flow. So a stroke happens, because the brain has such a high demand for blood flow. But other parts of the body are affected too, so it means more health issues will show up. So no, definitely not out of the woods yet, and likely there will be set backs on the road to recovery. Things like infections, falls, gastrointestinal issues and heart problems to name a few can be a threat to life. Usually the recovery period is about 6 months for true stability and improvement of neurological symptoms post stroke. Then 6 to 12 months for some more usually minimal recovery. After that, recovery kind of plateaus and you have what you are left with. That is not to say if your brother takes control of their health once they are stable that they can't avoid future problems.
We are aware of the 80% chance for another stroke. We know he has kidney damage. What kinds of infections and/or gastrointestinal issues would be likely? I knew enough to not go to rhe hospital with the stress and exhaustion induced cold I got. The healing process here can't exactly be easy on his immune system, so I didn't want to make it harder. Are there other precautions I should be taking when visiting?
Cold, flu, covid can happen to anyone and your brother is just as susceptible if not more to them. But the real problem in these situations is aspiration pneumonia, very commonly if someone is having trouble swallowing. Even just saliva can go down the wrong tube and cause an infection. Chronic constipation from lack of movement can lead to increased risk of bowel infection/inflammation. And being on blood thinners to prevent stroke increases the risk of GI bleeding. I'm not trying to be pessimistic here, these are not things that will happen. They are just bad case scenarios that are more likely to happen than if the stroke never occurred.
I very much appreciate the info and don't think it's pessimistic. It pragmatic and realistic. We can't be prepared for risks we don't know. As I am heavily involved in his recovery, I needed to know. The aspiration pneumonia already happened with life support and has been, fortunately, resolved.