Understanding Your Stroke:
A Guide for Patients and Families
What to Expect While in the Hospital
During your first day in the hospital, you may stay in bed because
standing or sitting may worsen your condition. The head of your bed may
be kept flat or elevated to help oxygenate your brain. You and your
family members should not adjust the bed without first checking with a
nurse. You should also not attempt to get out of bed by yourself. Please
call a nurse for assistance. During the first part of your stay, the
nurse will check your condition very frequently. We will ask you to do
such things as squeeze our hands, move your legs, smile, stick your
tongue out and shrug your shoulders. We also will check your gag reflex with a tongue depressor.
- Difficulty Swallowing
You may
also have difficulty swallowing, which can be a result of stroke. A
stroke can damage sensation or weaken the muscles involved in
swallowing. As a result, food can enter the lung or stay in the mouth
after the patient swallows. If there is a question regarding your
ability to swallow safely, the doctors may decide you should not receive
food by mouth. If you have difficulty swallowing, be certain not to
drink water; since water is a thin liquid it is easy to choke on it. Wet
swabs will help keep your mouth moist. A speech-language
pathologist will check your ability to swallow and determine which food
and liquid consistencies would be safest for you.
- Loss of Mobility
While in bed, you may be asked to wear white elastic stockings and
compressive boots. Because your activity has decreased, the stockings
and boots will help maintain circulation in your legs. If one side of
your body is weaker than the other, a nurse or nursing assistant will
come into your room every two to three hours to reposition you. The
weaker side of your body will be elevated on pillows to provide support
and help with circulation.
- Digestive Difficulty
Sometimes following a stroke patients have trouble controlling bowel
movements or have trouble urinating. In this case, a small tube called a
foley catheter will be placed in your bladder to drain your urine. Stool
softeners will also be provided so that you do not become constipated.
If necessary, the staff will also assist you onto a bedpan or commode,
or assist you with a urinal.
What Kind of Tests Will Be Done?
Your doctor will order many tests while you are hospitalized. If you
were admitted through the emergency department some of these test may
already have been done. Throughout your stay, your doctor may need to
repeat a few of these tests to monitor your progress. Your nurse will
explain these tests to you as they are scheduled.
- Blood tests
When initially hospitalized, you will have an intravenous (IV) placed
into your arm. You may also receive a blood-thinning medication,
heparin, through the IV. Because we need to monitor you very closely,
blood will be taken from a vein in your arm every morning to determine
how thin the blood is. This blood test is called the partial
thromboplastin time (PTT). Once you are stabilized, the doctor may
change your medication to Coumadin or Ticlid. Your nurse will explain
these medications to you.
- Monitoring your heart
The first few days after a stroke are the most critical. Strokes
sometimes cause the heart to beat in an irregular way. If this should
happen, medication will be given to you to correct it. We may also need
to use a cardiac monitor to monitor your heart. A nurse will check you
and the monitor every hour to make sure that all is well.
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