Question
Since my dad's stroke, his progress has seemed to bounce back and forth. For a while, he couldn't talk at all but could follow some instructions. Now he can vocalize some words but isn't following instructions at all. What could be going on?
— Anonymous Caring.com community member
Answer
Expert James Castle is a neurologist at Stanford University and an expert on strokes.
In general, patients should slowly improve after a stroke. After about two years, this improvement tends to slow down substantially. However, any reappearance or worsening of symptoms should prompt a medical evaluation.
When a patient's rehabilitation moves in the wrong direction, it may be that he has another undiagnosed illness that's delaying his recovery. Several conditions -- including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and another stroke -- are common after a stroke, and most can worsen stroke symptoms. Depression and certain changes in medication can also cause such setbacks.
Talk to your father's doctor about what you're seeing. She should be able to determine what's going on.
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