Speech getting worse 2 weeks after stroke.

by Cara
(Ohio)

:Question: My mom had a mild left side ischemic stroke about 2 weeks ago. She has small deficits with the dexterity in her right hand and right leg, but was able to walk and still use the right hand. Her speech wasn't affected too much, a little slurring on the 1st day, then some forgetting of words, but she could still talk like a normal person, it was just slow. Yesterday my sister called because because now she can barely talk. She just says one or two words, can't form full sentences and is tripping over easy words. Is it common for speech to get worse, especially when it wasn't affected to begin with?

Answer: I would check with her MD as sudden changes could indicate new events. Stroke patients are at a higher risk for having another stroke. Also, stroke patients can have seizures following stroke, so I would follow up with the MD if there are sudden changes not related to fatigue or being ill. It is not uncommon for changes to occur because someone is tired or sick. If you notice that your mother is better earlier in the day and fades later in the afternoon or is worse when she doesn't get enough sleep, this would indicate she is just fatigued. Also, if a stroke patient has an illness (e.g. UTI, respiratory virus), they may not function as well.