[french.babydoll]

My grandpa has been having strokes lately, this is the second one in the last month. How common is this? Is it likely to survive something like this? Please be honest

[digitalchinky]

It's an unpredictable thing there is no definitive answer because every single stroke is different - if you can spot the early warning signs then you can get him to the ER quick enough to receive anti-clotting drugs and he'll be on his way in a couple of hours after that. If it is really severe, you may not have any time at all, it's his time to go. :-(There are a few excellent answers on Y!A with regards to warning signs, I don't recall all of them off the top of my head, but they are all simple verbal questions, with a couple of very simple balance tests.

[Canan]

If the underlying problem (high cholesterol, arterial fibralation etc.) can't be corrected soon enough, the likelyhood of following strokes is there. The severity depends on which part of the brain is affected and how soon he gets help and treatment (to be eligable for anticoagulant treatment a non-hemorragic stroke - which is the mayority of strokes, needs to be treated during a 3 hour time frame - before permanent and more severe brain damage due to O2 deficiency occurs).Warning signs for a stroke can be as varied as the part of the brain affected;- confusion- dizzyness- vision problems- difficulty speaking- unequal pupils/facial expression (make him smile at you if it looks one sided, it's likely a stroke; caution he may have drooping from one of the previous strokes)- one sided (left or right) weakness or paralysesThe chance to survive depends again on the side affected. Unfortunatly if the next blood clot gets stuck in his cardiac artery, it could be fatal immediatly.