Your condition will be monitored closely

This will include monitoring:

• the symptoms and signs of your stroke, e.g. weakness or numbness of the limbs, swallowing
• your blood pressure
• others, e.g. blood glucose if you have diabetes.

You will undergo some tests

These may include:

• blood tests (e.g. to detect diabetes and high blood cholesterol)
• brain scan - usually a CT or MRI scan to confirm the type of stroke (whether it is due to a blood clot or burst blood vessel) and where it has occurred
• ECG (electrocardiogram) - to look for heart disease
• Ultrasound scans (e.g. of the blood vessels to the brain to look for abnormalities)
• Angiogram - an x-ray text in which a small tube inserted via a blood vessel in the groin to reach the blood vessels to the brain. A dye injected through the tube then shows the degree of blockage of blood vessels or the location of the bleeding in the brain.

You will receive treatment

• Medication - the doctor may prescribe medication, for example, in the case of a stroke caused by a blood clot, "blood thinners" may be prescribed.
• Surgery - a stroke that is caused by a blood vessel that has burst may require urgent surgery to stop the bleeding. In other cases, surgery may be performed later, to reduce the risk of another stroke, for example if there is serious narrowing of the neck artery, an operation may be done to remove or open up the narrowed area.
• Rehabilitation - this is a very important part of treatment for stroke. See Post-Stroke Rehabilitation for more information.