Stroke Patient Portfolio (PDF) - Buckinghamshire County Council

Sex and RelationshipsThe first few weeks followingdischarge from hospital can be avery unsettling time for both youand your partner or carer.To return home after a period in hospitalrequires adjustment for all concerned.The consequences of a stroke affect allmembers of the family; you may spendlonger periods of time with each otherand possibly with less sleep. Many peoplesay they find they argue more in the earlymonths after discharge from hospital. Tryand share your concerns and feelings witheach other as ‘bottling things up’ will onlyincrease your stress levels. Try and giveyourselves time to adjust. Often meetingothers in similar circumstances can help.Details of the Stroke Association andlocal stroke clubs can be found in the‘Useful Contacts’ section of the Portfolio.Physical and emotional issues can bedifficult to deal with after a stroke. Asyou recover, you may begin to consideryour relationships with those close toyou, and begin to establish or renew yoursexual relationships.Both men and women experience similaremotional problems after a stroke. Howyou feel about yourself and how youperceive others feel towards you, can leadto you losing confidence in yourself. Itcan take time to adjust to and come toterms with the changes in your life aftera stroke and many people experienceanxiety and depression as a result. Thiscan have a knock-on effect on your desirefor sex.You can express your feelings in manydifferent ways, through talking but alsowith body language and physical contactsuch as kissing and cuddling. Taking thefirst step may be the biggest hurdle toovercoming your anxiety and shynessabout resuming sexual contact.A common fear following a stroke is thathaving sex will bring on another stroke.There is no reason why after a coupleof weeks you cannot begin to have sex ifyou feel ready to do so. Medical evidencesupports this.Medication to treat blood pressuremay cause men to have difficulty gettingan erection, and this may be furtherenhanced by fatigue and anxiety. Physicalobstacles such as having a catheter mayalso cause problems, as can physicaldisabilities such as a weakness down oneside of the body.¢ There are many waysthese difficulties can beovercome, so do seek advicefrom your GP, DistrictNurse, Practice Nurse,key worker or the StrokeAssociation (0303 303 3100).18