Mum's massive stroke & aphasia

Hello everyone. This is my first post. My Mum had a massive stroke on 8 March 2018 and was sadly not found for approx 4-8 hours leaving her with 3/4 of the left side of her brain damaged so she has right sided paralysis and severe aphasia. She was in our local Essex Hospital for 2 months before being transferred to a London rehab centre. Sadly last weekend she was admitted to the local London Hospital with suspected heart failure and loads of fluid in her chest so now has a chest drain. She has Atrial Fibrilation which she had pre-stroke. She also had significant radiotherapy for breast cancer and a subsequent mastectomy on left side way back in 1978 when I was 2. All her problems in recent years have been on the left side, the site of her breast cancer and radiotherapy. She also has bronchiectasis again showing on the left side on scans. I am really struggling to cope seeing Mum in such a poorly way and not being able to talk. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

She has had intense rehab at a London rehab centre but I had wondered recently if she was doing far too much. Maybe I was right what with the recent heart failure. 

I feel we need to focus on her speech now and I'm about to buy an ipad with ChatAble3 so she can communicate much more with us. She has to point and gesticulate at us at the moment which she sometimes finds funny but mostly frustrating and tiring.

Thanks

I also can't speak or swallow liquids, try claro speak a good app but my speech is gradually coming back after 13 months. 

Thank you so much Peter. So pleased to hear your speech is slowly returning. I think Mum's partner and I are probably still in denial/panic mode following her stroke. However I have come to notice that we both often enjoy just holding hands and watching tv together. Just being together and not having to talk etc.

at this stage it is always nice to find the little things you can do together that mean the most for your mum and you...thinking of you all and things will get better