Duality between following and giving up: feelings experienced by disabled patients after brain vascular accident

Abstract

Objective: to identify and describe feelings experienced by disabled patients after a stroke. Method: Qualitative research, developed with six users of a physiotherapy school clinic, located in Vale do Paraí­ba, in the interior of São Paulo. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were applied, which were transcribed and analyzed according to the content analysis framework proposed by Bardin. Results: After thematic analysis, the data were grouped into three central categories: Feelings and emotions perceived after a diagnosis of stroke; Difficulties and limitations faced after stroke; Perceptions, coping strategies and post-stroke experiences. Final Considerations: It was evidenced that the way each person faces the disease and the limitations resulting from it, however, will depend on the unique attributes and the meaning given to the event, as well as the support and encouragement received from the family and the possibility access to health resources.