Emory's Dr. Daniel Barrow describes the two broad categories of stroke: ischemic (brain deprived of blood flow) and hemorrhagic (bleeding in the brain). Hemorrhagic strokes tend to present with a sudden, unmistakeable onset, such as a powerful headache. On the other hand, ischemic strokes present a number of transient symptoms beforehand, including numbness or weakness on one side of the body, loss of vision in one eye, problems speaking, or unsteadiness. Many people don't know the symptoms of ischemic stroke and wait too long to seek emergency care, then are faced with a much more severe, more permanent stroke in the future.