Hi Mark,
Thanks so much for your reply and advice, you are right I do need rest but for some one that was on the go 24/7 relaxing and resting is hard. but I am listening to my body, I will go for a short walk and come home shattered.
thanks so much for your reply it means loads to me.
Bear
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Hi Rich,
Thanks for sharing your advice and story with me, I like the idea of a diary, rather then me looking back to what was before.
thanks so much you have given me loads to think of.
Bear
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Hi Susan,
Thanks for taking time to read my post and your welcome to the site
Bear
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Hi Andy,
Thanks for your reply and giving me loads to think about, you are right acceptance is the hardest thing for me.
I was told to take 2 weeks off and do nothing, this is killing me, the only time I have two weeks off is if Iām on holiday, I normally running around work doing medical calls or out training with the crew or being in charge of a 4-5 pump fire, this is so alien to me but like the straight talking sister on the stroke ward said you have burnt the candle at both ends now for to long and your body has finally said no, you have lost 9.5 years off your life and if you donāt change you will have another one. she was very straight talking and didnāt sugar coat it.
Thanks Andy it really helps
Bear
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Thanks for your advice and honesty
Bear
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Thanks for your reply to me, this site is great with the information on here and will be slowing down
Bear
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Hi Ann,
Thanks so much for your advice and kind words, acceptance is my biggest problem at the moment but you are right fatigue does now set in fast even going for a walk or doing my homework from the stroke team tires me out, even though the stuff Iām doing is very Janet and John but you are right I need to look at small steps and small achievable goals and let work go.
thanks so much
Bear
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That comes with the territory, all stroke survivors go through just the same. How you choose to accept this is down to you. Because when you think about it, youāve been given no choice. So for now, start by looking no further than the year ahead of you, not to the distant future 'cos thatās too far fetched. Read as much of the posts on here because thereās an awful lot to be gleaned.
As I said earlier its 6mths fast healingā¦still feels like wading through molasses at times but ha-ho 'tis the only way to go. Make like an ostrich because you canāt predict the future, what youāll be fit for in 6 days time let alone 6mths to a year, so donāt borrow trouble! Put it out of your mind and any time you find such thoughts of the future creeping back in, wipe them out. Go do something to take your mind off it. Donāt allow such thoughts to seep in an fester that will lead to anxiety and depression and thatās such a wasted of energy that can be put to better use in recovering what you lost. Thereās plenty of time to reconsider your future down the road. Just convince yourself youāre taking a gap year before considering where your future lies.
Muscle atrophy is fairly common in stroke survivors and the brain is also a muscle. Hence the need for lots of rest as well as exercise. Of all the muscles in your body, the brain gets the greatest workout, more so than any bodybuilder or power lifter, because it works out 24/7 even in sleep mode. In my view the legs come joint second place with the spine because they carry around the weight of the rest of the body. And what do all body builders/firefighters needā¦plenty of protein and carbs for energy.
Causes And Prevention Of Muscle Atrophy After Stroke - Saebo.
This is where the risk lies, when you reach that 3-6mth plateau, thatās where some people are likely to stunt their progress. Thatās the thing with strokes, you really have to be in it for the long haul to win it. Some people will only get so far before allowing life to take over with other things, more pleasurable things or whatever, than be determined to continue with rehabilitation.
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From one green-eyed lady to anotherā¦Thank you so much for this article! I am envious of your ability to find just the right thing to share, and at the right time!
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Shwmae @Bear, what kind of stroke did you have? Was it a bleed or ischaemic? Creoso to our forum, I hope we can guide you moving forward in your recovery journey. You have a bit of time now, if you can afford it, rest for six months at least. Allow the brain to heal, or face some issues down the line. A stroke is an attack on the brain, the rest of the world can wait, until your brain is ready to rejoin. Itās a tender and complicated organ, responsible for the rest of your body. I hope that you can find support here and that your rebuilding journey is eventful.
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@Bear welcome to the forum, it is still early days for you yet. your brain needs to adjust itās circuit board and start finding new connections, keep going with any help at home, but most importantly you need to REST your brain and body have had a huge shock so they need to recover, hopefully in time you can get back to some normality whatever that is, donāt rush it though. Good luck with your new journey post stroke
regards Chris 2, 1/2 years post stroke and still improving
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Hi Rups,
Thanks for your reply, it was an Ischaemic stroke, I am lucky with both of my jobs supporting me and talking to the stroke team yesterday in rehab, they are saying the same, you need to rest for a min of six months and you are right the rest of the world can wait. The support and advice that you have all given has been great to hear it from people that are going through the same. thanks so much
Bear
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@Bear i too thought Iād be able to go back to work quickly. It turned out to be 17 months later & i have to say itās still a struggle & iām only working 18 hrs a week at min. Like you i was mega busy pre stroke. Take all the time you need. Rushing on too soon might set you back & could ultimately mean youāre off longer. Time to think about you i think.
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Hi Mrs 5K
Thanks for reading my post. You are right as well as everyone else on here you all keep saying that I need to rest and not worry about work as its still really early days. I need to rest this body that Ive been treating badly.
I wish you all the best and thanks.
Bear
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Hi Bear, I also had an ischaemic stroke 2.5yrs ago and I had it all planned out, I would be back at my extremely busy stressful job (which I love) within 3 months ā¦ well fortunately that plan didnāt work out and I say fortunately because looking back now, to be brutally honest, I would have failed! Life changes in a heartbeat when you have a stroke and the rules you followed pre-stroke are different post-stroke and your brain & body need to figure these new rules out. But that definitely doesnāt mean life will never be the same again, because you are still the same person but with different challenges to fight and win! Everyone has their own timeline because every stroke is different. It took me 9months to get back to work on a very graduated return but have been back full time now for over a year so there is, light at the end of the tunnel you just have to take your time getting there ā¦
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Hi Dave
I am a retired Firefighter of 32 years in Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue. Retired March 2021 and had my stroke May 12th 2022.
Like yourself my stroke was not picked up straightaway until I had MRI SCAN on 13th May 2022.
Had no major signs of stroke before it hit me but in blink of an eye whole left side went numb. Pins and needles and couldnāt walk in straight line. No FAST signs !
13 months on and still have the numbness, pains and needles and all joints on left side are stiff but Iām leading a fairly normal life and walking back to normal. I find that if Iām active and not thinking of the symptoms then they seem to go out of your mind. Itās when you are sitting or in bed , inactive then they are more evident. Iāve learnt to live with the side affects and just hope that one day I wake up and they have gone !!
Itās still very early days for you and youāll be thinking why me, what could I have done but like many of us stroke survivors thereās no rhyme or reason why itās happened .
Keep strong , keep positive and every day is a day of progress
Richie
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Hi Debbie,
Thanks for reading my story. Thanks for the advice. I think a lot of my problem is acceptance as I cant see anything physically wrong and the bit that is not working correctly is in my head.
Big thanks for contacting me and I hope you are on the right path now.
Best wishes
Bear
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Hi Richie,
Thanks for reading my post and your reply, and thanks for your dedication to the job for 32years , Iām still hoping to get my 20year service medal but will wait and see.
Its so shocking how a stroke can strike and without any of the common features. I was so lucky that I wasnāt in my car as driving 80 miles to work when it happened. You are right there are loads of questions of why me could it have had some thing to do with breathing in a load of acrid smoke from a fire a went to a few weeks before or was it from two jobs with stress and loads of lack of sleep. but they are all the unknown questions and like most things you cant turn back the clock, what has happened has happened and how the hard thing is the acceptance, People look at me and say you look great 3 weeks after your stroke youll be back at the station in a few weeks, but guess they cant see the Janet and john rehab exercises the stroke team are giving me and i cant get right or not knowing whats happening one day to the next cause i cant remember. and you are right every day is a day of progress even at this slow speed.
Thanks Richie be safe mate
Bear
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That could just be because your brain is too busy healing and repairing to hold too many memories to the fore. So itās relying on you to make lists and keep calendars up to date so your brain doesnāt have toā¦itās all about team work 
Thatās just how I look at it anyway 
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How you doing now mate?
Kieran 
