Hi Carlene here again was wondering if anyone could help me,I had my stroke a year ago and I'm now back in work at a primary school.Although only mornings now my fatigue is getting worse and I've put it down to working since September .my arms and legs are aching and I'm so tired this brings on my anxiety and I focus on my left arm aching has this happened to anyone before.
I havent experienced that carlene so i cant really help , id just like to say i hope things get better for you
Dear Carlene
i think perhaps you have several problems, all are pretty much the standard for us stroke survivors.
first, you need to get the right amount of night time sleep. If you don't get the sleep then your brain will not help you recover. For me it's 7,5hrs. That's different from pre stroke. I worked hard to get the right sleep, but it's really important for me.
second, your fatigue is worsening. This is not good. You need to let yourself recover. One year is not enough. Try to get some more relaxation time. I could only last two hours at a time so my life had to be geared around that. Eventually I found that some days I could do four hours, but I needed to do just some days.
third the aches and pains. Your brain will be thinking about reconnecting to all your body and it does bring up all sorts of issues. Some therapy would help, if only you could access the therapy. In the meantime, don't panic about the aches and pains, this is quite normal.
recovery is a long process. By working part time rather than full time, you give yourself a chance to get better.
you are doing well.
remember to smile many times each day. It kids your brain in to thinking all is well.
keep positive, this will help your brain to stop panics.
best wishes
colin
Thank you
Aw thank you so much for your reply it's really helpful and yes I smile every day especially working in the juniors x
Aw thank you for replying I'll definitely take time out x
Hello Carlene, I am post stroke one year, and last week I helped my partner out with her business. I was doing evening shifts, and found that once I was doing things my brain and body were not used to for a year, this increased my fatigue levels tenfold. When managing my own time, I was able to schedule tasks when I felt I was able to, but having a set time, from 6 pm until 9 pm was challenging because I couldn't choose not to do it if I was feeling weak that day. I was also unprepared for the mental workload that comes with it, albeit, small in the scheme of things, not small for my brain. If we think about how exhausted our brains could get prior to stroke, imagine what it is dealing with now. Also, if you have to do any multitasking, that puts added pressure on the brain, during recovery, we have the luxury of isolating activities, and choosing what to focus on at any given time, but in an active space, the demands are far higher.
Aw thank you for replying I understand what you mean and I completely agree thank you
Hi all just wanted a quick chat I'm just feeling really down today, both my arms are aching and I keep clenching my teeth and I'm stopping myself from crying.I've just fed up of sometimes feeling like this . I go to work in the mornings thinking I'm doing good and then bam it's back again . Sorry for the moan guys but I want to give my husband a break because his father is dying with cancer slowly x
Hi, I wanted to reply although I don't know your circumstances. If you would like to tell me a bit more I hope I can be of some help. Weekends can be a very lonely time Best wishes Hilary
Hi Hilary hope you're well ,em I had my stroke a year last January and apart from my arms aching that's all I have physically wrong but I now suffer with anxiety and fatigue.I've returned to work in primary school only mornings due to my fatigue.I live with my husband and son and daughter who are amazing but my husband also now suffers with anxiety now and his father is dying so I don't want to tell him when I'm feeling down x
Dear Abbi
i think it would be better if you unclenched the teeth. Just doing that will reduce your stress a little. Emotionality is a factor with stroke. Just let the tears flow, you will feel less ill. I am small and weak but very masculine, so when emotionality came along I thought it was terrible. But after a while I got used to it. It's emotionality . It will ease over the months.
most of us can only manage a few hours a day. It's a shame you have to spend those good hours working. But it will ease. Recovery I so slow.
your husband will accept you as you are. Tell him how you long to be stronger and support him.
please try a few smiles, it works wonders. Tells your brain all is well. It can be a forced or false or fake smile, the brain will react well to any smile.
and think of everything positive. Like how you will support your husband better and better as time grinds on.
best wishes
colin
Aw thank you so much for replying I will do as you say and I will definitely smile more , thank you ?