In the first 6 months or so after my stroke my head felt heavy all the time, woozy, fuzzy & dizzy (inside my head and not the room spinning). It eased a lot around 6 months post stroke but seems to be back again. For the last 2 weeks or so I have felt dizzy & woozy constantly and got my heavy head back. I did mention it to my GP last week and she seemed to think its as a result of my stroke. Has anyone else had a recurrence of these symptoms? What do you do to help it? I’m wondering if its because i’m trying to do more and need to rein it back in a bit?
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Shwmae @Mrs5K, sorry to hear you’ve possibly had some regression. As nothing is consistent with each of our stroke recovery journey, I will say from my own experience, aye, I have had periods where symptoms have become more acute after some time of relief. Lasting for about a week, then subsiding and returning again the following week. Like you, I suspect that as we progress, we stretch a little further without consciously considering the effects of that. The more we push, the more strain it is on the brain. This can cause anxiety, and the anxiety can exacerbate the symptoms, and it can become a vicious cycle. That giddiness inside your head is maybe a result of your vestibular system not functioning as it should, this would cause dizziness and as a result, wooziness. I live with that daily. The fuzzy head may be the result of the fatigue from all that.
At any rate, keep track of your symptoms and notice any patterns. This is useful for when it occurs again.
Wishing you well.
@Rups thank you. I am keeping track of my symptoms & what i’ve been doing to see if I can work out the possible cause. I wonder whether I should try my vestibular exercises again.
You have my full sympathy having to live with it daily. I have to say it’s starting to get me down again especially as I thought I’d cracked it.
Best wishes.
@Loshy thank you. I hope you don’t get them back again too. They’re horrid. I’m pretty sure i’m not dehydrated but might try drinking more just to check.
Best wishes.
Ann xx
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@Mahoney thank you. I’m hoping its just an adjustment too. It’s hampering my ability to do things again as every time I move the dizziness returns. I’m sure it’ll pass.
Best wishes to you too.
Ann xx
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Yes Mrs5k I’m in your club and suffer same, heavy head, describe it dull, head full of cottonwool or porridge as I remembered it when coming out of hospital. Go for weeks fine maybe now and again experience tension on back of head but then on even keel. Then unexpected the heavy head returns. I know intense conversations bring it on and too much mental activity. For example, if I’m reading and exceed my limit of 30 minutes. Don’t watch much tv but enjoyed a Master Chef episode recently but made mistake of watching another on catchup. My Pattern similar to Rups. I know the answer for me is going back to keeping diary and pinpointing these episodes and being more strict and limiting myself for no more than three excitements a day. Will let you all know how I fair.
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@Pds sorry to hear you’re afflicted too. I think my current bout is probably related to a supermarket excursion after a hospital appointment. I too have to limit my reading and TV watching. I miss my reading but never really watched much TV.
Look forward to hearing how you get on pinpointing your triggers.
Shwmae @Mrs5K, by virtue of your stroke being in the occipital lobe, I suspect you may have similar experiences to those of us with cognitive visual/spatial issues. Interestingly enough, that show I have been watching demonstrated the brain’s reliance on shadows to determine perspective, shape and colour. Many stroke survivors speak of dim lights or bright lights affecting their ability to navigate. I surmise that this has to do with lack of shadows to help the brain, and make the task of taking in the surroundings easier. For instance, I used to think that it was the visual noise of a supermarket that would overload the brain, I think this certainly is the the case but, more importantly, supermarkets don’t have many shadows. The lights are bright and cover the whole space. This means that as we walk through, our brain struggles to gage perspective and it becomes exhausted with the effort.
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Shwmae @Loshy, diolch yn fawr, it’s a daily challenge. If I close my eyes and stand still, I get the wobbles. I am not quite balanced properly. If I carry something, I can physically feel my vestibular system challenged. I have the dreaded lurgy at the moment, not Covid, so yet another obstacle to overcome. It’s rainy, I have declared most of today a bed day.
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@Rups i think you may be on to something there. I’m also doing extra eye exercises at the moment as requested by the opthalmologist ao wonder if that isn’t helping. I see thrm again next week so will mention it to them.
Hope you feel better soon. It is very rainy here today too so I am stopping inside also.
Take care x
@Pontwander thank you for your input. I remember someone telling me that i was healing too. I also didn’t understand that as i’d also been told that the 2 areas of my brain affected had in effect died.
Your points about the affected parts rotting away would make some sort of sense. I never really thought about how the brain deals with the dead tissue. I guess I just imagined it sat there forever.
I really struggle with leaning forward. This always brings on dizziness. Other times I just feel like I’ve been hit around the back of my head on top of the dizziness. I often get (usyally at night time) what I can only describe as electric shock type sensations go through my head. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand whats going on and just live in hope that one day there will be some respite from it.
Best wishes.
Ann x
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That makes interesting reading. Thank you for sharing.
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Hi, I am in the same boat. Everything was going much better when suddenly about 3 weeks ago I had a dizzy turn and now I have the same symptoms as I had post stroke (pretty much what you describe).
I have been trying to get help from my GP but she insists I am suffering from Vertigo. Unfortunately the vertigo medication I have been given isn’t helping.
Shwmae @Pontwander, it seems glia repair has a positive and negative affect on the lesion, I wonder how long the process takes. It’s all very wet inside, I’ve often wondered how it goes about healing. Sounds disgusting, so I’m glad I can’t see it. I get a bit squeamish. 
Diolch yn fawr for sharing.
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Shwmae @Alis, I have a chip on my shoulder about GPs diagnosing BPPV (vertigo), when clearly symptoms are stroke related. I was misdiagnosed with BPPV over three months while experiencing six TIAs and then a major stroke. The GP also put me on medication for vertigo, delayed my prognosis by two weeks. BPPV and Labyrinthitis don’t last for long, as far as I know, unless it is Ménière’s disease which requires a more complicated treatment.
Even when I turned up to the hospital, one doctor had me doing the Epley manoeuvre on the hospital bed, never mind that time is brain. I had twigged it wasn’t BPPV, but medical professionals seem to reach symptom satisfaction, and leave it at that.
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Shwmae @Pontwander, aye it does leak. This produces a toxin of sorts that can affect good tissue. I am okay, I have the dreaded lurgy, not Covid, but feel worse for the weather. Hurt my right arm a few weeks ago, so have a backlog of jobs I need to do, including digging up some rootstock for some cuttings I took of a delicious burgundy apple from someone else’s orchard.
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Hi I also get those electric shock feelings in my head sometimes usually when I’m getting anxious but had a few yesterday when I was completely relaxed. It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one. I also get the dizzy head leaning forward, the joys of stroke! Hope your symptoms aren’t too bad.
@Alis sorry to hear you’ve been struck by these horrible heads too. I was given meds (Betahistine) for dizziness in hospital (2nd time in). They did help a little initially. I am going to try them again but not sure they’ll work.
I was also given some exercises to do for Vestibular Occular Reflex (VOR). I did these for a long time but they were still bringing my symptoms on so I stopped them. I might try them again but I can do without feeling dizzier.
Maybe a couple of things to mention to your GP when you speak to them.
Hope your symptoms ease soon.
Best wishes.
Ann x
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@Sharon_B in the nicest possible way its encouraging to hear that someone else gets the electric shock sensation. Not wishing them on anyone but i know i’m not imagining them now. When I mention them to hubby he looks at me like I’ve gone mad.
Here’s to them stopping at some point. Xx
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Shwmae @Mrs5K, apropos VOR. What I have heard is that allowing the symptoms to manifest while exercising is making headway. Just when it gets to that uncomfortable point and then pull back. That’s been my approach with physio, it can be unnerving at times but progress is whittled away at.
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