Having a bad patch

Hi
It is sometime since I visited the forum but I am having a really bad patch and want to know if this is common. I am 15 months post stroke and was feeling much more myself and probably pushed too hard. Now the fatigue has got me and I can’t seem to get past it.

Has this happened to anyone else?

My arms feel really heavy and my legs are sort of spongey. This has happened before but was getting less and less frequent and I was recovering faster. But I have been like this for a number of days now and it is stopping my life.

I live on my own so it is really getting me dow.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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Hello @Brhodes001. I’m sorry you are feeling like the fatigue has you in its grips. It’s hard to be positive and motivate yourself when you feel like this. I am 13 months on and still have times when not only fatigue but then consequently low mood seem to dominate. They are linked for me. Do you have any non demanding hobbies you can try and distract yourself with? If this is unusual for you maybe you should get yourself checked out at the GP. Some days I can feel like I’ve got a handle on things but then it’s further to fall in the crash of fatigue.
Please know that you are not on your own, the people on this forum are here, and we understand. Keep talking. Wishing you strength to get past this, Julia

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Shwmae @Brhodes001, every stroke recovery is different for each of us, I am two years down the track and still get floods of symptoms at certain points. Fatigue can sideswipe me. However, a few things I might bring up for consideration. When you feel like this, have you thought about what you have been doing and thinking before it erupts? Has anything changed in your mood or lifestyle? Have you been thinking about anything lately that has consumed your thoughts? In my experience, stroke recovery is not linear. Sometimes, as things improve we forget to pace ourselves and, unbeknownst, knacker the brain without realising. As I have improved, I wake up earlier, about 9 am, and I no longer nap during the day, I do things until about midnight, and fall asleep at around 1:30 am. Last night I hit a brick wall, symptoms came on acutely, I had pottered around all day but had been very active in my mind with this and that, causing my brain to just seize up at the end of the day.

Anyway, just some thoughts on the matter. I find that we still need rest days even if we think we feel we should no longer need rest days.

Thank you. I hadn’t thought about mental activity. I have been worrying about some family stuff over the last few days. It has now resolved itself but perhaps that has been the issue.

Thank you it is so good to know this isn’t just me. My sister seems to think that I just need to keep going and does not grasp what I feel like

@Brhodes001 sorry to hear you’re having a bad patch. I think @Rups made some valid points ref mental activity. We often forget this can be as bad as / worse than physical activity. I know when I’m feeling particularly bad I can’t even have any noise around me. So TV off etc & just have to rest with eyes closed. I often get fatigue for days too so think what you’re experiencing is probably normal albeit unexpected.
Rest up for a bit and hopefully you’ll come through it soon.
Take care.

Hi – I’m 4 years post stroke and still struggle with fatigue. I’ll have one day where I say to myself. “It’s finally over. I’m myself again.” Then because of it, I do things like I used to. Then the next day I feel crummy. And the reverse is true. Often if I have a day where I feel crummy and tired, the next day I’ll feel good. So, just roll with it. Over time, there are more good than “bad” days. Things gradually improve, but it is so slow, it seems like it’s not happening. :slightly_smiling_face: :heart:

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Like others I agree that pacing yourself is vital and that fatigue can strike at any time. However if you have any worrying symptoms Id definitely try to see the GP or another health care person just to make sure it’s not a new problem. I’ve just found out that the immediate cause of my feeling uggh is a chest infection

Yes the bad patches take us all by surprise. Rups makes a good point, mental activity ? I worked out that my anxiety over silly things which normally I would have coped with floor me some days. Other times not getting the balance right with physical and mental activity

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I think we all have bad patch’s at the moment my OCD is a bit of a problem as is fatguie this can and dose make life harder . So you are not on u own all strokes bring about bad patch’s but we are here to help each other with kind regards des

@Des_murphy have you managed to get any help for your OCD? I hope they can do something to help you manage it as it can be all consuming sometimes. Look after yourself.

Thanks I am down in the list for CBT counselling but the waiting time can be quite long my meds have been increased a bit thanks for your support with kind regards des

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Hope you don’t have to wait too long @Des_murphy and that the meds help in the meantime. Best wishes Ann

Without doubt we all get struck from time to time with similar problems. Often one can find an answer, mine was bad nights, to have a good sleep is essential to my wellbeing and ability to cope with stroke problems. It is common knowledge that TV has a bad effect on the brain so I planned my day so that the last half hour was devoted to reading. The first step was to purchase a pad so I could download books from the local library. This worked out excellent although I had problems finding my way to the right books.
Previously I was stuck having to visit the library personally and faced the difficulty of selecting books to read plus having to carry them home. Using the pad I could try a great selection of books before downloading them. This was excellent and I found myself reading a greater range of books than I had ever done before.
Now, in theory I was still using an electronic device that emitted blue light, the enemy of brain resting, but in practice it has worked extremely well and my sleep pattern has improved out of this world.
Deigh

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@Deigh I too try & read before I settle for sleep. I usually read a magazine article as not been able to read a book since my stroke. It does help me switch off & I also sleep better as a result.

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O what a good idea to read a library book via Kindle. I’ll look into that. I have been going to the library but I can’t choose very small print books and as you say, carrying the books home again is a pain.

hi guys,
first time posting on forum not sure if this is right but I’ve been watching for a while.
I had my TIA/Mini stroke May 2020 and still get bad patches / fatigue on odd days, sometimes at work but usually when I can relax. I still get pins and needles on l/hand side for a few minutes now and then but not for long.
My family don’t seem to understand that I may seem ok, look as I always have done, act as I always have done and just get on with life but inside the turmoil is ripping me apart, not helped by my family having done " research " telling me I should be over it by now and i am holding myself back.
I understand this is a marathon not a sprint and yes I walked into hospital stayed for two days then walked out but people don’t understand the damage done and uncertainty we feel after the episode.
Hope this isn’t sounding too whingy but I just need to get it out of my head.
Maybe in their research someone in the family will see this and react positively !?

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That is a tough one to handle Chris, I am fortunate that everyone close to me understood my problems and went of their way to assist me. I’m not sure how I would cope with anything different.
The pins and needles syndrome seems fairly common, I’ve not had it but for some time it was not unusual to wake up with completely dead hands and wrists, it seemed to clear within an hour.
Deigh

@chris_crimble welcome to the forum although sorry you had a stroke. It’s very difficult for those that haven’t had a stroke to know how we feel. Invisible illnesses are so difficult to understand and as time moves on & we look better people forget or just don’t understand. I wonder if some of that is about having to move on with life though. I found writing my thoughts & feelings down has helped & I wrote a couple of poems which I showed my loved ones. I think the important thing for your family is that they know each & every one is different & the research is great but it is very generic & doesn’t apply to all. Mental health is a big part of stroke too & even when the physical symptoms have passed we still have to deal with the fact that we’re probably not the same anymore.
Wishing you all the best & hope the family start to understand better how you’re feeling.

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that’s brilliant Jane, not only to help explain to others but as a reminder to ME that what I am feeling is normal and not made up. Want to face the anniversary of my stroke with optimism that things will get better and the hope that I can pace myself and take more exercise but with realism that I do have issues still and that those are “normal”