Hi, This is my first post. I had what was described as a mini stroke at the end of May 18.I am a 64 year old man, I was working away from home at the time and the local hospital were brilliant. I spent 3 days there and was then put in to the care of my own GP and the local hospital. It took several weeks for me to be seen by the consultant at the local hospital and even then he did not have my records which I know had been transferred across and I feel as though I am being left to find my own way through this.
I returned to work after 5 weeks on a staged basis and this was fine, however in August I had a couple of unexplained panic attacks, one resulting in an overnight stay in hospital. Since then I have been suffering anxiety in varying degrees of intensity. I also suffer from the sudden onset of severe fatigue even after a reasonable nights sleep, the frequency of this varies. When I am tired I suffer from a numbness and pain in my right arm and leg which was the side affected by the stroke. (My initial symptoms were tingling in my right hand, my jaw and my foot).
Before the stroke I was on 10mg Felodopine for high blood pressure which didn’t cause me any issues. Post stroke Avorstatin 40mg, clopidogrel 75mg, indapamide 2.5mg, ramipril 5mg and doxazosin 2 mg. I felt fine for the first 8 or 9 weeks. After hearing the bad press surrounding statins and the links to muscle damage I stopped taking them 2 weeks ago and noticed an improvement in my sleep and frequency of the periods of numbness in my right arm and leg, however this is still happening so I am wondering if it could be side effects of any of the other meds, or combination there of. I am trying to stay positive as I know the outcome for me could have been much worse but the last few weeks I have been feeling nothing but despair and find it hard to focus on anything. It seems that the treatment is much worse than the illness!
Sorry if it’s a bit of a ramble but it would be nice to know if anyone else has suffered similar experiences post stroke. Thanks for reading and best wishes to everyone.
Hi Danny - very sorry to hear of your stroke and subsequent struggles. As others on this site will tell you, anxiety, fear and sadness are all features of post-stroke recovery process, but you will come through most of this. You have pretty much rationalised that for yourself, but it's reassuring to know that these experiences are common after suffering a stoke, of any type. I know that SS will reply to your post and share their stories, and support you. I'm just a carer/family member so have not the same knowledge. Just wanted to let you know that your post has been seen, and to send you positive wishes - keep checking the site, or read previous posts from some of the regular contributors to the site.
Give yourself plenty of rest and allow time for the healing process your brain is going through. Take care x
Hi, I had a lacuna infarct, not sure when it happened but it was found on a MRI scan I had in April. I have a lot of short term memory problems which are quite distressing but I am trying to get used to it. Like a lots of SS I have become very emotional, often the least thing can set me off crying. If you read others posts you will see it’s not just you, lots of us have trouble with our emotions and anxiety but I do think that given time they settle and you learn to accept that it is part of the stroke.
Fatigue seems to come on suddenly and is quite debilitating. It’s best to listen to your body initially and rest whenever you can even if that means sleeping during the day. There is a lot of support on this site and you will often find someone will have the same symptoms as you and will show you a way round them.
Colin, who posts on here, gave me a wonderful bit of advice. - smile every day, it does make you feel good.
I hope things improve for you and you have some support at home.
best wishes
Ann
Thank you Ann, it can feel quite lonely at times. I have seen it mentioned quite a number of times in posts on here that people think you are ok (including members of my family)because outwardly (I’m my case) there are no visible changes. My main aim now is to get off this awful cocktail of drugs which I believe are causing me 90% of the anxiety problems. I have lost 21lbs since the stroke and hope to lose the same again in an attempt to lower my BP so I don’t need the meds.
I do try and count my blessings each day as things could have been a lot worse. Thanks for your reply and best wishes to you to.
Danny
Hi Dannyboy, Any form of stroke is frightening and can result in anxiety. I had a full stroke and was anxious and depressed for some time. On my first night home, I told my partner I was going to die that night. I didn’t and two and a half years later I am less anxious. At first I didn’t sleep well, but now sleep a minimum of seven and a half hours a night. I still get fatigue every day, but have learned to live with it. When tired, my left shoulder seems to get heavier and heavier despite reasonable mobility. Please do not despair and keep working at your recovery. You will get there!