New member advice

Hello I had my stroke 28th March this year I was very fortunate not to be majorly affected physically I am back at work etc, even though it’s only a few months the past couple of days my left side has felt really weak, I get tingling but not all of the time, it was my left side that was affected when it happened. I just don’t know if I’m being really paranoid. My GP told me my symptoms were nerve damage on 3 occasions but after seeking a second opinion it was a stroke. I’ve tried contacting my community stroke team via phone and email by no response as yet, I have gained a lot of anxiety it’s going to happen again which I am told is normal. I know it’s early days but I just feel really weak down my left side and not sure it’s normal. Thankyou in advance Katie

@Katielou1884 welcome to the forum although sorry you’ve had a stroke. Your symptoms could just be a normal part of the recovery process but If you have symptoms that are worrying you (you know your body best) then I would seek some medical advice. Try 111 & see what they say. If you become really worried then you should go to A&E. Anxiety is very common following a stroke & this will lessen in time. Best wishes xx

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I do wonder if they are completely normal and I know it’s not been long at all, I did go to the hospital on Monday as I felt really unwell they just swapped me back to aspirin for 2 weeks. I did contract covid 2 weeks after my stroke too so I wonder if it’s all linked I was doing really well then now my arm just feels really weak, I can use it fine just feels heavy, thankyou for your reply xx

Hi Katie welcome to our forum but sorry you had a stroke. It’s early days and patience is a healer too. If your concerned I would seek medical advice you could be reacting to medication or it could be after affects from your stroke. What kind of stroke were you diagnosed with? What medication are you taking. You could get in touch with your stroke team and speak to the stroke nurse she would advice you better. Good luck and speedy recovery :grin:

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Hello, thankyou for your reply, I was diagnosed as being right lacunar infarct also says on my discharge sheet stroke in the young (I’m 38), when I was admitted to the stroke ward they discovered my blood pressure was really high it’s now very well controlled etc, when I left hospital I was on aspirin, amlodipine, doxazosin, atorvastatin and ramipril I had to change to clopidogrel when I finished the aspirin which I did then after my trip to hospital Monday they put me back to aspirin for 2 weeks. I was very lucky when I was in hospital I could do everything myself etc I still can it’s just the weakness. It sounds silly but I panic at the slightest thing which I know won’t help. Xx

Hi @Katielou1884 its normal to panic I had back left cerebellar lacuna infarct a bit similar to yours though I was 59 and again it was BP to high. If you are worried contact the stroke nurse she will be helpful. You can ask away on our forum we are all experienced SS and sometimes it’s good to talk to us who understand it all. Best wishes Loraine :grin:

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Thankyou so much, i feel fine other than the weakness I think it just worried me as I’d been doing so well then this week I feel like I’ve gone 10 steps backwards. I did take the week off work as I just said it’s my bodies way of saying slow down. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Try not to go full throttle as I know your young and it’s a shock but your body needs time to rewire and mend. 6 months after my stroke I had a really funny turn I thought I was having another stroke it was a bad case of vertigo so they said. Take it easy and listen to your body and rest as much as you can! I feel like your mum I have a daughter your age :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::rofl::rofl::rofl: @Katielou1884 best wishes Loraine

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:joy::joy: my mum says the exact same thing. I was very naive when I went back to work I thought I could go back and I’d be fine I was very wrong I actually felt useless but again I’m so fortunate to have an amazing boss who accommodates to everything I need and the people I work with are always checking up on me. I am my own worst enemy I do need to learn to be very patient with myself as my mum often reminds me it’s not a cold I’m getting over :joy::joy:

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Hi Katie @Katielou1884 welcome though sorry about you having a stroke.

Your body is still adjusting and healing anxiety is par for the course, I think, I know I’m a little paranoid about having another, though I’m 10 months post stroke and the anxiety level is decreasing.

You may just have to take things a little slower, it takes time for the brain to recover and if you’re pushing yourself too fast, it takes a toll.

The tingling could be the signals along the nerves repairing the pathways, I had pins and needles in my affected arm, though not at the beginning, the tingling began a few weeks later.

Your mum has given you sound advice, it was a significant injury you suffered, your body needs time.

We’re here if you need us to offer support and share our experiences. We’re a friendly bunch here.

You may also find Different Strokes helpful as they assist younger stroke survivors, though that said the Stroke Association have fantastic help and advice too.

Best wishes, take care and big hugs :hugs::hugs:

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Hello, thankyou so much for your message, yes the tingling comes and goes it didn’t do it to start with, my mum has said the same about the nerves. Lots of people said I went back to work far too soon it was about a week after I came home from hospital, I think I’ve definitely pushed myself far too much thinking I feel ok. It was the stroke association I found this forum I’ve searched Facebook pages everything to try and find Information to see if this is all normal and I’m just being paranoid. I’m so glad I came across you all xx

@Katielou1884 sounds like you may have overdone things. I too thought I’d go back to work a couple of weeks after leaving hospital. After pushing myself too much one day (not at work) I ended up back in hospital and then realised work might be a long way off. I am now 7 months on and still not working. Some of the hidden effects of stroke are worse than the ones everyone can see. You’ll probably have many moments of feeling you’ve gone backwards. In these moments try and focus on how far you’ve already come. A diary can help with this. I had a rough week a couple of weeks back and had to be reminded that it was only a couple of months since I wasn’t able to stand up without holding on to something and that despite the bad week I was still a lot better than i had been. Sometimes it takes someone on the outside to remind us of this. Patience is a stroke survivors best friend. Be kind to yourself. Rest when you need to and the rest will come in time xxx

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We are our own worse critics aren’t we, I had a customer where I work tell me I don’t look like I’ve had a stroke which I’m lucky I don’t the only time you can now tell is if I cry my face is still very droopy on the left side, my speech is a lot better I can struggle if I’m tired or trying to speak a lot. Thankyou for your replies I think I have probably most like done too much I will definitely be more kind to myself. Xx

Hi @Katielou1884 , sorry to hear you’ve had a stroke. Even though I’m 56 I thought I was young for a stroke and a bit like you thought I could push myself quite hard. I started to ramp up my working hours too quickly & paid the price with extreme fatigue so was told by my work’s independent assessor to reduce back down (which was a huge relief).
I also started getting bad anxiety a few months after stroke which became very difficult to deal with.
You do need to listen to your body, when you are exhausted you should rest. It is good your work is sympathetic.
It is also good to have the drive & determination to get back to as “normal” as possible but you have to remember that your brain was injured so you are somewhat different to before.
Don’t try & go at 100 miles an hour, use this as a reason to slow down a little
Good luck with your recovery.
Mark

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Hello @Ingo66 thankyou for your message, I agree have definitely gone in too fast thinking I’m fine to do it, when I was discharged I asked my consultant if I was ok to go back to work she said yes at my own pace I now know what she meant. I know it will all get easier in time I’ve just got to be very patient as we all know. I’m very lucky with my boss as I’ve read in some pages that people haven’t been treated that nicely when going to work. X

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Katie-I guess everyone worries once they’ve had a stroke if it will happen again. I was told that the first thing I should do upon getting out of the hospital was to see a GP, a cardiologist and a neurologist. The cardiologist discovered I had afib, which likely caused the stroke. Treatment for that was started right away. I got my blood pressure under control, eat healthy, drink lots of water, walk every day. So, since I am doing all that I can health-wise, I no longer worry about another stroke. I think it is very important to try to get to the bottom of what caused it in the first place. Wishing you all the best and Welcome! :slightly_smiling_face: :heart:Jeanne

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Hello @axnr911 I’m still waiting on some tests that’s my consultant requested when I was discharged the remaining ones are a bubble echo and 72hr ecg, it does mention about my medication will need to change if afib is diagnosed, I’ve already had so many tests as she wanted to get to the bottom of what caused it at my age, the main thing is blood pressure, I did get an appointment through yesterday for a us extremity had no clue what it was so googled it, it said an ultrasound to look for blood clots so we will see, Thankyou for your message
Katie

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Hi Katie-- It looks like you and your doctor are on top of things and having all the needed tests, so now try to rest and relax and wait for the findings. Take care. :heart:Jeanne