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Hello everyone i’m Mark, 59 and had a stroke three months ago. I was advised to post on this forum to gain some insight into what happened to me!
I’m very IT literate but my brain is a bit fried after the stroke!
Please feel free to contact me to chat about anything!
regards,
Mark

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Thanks Jane!
I’m still overwealmed by my stroke and its implications.
I’m trying to come to terms of the changes to my life.
After spending time in my local hospital (Hillingdon) its been difficult re learning to use the computer (typing etc).
Thanks for the reply.
Mark

Welcome Mark, sorry you’ve had cause to join this merry band of people. It’s a great place to get advice & support. Feel free to ask away. There’s always someone who’ll have some words of wisdom.

3 months is very early days after a stroke & it’s not surprising your brain is a little fried. Mine has it’s moments 11 months on. You don’t say what sort of stroke you had but one thing that seems common to us all is fatigue so it’s important to rest your brain so it can start its repair/remapping process.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Best wishes.

Ann

Hello Ann and thanks for the reply!
I’m not sure what type of stroke I had. They told me in the hospital but its got lost in my head!
I know its early days for recovery (3 months) but fatigue is a major problem for me.
I’m not sure how this forum works yet so I apologise for any mistakes made.
Still a bit shaky about talking about my condition here.
Mark

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@Mark_H it can take time to come to terms with whats happened. A bit like grieving for your previous life. Acceptance is a big part of moving forward & that will come in time. Fatigue was a massive issue for me too & continues to be so but not as often as it was. You may find keeping a diary useful so you can record your progress & things you’ve done. It’s useful so you can find patterns that may make your fatigue worse but also to look back at how far you’ve come. This helps on the days when you think you’re not making progress.
Best of luck with your recovery.
Ann x

Welcome Mark. No one wants a stroke but we have to be open about our condition and how it affects us. Unfortunately, a lot of people fail to see it as a brain injury and either ignore the stroke or ask when we’ll get better. Fatigue affects most of us but does ease with time. My big stroke happened when ai was 72. I have fought back and have a reasonable live, but there are a lot of things I can’t do any more. No good crying about it though, or moping. I treat every day as a new challenge and try to improve more.

Shwmae @Mark_H, welcome to our community, it’s not a sought after membership but we do our best to provide support and advice as best we can give. Did you have a bleed or a clot? Hope you are doing okay this evening.

Hello Mark and welcome.

I am also IT literate but my coordination and concentration has been affected by stroke. It takes much longer now to do IT stuff. I find it difficult to use the touchpad on this laptop so I have reverted to using a wireless mouse which I find much easier.

I believe it was a bleed!

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I find remembering where the keys are to be my biggest problem!

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The part I find most difficult is accepting that I am not the person I used to be.
The physical mobility issues are relatively easy to dal with, its the brain functions that I have difficulty with. Oh yeah and the fatigue…
Mark

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Shwmae Mark,

I have found that fatigue has shrunk my day. What I have found useful, at two years post stroke, is resetting the brain before tackling another task. This requires emptying it, whatever form of meditation works. I have a few things that do this, splitting rounds in the woodshed, lighting the wood stove, lying in bed for half an hour with an eye mask on, playing a video game &c. I break up every task into portions, different steps, so I know which step needs to be done next in advance. When the brain is unrehearsed, it uses up a lot more gas. I have a lack of working memory, and rely on associative memory, so it’s important that everything I use goes back to its proper home. Other people around me don’t have this new strict code of practice, and it really throws me if I can’t find something. The act of looking for something can become so exhausting that if I were to find whatever it is I need, I’d be too knackered to use it.

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I can relate very well with this. I find planning ahead like this to be a useful skill to learn. It helps me to split tasks into sections with good break time between sections. I have learned the hard way after jumping into a task, trying to complete it in one go and then being left completely exhausted and unable to do anything else on that day.

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after my stroke i had made few changes. first of all tidy up and then i always and always keep the things at the same place every time i used them. Every single thing.
my stroke has given me impaired vision, taken my licence away.

It took me so long to let go of what i used to be, really used to break me. Went in depression…but then one friend at this forum advised me to keep yourself busy in building new you rather than what you have lost it. i am still trying as do everyone else.

My biggest fear after stroke was loosing my job, so i put the biggest fake face to show the people. In the end i started looking like a dalmatian as i never used the white stick and i do not want to show people what i am going through. i have lost the count of burning my hands.

as they say, bruises/scars tell our story.

Remember, stroke is like an earthquake for the brain. it needs time lots of time for recovery. Slowly but surely. Let go of who you were and dignity. There is no shame who we all are now.

After stroke i have diagnosed with thyroid issue, which has made me put on so much weight. i am embarrassed how do i look now but i have to be kind to myself as well. So i don’t care anymore.

Take short break after each task and remember every day is different for us. one day if you are not feeling too bad don’t overdo in that day.

All the very best… and talk to us, slowly you will understand how to live and how to be kind to yourself.

God bless you.
Nadya

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Thanks for the reply Nadya

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Hello Mark,
It is nearly 12months since my stroke and there are days when I feel I am going backwards, not making progress. I too am constantly fatigued. Everyone says I’m doing well but I wish I felt “ better”. I had no idea a stroke was so debilitating and I feel across with myself that I am unable to do more. I’m not good at doing nothing .
Sorry Mark, this has become an all about me message, not a quick message of support for you.
Hang on in there. At least we are still here and we understand.
Take care and stay strong.
With love and prayers. Anne x

I’m getting someone to type this for me! Has anyone experienced this side effect? Since my second stroke at the end of August, I struggle to process some particular letters on the computer keyboard – the main problem letters are H, L, M & P. This is both on the phone and computer keyboard layout. This makes sending e-mails and texts and doing searches difficult. I am perfectly able to read and am able to write and process the letters by hand. Can anyone help with this?

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Thank you so much! Selwyn

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Shwmae @Selwyn, is it that you cannot recognise the letter?

Thank you all so much for your replies!

The occupational therapist tried highlighting the affected keys with coloured stickers but your idea about writing the lettering on stickers sounds like a good one and is well worth a try – thank you.

My hand is back to normal now and the struggle occurs using either hand although only one was affected so the OT ruled that out. I can recognise the letters perfectly but the problem seems to be a processing one in the sense my brain stops me making contact with the keys.

Thanks for the link which are most interesting case studies and at least I know it’s not just me! Also, yes, all these letters are in the right hand half of the keyboard!

All your ideas are very much appreciated!

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