Hi everyone, just after a little reassurance I suppose. I had a stroke in January 2021, I am doing ok I suppose. I have some left side weakness in my arm and leg but am fully mobile and fatigue is a pain. I can walk about mile unaided but then get quite tired and my walking starts to suffer. My physio has signed me off after 6 weeks home visits. She was very good, lots of exercises to do and great advice. She is going to phone me in a month to check up on me and said it I need anything just to contact the physio department. I suppose I just feel a bit alone at this moment. Did anyone else feel like this. I have good mobility so is building up stamina down to me now. She felt I was ok to be signed off so I guess I must trust her. Just a bit scared.
I recall the day the six week physio team stopped visiting me.
I cried. At that time i cried a lot,stroke emotionalty, but it slowly eased. A couple of years and then i could do most things, but i still decided against attending funerals.
after the last physio lady left, i felt as though i had been lowered in to a rowing boat in the Pacific and the ship steamed away.
stroke wrecks a lot of the brains functions and emotions suffer.
regarding physio etc,, i found it essential to have follow up sessions. Local stroke group, local relaxation sessions and best of all gentle yoga. You may need to do these on your computer, but do try as you do not want to be left stranded.
Do get your night time sleep sorted. Most of your problems will stay with you unless you can get night sleep sorted. Do put in a huge effort to deal with this. I now retire at 10pm, whereas pre stroke i would never do that. Get your bed, especially pillows, and location sorted. Get the lights sorted.
Do not rely on other people riding in to help. It is down to you.
only you know how your damaged brain is progressing. Others do not. And no one else knows what you are going through. Every stroke is different, no two are the same.
you are progressing nicely. A mile walk. Do keep that going. Thats a splendid first step on the recovery. Keep every muscle and joint moving, your brain needs reminding that it has to work everything.
keep smiling. Keep positive
lots of us are here for you
colin
Thanks Colin, she assured me I was ready for discharge but said they were only a phone call away. Just a big step finishing, but I am determined to keep going to improve my strength. Thats down to me I know. It's early days for me yet but I intend to keep going, my dog wants his 2 walks a day so don't have a choice ?
Don't be scared. After my physio was done I found a local exercise class for active seniors. Have done this ever since. Hard at first, but I've improved no end. Have gone backwards a bit because Covid meant classes closed down. Hopefully, we are back in May. Our trainer encourages us to do what we can.
Dogs are a good help with convalescence. Especially a larger dog needing walkies. My cat is beneficial, just having a living thing to keep me company and keep me going.
i would not have a dog as i am ageing fast, but i love the tv program "dogs behaving ( very) badly".
keep up with the recovery, you are doing well. Maybe you have been discharged from nhs hospital physio, but there are lots of exercise classes etc outside the NHS.
colin
Hi - I was in a very similar situation following my stroke in August 2018, ie. I was mobile but with left side weakness and fatigue. The Stroke Association referred me into an exercise programme for people with health conditions (similar to one for seniors that's already been mentioned) and I can honestly say it's one of the best things I ever did. It was time limited but following that I continued to exercise at the gym and have made a good recovery.
The gym I belong to is affiliated to the local authority and they run lots of sessions for various groups, eg. they're currently running (via Zoom) some sessions for people with 'long Covid'. It might be worth checking what's available in your area.
Good luck!
Hi Colin, thanks again for the advice this forum is absolutely brilliant. I have been referred for the NERS scheme which is looking like getting going again in May, covid permitting. I'm also lucky as I work for Army and when I feel I'm ready for work again we have a fully equipped gym and several physical training instructors who will gladly help me. So I'm in a pretty good position help wise. It was just a bit final yesterday and I got a bit down, but keep smiling as you say always.
Thanks for the advice, I have been enrolled on the NERS scheme which hopefully will get going again next month. Can I ask did your stamina improve eventually. I feel I am getting stronger.
Thank you for this, I have been signed up with the NERS scheme which hopefully will get started in May, covid permitting. Also when I do feel ready for work we are lucky to have access to a fantastic gym. So I intend to keep going to build my stamina up.
Hi Rich - Weights are great for building up stamina. You can get a small set fairly cheaply at Sports Direct/Argos. I'm intrigued... what is the NERS scheme?
Yes, my stamina improved over time (not as quickly as I'd have liked!). I was doing quite well until the gyms had to shut, although I've tried to exercise at home. Having said that I did a three mile walk on Monday and felt fine afterwards.
Is NERS an exercise referral scheme? It'll be great for us all to get back to our gyms in a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the info, NERS is the national exercise referral scheme. Hopefully the gyms will open soon although I walked with my dog about 2 miles today quite tired now though. Exercising in a group would provide motivation I think.
Hi thanks for the reply, NERS is the national exercise referral scheme. My physio told me about it. My friend who had heart attack due to covid has also been referred. So hopefully can start in May.
Hi Rich, when my speech therapy and physiotherapy ended and I was signed off I felt completely alone, I still do to be honest. My last session was last week. Speech therapy and physio was great but where the help seems to be lacking is the mental side of things. Losing most of my adult memories and getting some unexplainable flash backs makes me feel like I am going crazy as I dont fully understand what so many things are or mean. Surely I am not the only one that feels like this.
Dear Realsurvivor
so sorry to hear that a stroke bit you last November. Welcome to this forum.
the day the physio etc team leaves is traumatic. My best friends were on a cruise ship in the pacific and i felt i was on a ship and had been lowered in a rowing boat, in the middle of the pacific.
i now have some years of coping with stroke recovery.
only another stroke survivor understands.
i lost just a part of my memories and that wasnt so bad. I read my diaries to fill in my recent past.
i now continue to keep a diary but i also keep a stroke diary, just a few words a day. It has been invaluable. The best bit is that it shows just how much i have repaired.
the recovery is slow, slow slow. But we do get improvement.
Dreams have been bad. I get nightmares but worse are night terrors, which stay with me all day. As i think you have discovered, real life, new version, and nightmares sort of get mixed up.
as soon as possible, you need to get reliable regular night time sleep. I need 7.5 hours, you might need more. Or less. I spent months to achieve good sleep. Light on, cooler, hotter, new mattress and even moved to the spare bedroom.my good help is a tinnitus relaxer. About £35. Helps me to sleep.
nothing you have posted is unique. No two strokes are the same, but we share many symptoms.
lots of good people are on this forum, with a wealth of experience.
my mantra is....
be positive, look at what you can do and less at what you can not. Smile, smile and smilevagain.
you are not alone
colin
Hi Colin, thanks so much for your reply. There is some really helpful advice for sure. Although no stroke is the same it is 100% great to be able to speak with people that have an understanding of the symptoms that we all seem to experience one way or another.
Many thanks again.
Exactly.
It took me a long time to grasp this, whereas you have grasped this one in a few months.
colin
I know that feeling... But i started swimming and Aqua Tai Chi which have helped me enormously, i have now added Yoga to my pass times you have to take control and ownership of your own destiny... dont give up dont be scared just go for it, i am coming up the 2nd anniversary of my stroke and still struggle with emotions and fatigue but just let both out and listion to my body..
Thank you for the support and advice
Rich
Hi rich how you doing .pippy x