My husband had a stroke 7 weeks ago and is having bad mood swings. The day after the bad mood and all it’s negative feelings he has completely forgotten everything that happened that day. Sadly this is not the case for me. I have to work at putting his thoughts aside. I don’t take his comments personally but it is still hard to deal with.
Each day I visit I don’t know what I am going to find. He is due to be discharged next week so home challenges will begin. I am hoping that at least I will be able to lose myself in a hobby for a while. We have carers coming in so that may be my queue to take a break. Trying to stay positive
Good luck with the discharge home.
Yes I should think that when the carers come it will be very good for you to take a break. A really lovely ex-work colleague used to use the time when the carers came to see his wife who had Parkinsons to go to the betting shop to place his weekly bet!
Before my stroke I was officially the carer for my husband who has hemiplegia and has suffered from post-viral fatigue so I’m used to actively seeking out a bit of “me” time. He has been very supportive since my stroke and our relationship is much more equal now, but I must admit I do enjoy a bit of time on my own still and I’m trying to gently hint that I’d like to try a visit to the library on my own next week rather than always being together
Shwmae @H5JHR, sorry to hear your husband is experiencing mood swings and that you are at the brunt of them. After I had a stroke, I lost my filter and experienced disinhibition which meant I couldn’t stop sentences I would rather have kept to myself coming out at inappropriate times. As I was heavily introspective about the stroke I had, the best thing I could do was let people know I had no filter. This helped immensely. It might be worth keeping that in mind but also your husband may not be aware he is experiencing these symptoms and so letting him know, and letting him know that you know, may help make it an open issue rather than a closed problem.
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Mood swings after stroke are part of the territory, but it is important that you have breaks. Hurtful remarks still hurt even though you know it is a result of his stroke. Try to stay on an even keel yourself. Talk to friends if necessary and joining a Carers group might help.
Yes I did a bit of ranting and said things I couldn’t explain which caused upset this passed over a few weeks but 18 months on I can on the odd occasion say puzzling things which are out of character and lead to misunderstandings . As recommended here speak to other carers for their support and look after yourself and when your husband comes home make sure you get out and enjoy things. After a bit of trial and error it all works out.
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Thanks for your comments. The forum is a great source of knowledge and support. So glad I joined.
I do have some great friends who are happy to support some in person and some on the phone. I just think I have learnt how to deal with one thing and then something else happens. It is a great big learning curve and nice to know others have had the same experiences. It helps a lot.
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@H5JHR it must be really difficult for you. Even if he can’t help it I’m sure the comments still hurt.
It’s really important that you have a break from your husband. Using the time the carers are there is a good way to do it. If you can try & find other opportunities too. Can someone else come & sit with him for a bit? His stroke doesn’t just affect him but all those close to him too. You need time to accept & adjust as well.
Hope the homecoming goes well.
Take care x
My husband fell over in the hospital today as his knee gave way. He had to have a head scan to make sure everything was ok, which fortunately it was. I hope this doesn’t delay his discharge as he is getting more and more depressed and imagining that he is never going to come home. I know nothing moves quickly in hospitals but I do feel I need to keep asking for an update. Last info was that care was being organised which should be quick due to the area where we live. Fingers crossed…
Great news Loshy. My husband is coming home today. He has been very down and longing for this day but told me he is apprehensive about a new routine. I too am a little nervous but we have support in place which is reassuring. I am starting to feel a bit emotional as the last 7 weeks have been very stressful. Lovely to have your support. I will keep you posted.
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Good to hear your husband is heading home. It’ll no doubt be difficult & very emotional for first few days until you find a new routine but it’ll settle soon I’m sure. Don’t forget this has been life changing for you as well as your husband.
Hopefully he’ll start to improve more once he’s home.
Take time to look after yourself too.
Best of luck xxx
My husband came home last Wednesday and it has been a nightmare. He doesn’t feel that this is home as everything seems dark due to his eyesight problems and he calls me so many times in the night I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since his discharge. I am going to remove the call bell and give him a night time pad for emergencies. I will have to shut my ears to his calls for my own sanity. He treats me like ringing for a nurse in the hospital. No consideration for me at all. He has fallen out of bed twice, once I had to dial 999. I feel shattered. Will talk to the carers today for advice as I can’t go on like this. He is quite abusive accusing me of only thinking of myself which is probably the other way round. Help!
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@H5JHR so sorry to hear its so difficult right now. I think removing his call bell is a good idea as it’s important you rest too. I know in some situations you are eligible for a carer at night. Might be worth asking the question when the carers visit today. Pads at night time are a must I’d say. He needs to try & improve in these things & thus might well help.
The transition home is never an easy one & I’d say harder for those looking after us. Really important you take time for you & he may just need to hear how he’s making you feel. He might not realise.
Sending hugs xxx
Shwmae @H5JHR, do you mind me asking how old your husband is? In my opinion as a stroke survivor, self-reliance is quite important early on, within reason that there is no danger or threat to the stroke survivor’s health. My partner did not mollycoddle me after coming home, there were times when I’d wished she would have but I knew it was essential I unravel myself first. I lived daily in a lot of quiet fear, and slept mostly, only waking to eat and exercise. My partner runs her own business, so she had to crack on with her things but for a year, she had to live a bit like a single parent and that was hard on her. It’s a sticky predicament, divorce and separation statistics are much higher after one partner has a stroke, it’s important to be pragmatic about your care-giver role, so that you don’t share the same emotional parallel of recovery as your partner. Please reach out to us at any time.
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Hi @H5JHR - you have my sympathy and understanding. When our Mum first came home from hospital after her stroke, she thought she was staying in a hotel in Eastbourne ! I think this was mainly related to the fact that the rooms looked so different, compared to when she went away. (Furniture moved, bed downstairs in what was the front room etc.) Also being in just the one room - the brain was playing tricks as it readjusted to the damage caused by the stroke. This passed after a while.
With regard to night time - my only advice would be to try and set out some ground rules…and not to take on anything that you won’t feel happy doing on a permanent basis in the future.
I only say this as we are now over two years post stroke for Mum - and like you - I have not had a decent night’s sleep in all that time. I get about five hours, sleeping on the settee in the same room, in between two or three wake ups to help her with the commode.
It was intended to be a temporary arrangement - until such time that she could manage the stairs to get back to sleeping in her bedroom - and to be able to manage some of her her own personal care. Unfortunately this has never happened, and we have now been doing it for so long…that trying to change anything will be very difficult.
I hope you have been able to talk with the carers, if not then maybe a call to the Stroke Association would help. They should be able to provide some advice and point you in the direction of further assistance.
Wishing you all the best…know that you are not alone.
Yesterday my husband sat on his bed at about 3:30 am shouting and chattering to himself. I came down to see what was going on and suggested he either went back to bed or sat in the riser recliner chair until morning as he said he couldn’t sleep. He wanted to do neither so I went back to bed. I could hear him chattering and cursing all the time. At about 4:30 I heard what I thought was a thump so went down to see what was going on. I found him laid in the doorway, the frame was at the other end of the bed and he had no idea how he got where he was. I asked if he was hurt and he wasn’t sure but did not want to co-operate with me to use the Raizer chair to get him upright. I rang 111 for advice and eventually 999 as he said he was struggling to breathe. When the Ambulance came he was checked over and deemed to be ok. The previous evening he had laid on the bed verbally abusing me as I wanted to lay on the settee as I was so tired with all that had been going on but it seems I wasn’t allowed to be tired. So after the morning events and lack of sleep I was an emotional wreck. Later that morning OT came round and I told them what had been going on. They had lots of useful simple suggestions on how to help my husband’s eyesight. After walking with his frame to the stairlift chair just to see if he could sit on it, which he did, he went back to his riser recliner chair but couldn’t see it properly and went to sit on it at 90 degrees to where it was, landed on the floor and banged his head. Another 999 call as he is on blood thinners so he needed a head scan. Head scan was ok but there was concern as to why he had fallen twice in one day so had to stay ‘overnight’ for more tests to be done. Today I was told he would be there for a few days for monitoring and checking. I am seriously concerned about all this. OT mentioned respite for him for more observation and it may come to that which he won’t like but I can’t go on like this indefinitely. In the meantime I am back to daily hospital visits but at least I get my sleep.
Oh @H5JHR you’re sure having a difficult time of it. Sorry your husband has had 2 falls but sounds like he’s in right place for now.
Given everything that’s been happening since he came home it’s probably a blessing he will have to go into respite before coming home again. Hopefully that time can be used to ensure everything you both need is in place before he comes home again.
In the meantime enjoy catching up on your sleep.
Best wishes xxx
My husband was in hospital for 5 days. It could have been 3 days but the hospital made an admin error regarding the care package which was very annoying. He is now home but struggling with his condition. Quite miserable but the good thing is that he stayed in bed until 6am. Although we were both on edge at least I didn’t have to get up in the night. He had been represcribed a water tablet to help his breathing which I was told might help him to sleep better. So far so good except it is like starting again as he was only out of hospital for a few days before going back again. I guess his short term memory means he has forgotten a lot of what he has learnt.
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@H5JHR it sounds like there has been a small amount of progress even if it feels like you’re starting again. Not having to help him in the night is better for you & once the initial anxiety of thinking you’ll need to be on alert for him has worn off you should feel better too.
Hope things start to improve again now he’s home.
Take care xx