I had a clot stroke(not sure of the technical term) 4and a half weeks ago. I have no parallasis and a slight speech problem. I am really struggling with fatigue and pain in left leg and confidence in crowds which I have never had before. I feel useless and all I do is sleep I can’t do much walking as I get so tired really quickly . Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I want to get back to work at some point but fear that I won’t be able to.
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It’s ok you will sleep alot I feel like this just keep going and laughing sxxt now but will be better x
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This is something that I still have problems with some 4-5 years post stroke. It is a learning process - that is learning what my limits are and planning plenty of rest into my activity plans. Fatigue does seem to be a common theme on these forums and many people offer advice about how to cope with it.
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Thank you so much it’s a struggle and has knocked me big time
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@Blue1927 welcome to the forum although sorry you had a stroke.
Many of us never realised there were so many hidden effects to a stroke. It’s very early days for you yet & everything you describe is normal. I am 9 months on & still get awful fatigue. I also can’t walk far due to ongoing leg issues.
A stroke does knock your confidence but you should find that comes back over time especially when you start to do more & get through unscathed.
In the early days I had to rest completely every other day. I seemed to be ok 1 day then wiped out next. This happened for a couple of mo the before it started to improve.
Be patient & kind to yourself. Rest when your body needs to. Your brain has to re-wire & it’s exhausting. Don’t rush back to work too soon as you don’t want to undo all the good work you’d have done.
Best wishes.
Ann
Four and a half weeks is very early days. When I had my discharge six years ago I was on a frame and only able to walk a few steps. I now walk with a stick and manage a reasonable distance , but crowds are indeed frightening. We survivors are almost invisible. Sometimes I stand still and let people walk past me before moving on. Take care.
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Hi Blue --4 and a half weeks is very very recent in stroke recovery time. The brain has to heal. If you had a surgery, you know how long it would take to heal. Well, a brain injury is the same. And it’s not like a cut that you can expose to fresh air and sunlight. 
The brain heals during sleep, so that you 're sleeping a lot is doing you good. It’s what your body needs right now. What you are feeling is completely normal. Be patient with yourself as you heal. Don’t be surprised if it takes longer than you think it should. It usually does. I’ll remember you in my prayers tonight. 
Jeanne
Hi there.
Like the others have said, it is early days yet. Just go with the flow and take all the rest you can until your brain heals a bit more. You will get back to work, but don’t rush it.
I still suffer from fatigue 8 and a half years on, but it is now manageable.
Shwmae @Blue1927, a clot stroke is an ischaemic stroke, the one I had was ischaemic and, hence, I am taking anti-platelet medication. Any kind of scratch requires me to pause what I am doing until the bleeding stops. Sorry to hear you have joined us, but please feel that our forum is a welcoming and beneficial place to interact with.
Four and a half weeks is early days, the brain has a six month self-repair programme going on, and then things go slower. Everyone has pitched in very apt responses, so I can only mirror with my own experience. Neurological-fatigue seems to be the customary shared side-effect of most stroke survivors, medical professionals are not conclusively sure what causes the fatigue, but I would say that it’s fairly self-evident in the sense that the brain uses about twenty percent of our physical energy. Even in rest, the brain is expending a huge amount of energy as the synapses are preparing for brain activity for when it needs to be active. That’s why I believe rest doesn’t necessarily equate to being refreshed after stroke.
Our pre-stroke brain tended to do most things on automatic pilot, after stroke this option doesn’t seem to be readily available, and so every task is draining energy that normally wouldn’t be applied to such an activity, mental or physical.
After, having a stroke, I slept an incredible amount of time. It is required for brain repair. It is essential really. I would fall asleep knowing that my brain was busy doing its best to get me back on track. This was comforting, and justified needing so much sleep. I didn’t feel guilty about it because I knew it was necessary for the future wellbeing of my mind and, in my case, would be a benefit to my family. That was my way of thinking about it.
Mindfulness teaches being in the present, and although it is useful to aim for future goals, stepping stones will get us there, safely and steadily. Each stroke affects each person slightly differently, yet we all share common issues. I had the opposite with crowds, before the stroke, I was quite nervous of crowds but I lost my filter and impulse control, so now have no anxiety about situations I once shied from. It’s a funny turn of events.
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Hi Blue, four and half weeks in terms of stroke recovery is nothing. Listen to your and if its telling you to rest/sleep do it. I still need rest periods and it is five months since I had my stroke. Moira
Hi, sorry to hear you’ve joined our exclusive club! I was in your position when I suffered a Lacunar stroke in April. I thought I would get back to work within a couple of weeks but here we are 4 and a half months later still off but planning a phased return later this month.
The fatigue is a bizarre thing to come to terms with, it strikes at random times, both physical and mental, and often for no apparent reason.
I also had the crowded places issue and almost had a panic attack on my first cinema visit post stroke as the noise had an unexpected affect.
As with the other comments on your post I totally agree - take your time and listen to your body. Be kind to yourself, if you need sleep, then sleep. Don’t push yourself too hard too soon. You will get there, but at your own pace.
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Hi there,
Firstly, i am sorry to hear anout your stroke, your world
changes overnight, but i just wanted to tell you about my recovery so far incase it helps at all.
So I had a TACS stroke mid May (blood clot on the brain) luckily my left hand side and physical elements came back quite quickly, my speech took a little longer (Speech can go a little wonky when I’m fatigued /tired still but that’s fine).
For my journey 3.5 months in, my advice would be really listen to your body, baby steps, if you keep pushing too much early on you could be setting yourself back otherwise, the fatigue I experienced was so much more than I anticipated, speaking was exhausting, the first month was just trying to rest, little jobs around the house, rest etc but every week got a bit better, sleep when you need to at the start too, my fatigue has got better and better and I just need to be sensible, gentle yoga helped in the first 8 weeks as I was so stiff and tight through my muscles and weaker on the left slightly, I am back up to reasonable walks, riding my horse and competing again, pilates, and hopefully back on a bike this month too 
I honestly can’t believe the difference month on month, i can also stitch together a few relatively busy days in a row now without being wiped out after, which would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago And limited hours back at work soon to carry on the journey.
I still don’t sleep that well, I use melatonin and try to use yoga before bed etc to help, a work in progress!
At the end of the day our brains have sustained an injury. Think of rehabbing a broken leg or similar, it would be rest, with recovery period, then gradual physio and gradual increasing of ‘load’ (mental or physical are both relevant) our brains are amazing things and I really hope your recovery keeps a steady trajectory upwards for you.
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Hi @John_Jeff_Maynard. I have noticed in the chats how much you have encouraged yourself to keep moving forward and learning. My father had a stroke and he is a positive person. I would like to find ways that I can help him - how did you keep yourself moving in the right direction.
Fatema. It’s partly in my genes, but my partner gave me ‘tough love’. When I was in a down mood I was told to snap out of it. When I wasn’t willing to exercise I was told I must. It’s also worth helping the survivor to set small targets. For example, the first time I walked outside with a frame I walked as far as the house next door then back again. I then added a house a day till I reached the end of the road. I now walk with a stick.
I have been going to over 60s exercise classes three times a week for four years. At first I could do very little but have improved over time. I’m not suggesting shouting at him, just encourage him all you can and praise his achievements. I wish him well.
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I hope you are feeling well today. This stroke thing is very difficult to get your head round. I had a stroke in December , spent some weeks in hospital and rehab. Like you I am impatient to get going and feel well again but I am constantly tired and feel a bit useless. I would love to go outside my garden for a little walk but am scared to do so. I seem to have lost all confidence .I suppose we just take every day as it comes and not worry. Easier said than done.
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