Hi all
I've been doing great getting back into exercise etc, memory, vision improving. Then wham I end up in A and E with a high temperature, rigors and all my stroke symptoms seemed worse. It's down to a virus, and my stroke nurse assured me this can happen if you're unwell but still a bit of a shock 6 months in to realise how, I guess, fragile I still am. Hope you all good xxx
Dear Mo
Recovery is a long long trail and 6 months is early days. At the very least, we are weak from fighting the stroke. And stroke often has damaged the links to all parts of your body, inside and out. I had two trips to A&E and one further incident when I just couldnt face another hospital session. I just do my best and look ever forward.
If you can get perfect sleep, plenty of rest and keep your BP about right, then you will make steady progress. If you keep a stroke diary then you can look back abnd see how far you have come. Do look at what you can do and not what you can not. Things are bound to be variable for at least two years.
In the meantime just do your best. If its any consolation, I have just had a super boost. My heart rate woud not behave. BP a bit high. Then for no reason that I can make out, bingo, my pulse got sensible at 70 and my BP returned to good at 126/69. Actually thats a lot better than pre stroke.
Never give up. There is so much to learn. So much to try.
Things really do improve.
New Mo will establish themselves in time. Old Mo has gone forever.
Best wishes
Colin
Hello Mo,
John is two years down the road and he had a virus in January. It completely floored him (and his ‘nurse’) lol! He still hasn’t recovered fully although well on the way. He is more vulnerable to any illness nowadays so we’re getting used to the routine. As Colin says, 6 months isn’t very long in ‘Stroke time ‘. Just keep on taking rest when your body tells you to. Take care,
V&J
Thanks Colin. I can relate to that, my pulse and BP were problematical. Then were perfect, and leading up to this episode pulse very low and BP way up. So let's hope as the presumed virus goes everything returns to normal. I guess I wasn't expecting such a dramatic and scary response to what previously I'd shrug off. But your words of wisdom are spot on and much appreciated xx
Dear Mo
That was the crux of my problem. Pulse was 50 and BP will thus rise. When pulse dropped to 45 then I collapsed. This happened several times. Now, after three years, all of a sudden bingo, pulse is good and Bp is good. The virus will gang up with the BP etc to make you feel awful. I just plodded along, trying to deal with one thing at a time.
I asked about a pacemaker and the doctors just deflected me. As it turns out they were spot on. PAcemaker would have been yet another medical thing to deal with and, as it happens, would have been pointless.
Forgive e repeating myself, but we need really good sleep, plenty of rest and a sensible BP. Only then can we truly progress.
Best wishes
Colin
Hi Mo,
This happened to me too at 2 months post stroke, I also had rigours, high temp, and lost my speech ,it was due to a urine infection, my stroke consultant told me that when you have an infection or virus your brain goes into fight or flight mode and mimics the stroke symptoms. I am 6 months post stroke now and had a wobble the other day, when I lost my speech and really struggled, I have to have dental treatment in the dental hospital now,because I had my stroke in the dentist, to have to talk about it again is very traumatic and anxiety triggers of the symptoms. I agree with you we are still fragile, and our recovery is very much a work in progress. Best wishes, Lyn x
Thanks Lyn, that makes sense. My stroke nurse had assured me it was normal too, but we thought maybe it was something to let people know about maybe on discharge. Hope you're doing well xxx