Hi all, thought I’d share my little win with you all, trying to continue the positivity 
My son plays basketball and I officiate at games.( keep the score, do the time clock, fouls, subs.) Last night was my first night doing it since my stroke. I had a great support next to me, but I did the whole game! (1.5hrs) I was amazed how I managed to keep up with the game and was able to do all I needed to do with little trouble!
My only problem was my hand and arm ached within minutes and I had to use my other hand most of the time, weirdly it was the hand that wasn’t affected during the stroke that gives me more pain now!
I was so pleased I did it as I was worried cognitively I’d struggle thinking of more than one thing at a time.
Today I feel like I’ve run a marathon and am shattered but little steps! Bonus we won too and my son played a blinder! 
The non-affected side gets tired because it tends to work a lot harder, and we forget how much more it is needed. Well done for the 1.5 hrs. Feels great to manage things.
ciao, Roland
I am way excited about this! I would say very much of my recovery has been doing things for or with my grandson and his friends, and our pets.
My grandson also plays basketball as well. I have been all season. The games are still hard for me to keep up with due to all the loud noises- squeaky shoes, bonk; bonk; bonk of the basketball, buzzers, whistles, screaming fans, movement on the floor and around the bleachers, bright overhead lights reflected on the polished floor, scoreboard lights…
I know how hard that must have been for you. Makes me even happier about your achievement for overcoming the hardships, and for enjoying this with your son. Thank you for sharing!
@Sammy1
That’s great well done.
You should always mark your milestones for when you have a decompensation/ regression you need be able to Look back at the progress.
The wave of fatigue is no surprise to those of us reading. Over time it may decrease but you will become better able to predict and accommodate. It won’t always be linear relationship, Nor will it always be do something one day fatigue the next - delayed effects are not unusual.
I’m not sure of the next bit - are you saying that you used your unaffected arm? If so this is an example of unwelcome neuroplasticity. It’s an example of your lazy brain (all our brains seek to be as efficient/ minimal effort to deliver the result) adapting around your disability. Great in the short term bad for recovery damaged capability. Beware of use learnt non-use
Very well done on the milestone achieved and thank you for sharing
Simon
Thank you Simon, I struggled to use my non affected arm. During my stroke I was unable to move my right arm, but I have noticed since I have aches in both but it feels more painful in my left arm. It feels a dead weight and I struggle to get comfortable with it.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge it’s great to learn new things! X
Aww a fellow supporter! 
It’s only been my third game since my stroke and I noticed at the end of my first game I hadn’t shouted out or cheered ( I’m normally loud as I’m the team manager I like to encourage !)! But I think I was just exhausted trying to keep up. I was lucky last night was a quieter night and no real issues, not sure how I’d have coped if it had been a grudge match!! 
That may have been the issue. I was very quiet before stroke, but not so much after.
I do want to point out, also, that with stroke, all of our limbs are affected, just one side is MORE affected. Also, that learned non use is real. Its okay if you forget, but it will make it longer getting back to using the more affected side if you learn not to try to use it.
@Sammy1 fantastic achievement well done to you. So pleased for you. Rest up today if you can to combat the fatigue but now you’ve done this you’ll feel more able to do other things.
Every little thing she does is magic 
Doesn’t matter how little the win, in the eyes of all stroke survivors, what matters is that it is a win. Big or small they’re all wins …and besides…it means I get to celebrate again 
It took 2½yrs for cognition to come back onboard. I’d like to say say it was like the switching on of a light switch…but I was asleep at the time. I just got up one morning and it was just there, back to normal…well…almost normal.
And it can go a similar way for the fatigue, in that, eventually, it will only occur with things like stress or if you’ve had a particularly hectic, harrowing day. The more you expose your senses to these occasions, the easier it will eventually get. Stay positive, stay focused on your goals and never give up because it can get so much better 
What a lovely reply! Thank you I’ve shied away from doing too much as I’ve been scared or felt I shouldn’t be going out as off work, but I am trying to do more now. 
x
It’s the little wins that give us the strength to carry on.
Well done you, that’s one helluva victory 
Unfortunately, you’ve had a stroke not caught a head cold or faking the flue for a couple days off.
Going out IS part of your therapy! Your brain needs a certain amount of exposure and stimulation to the various different environments/situations etc to re-train the brain, its coping mechanisms and in order to recover.
It’s all about repetition, repeat, repeat, repeat 
Go girl @Sammy1 great that you are getting out and about and having something else to focus on.
Steve
That’s a really great point 
I hadn’t looked at it like that till you actually put the words there in black and white in front of me and I thought light bulb💡
That’s because we get so immersed in the physical symptoms of stroke recovery. Getting our leg working, our arm, our hand, managing the pain if you have it. We forget or don’t even think of the rest of it.
We do that by going to IKEA when the weather is horrid. We get our steps in, have free coffee and maybe a few meatballs thrown in (and I don’t mean us or maybe it is us!)
We do it a couple of times a week
Exactly Lea
The key is not to avoid these things. I have a big family with lots of nephews and nieces. So even in the early days post stroke, once the lockdowns were over, it was back to normal life for me regardless, weddings, christenings, sports days, cinema, concerts, meals out, etc, I joined in them all from the beginning regardless of the consequences I knew I’d experience.
The wisdom in this group is second to non!! Thank you for celebrating with me but also helping me see it’s normal to feel this way and how important it is to get out and about. xx
Emeraldeyes, Hi do you mean more exposed to stress and hectic days? to push fatigue away ?
Not to go out and deliberately expose yourself to nothing but stress…that would likely kill you. But don’t avoid life on the outside, don’t closet yourself away at home until you’re “better”. That will only stunt your brain’s growth and redevelopment
If you think in terms of a baby. You wouldn’t hide them away in a room until they’re school age would you. You expose them to sights and sounds, light and noise, temperature changes, anything and everything, don’t you? You educate all their senses and so build up their natural tolerance levels.
So, to my mind, the same can be said for stroke survivors. And, just like with a baby, you build it up over time. I started with walking outside, walking on main roads, parks with noisy kids in the playground. Never thought I’d be able to tolerate and big noisy gym or a crowded restaurant, but I can now because I’ve rebuilt my tolerance levels, re-educated my brain to better cope with. It’s not exactly perfect yet, but I’m 90% better than I was 3yrs ago. And the best part for me is I’m able to cope with a lot better with multiple conversations, noisy kids and music going on around me all at the same time 
And I’m tired next day but not so completely out of action as I used to be.
But I’m no expert in this other than in my own stroke experience.