Hi all been a little quiet as been plodding along with every day life. Got my blood pressure down to a very healthy level below 135/85 and doctor was happy we found out ground with medication. Had my eye test and no loss to vision so was giving the all clear to do my driving lessons again, welcoming my 11th niece or nephew in May and booked two holidays for the year one in May and one in July. Got a promotion at work and moved house so felt like things were finally heading in the right direction for me and things were finally getting better then BOOM the anxiety is back, the worry is back, the blood pressure numbers have crept back up to 150/90 and all I can think is Iām gonna have another stroke after 7 months of hard work. Iām honestly so fed up of this feeling and could cry in fear of things happening, Iāve used the mantra and used the āIāll be ok soonā āthis is just a feelingā but nothing seems to push the anxiety out. I knew it was a long recovery but reaching 6 months felt like a milestone and now I feel like Iām going backwards.
just for anyone new I had a right lacunar infarct in August 2025 and was caused we believe by high blood pressure and something called APS syndrome. I now take Amlopodine, Ramipril, Indapemide, Warfarin, Metaformin, Astrostavatin, Lansoporale (might have spelt some wrong)
Iām sorry for the rant here but just needed to vent, thanks in advance for any comments or advice and I hope everyone is enjoying the start of spring
Dan, I would get periodic waves of anxiety, too. I think that happens to a lot of us. I used to take my blood pressure regularly, and I would get so nervous about what I might find that I sent my pressure up I think. Then I would see it high and that made me more anxious. I finally decided to stop taking it at home. The doc would always ask āare you checking your blood pressure.ā I would say, āNo, it sends my pressure up when I take it.ā Iām sure it goes higher when I see the doc and he takes it. That may be your problem too, when you see the doc. They call it "white coat syndrome.( may be lower when you 're not with the doctor.) Itās very common. It may actually be lower when itās not being checked. Maybe your pressure would be better if you stop focusing on it. It might lessen the anxiety. Then your pressure might go down. Just a thought. Jeanne
@DanRose991 As you had high blood pressure to start with, its understanable that it has crept back up as you have been moving mountains with everything you have been up to. Dont worry about what might happen cause then you will make it happen. Enjoy life, look forward to the forthcoming new baby and embrace life. I know you currently seem like a walking pharmacy, but there is a chance that could change in the future. Good luck
@DanRose991 , my mum felt that way herself. She always said āIām a walking pillboxā. But if these medications help you keep taking them. Also consult your GP if you are not happy with the treatment.
Iām with Mind side by side as I have bipolar as well as having had a stroke. Some people have quite serious mental health problems but other join when the just feel anxious. It is a large group but you get to know certain people.
@DanRose991 sorry to hear you are struggling with anxiety again. 6 months isnāt a huge amount of time in recovery terms and it sounds like you have been doing loads so yiur brain might be telling you it needs a rest.
Is there something in particular that has started the anxiety again?
Be kind to yourself. Try not to overthink things as you will push your BP up again. Taking your BP too often wonāt help either so try & just monitor it from time to time.
You have youlr hols to look forward to & a big congratulations on your promotion too.
This may resonate with many survivors. I visited A&E twice about eight or so months after stroke, fearing another had hit me. Since, none of us are used to this predicament, anxiety will escalate from time to time.
Dan i suffered with immense anxiety after my second stroke. Im just coming up the 6 month mark so your story is very useful to me thank you for sharing it with everyone.
Im not sure if this is useful but I used to wear a Fitbit had done for years. With my post second stroke anxiety the fluctuations in heart rate were evident on this (Fitbit) which fuelled the anxiety and made the heart rate worse. My GP had already told me to bin it but I didnāt! So one day I ended up in A&E in a shocking state high heart rate &. Feeling awful. The heart rate went down when I was seen to and ecg & blood tests were all normal enzymes said i had not had a heart attack.. The dr said i had a very strong and healthy heart &ā¦.. to bin the Fitbit which I then did. Literally overnight my anxiety improved my walking was less inhibited etc. In fact it was a turning point in my recovery. My BP is low as is heart rate.
I still get very mild anxiety but have improved been on holiday with family to America and have started walking uphills again- just the foothills for now.
I hope that is of some use it appeared to me you may be monitoring yourself- important but donāt overdo it &bin it if necessary is my experience..
And thank you again for sharing your experience it is very useful to me and I would think many others
Lots of doctors have told me to keep monitoring my blood pressure. One told me that BP fluctuations are a natural response to what is happening in our lives, and constantly measuring will just raise anxiety when BP is high, making the BP higher. I decided to listen to him.
He was also the one who was willing to try me on different meds, finding that Ramipril doesnāt work well for me. Worth discussing with your doctor.
One can absorb a lot of time, measuring oneās health. Time that could be spent doing other more enjoyable things unless the aforementioned is deemed pleasurable. For me, I ditched the BP monitor, or rather sold it on as I had only used it for about six months. I stopped using it as I could not make useful sense of the readouts and my stroke consultant had said early on to me that there isnāt a lot of benefit to home health monitoring as it can inevitably lead to anxiety and misunderstandings. However, that isnāt to say there arenāt probably plenty of cases where it is a necessary tool and would benefit the user and their condition.
So true Rups. I sold my Fitbit on vinted Ā£50ā. But they have their place as you say they work for some people and did for me for many years. stroke changes a lot of things!!
I gave up on the Fitbit after realising that itās targeted at 23 year olds searching for a personal best and a six-pack. But 45 years in IT has made me a total data freak and Iām fascinated by how I can use data to shift the dial on my health, so I spent a fortune on an a smart watch instead. Itās better, but probably only for someone who gets as excited by graphs as I do. The things Iāve learned from it arenāt exactly revelations, either: get plenty of exercise, but not too much; eat a varied diet and avoid too much highly processed food; donāt stress yourself unnecessarily. We really donāt need technology to tell us that, we can just pay attention to how we feel and use common sense.
I still have a bp machine, 2 infact. I also have a blood sugar monitor as Iām type 2 diabetic. But these days I only ever use them if the doctor wants me to monitor for a week, which is rare. My annual checks are enough and only had one tweak in medications in the past five years. They both used to raise my BP and BS levels due to them making me anxious about the results so I had to stop.
Iām not normally prone to anxiety, but monitoring bp daily was gettig me anxious so I stopped. In the first year of stroke recovery, all the controls in your brain are so off kilter with the repairs going on in there anyway. You just got a promotion, does that mean more work, more pressure? Youāve just moved house, that is always a major stress in itself. Even if you loved every minute of the whole process, itās still stress to your body and mind. And youāve still got 2 holidays, I hope they donāt include lots of travel to build up more stress.
Why am I getting the impression you are trying to go full speed ahead at a 100 miles per hour again just 7 months after your stroke? Do you want to go bang? I know youāre only 34 butā¦.you arenāt invincible! You need to take the foot off your accelerator before your head slams on the breaks and locks them up tight. It sounds like you got off lightly with your first stroke, you wonāt with a second. A stroke is for life, not just for Christmas!
Your brain is not running to full capacity anymore. And when its had enough it starts tapping the breaks to slow you down, leaving you feeling you are going backwards. Its called brain fatigue. Youāve clearly done too much and thatās itās way of telling you.
I donāt mean to scare the pants off you but you do need to slow down, reduce some of the stressors/high pressure areas in your life, youāre not out of woods yet. Itās really something you should already have been doing for the first 6 months. For all the medical advances achieved over the years, brains transplants are not one of them.
With all thatās gone on for you Iām not surprised you are anxious and your BP is up. Starting a new job or role, moving house are all incredibly stressful and not transient, the effect may last some time. Try to be very calm and disinterested without distraction when you take your BP. Itās very common to experience āwhite coat syndromeā but knowing your BP and trends over time is important, so I suggest you persevere without being obsessed about it. It took me a couple of years to settle on a drug regime that worked without side effects. All the best and every success!
Sometimes when our brains start to heal, it sends a message to that weāre safe to let our feelings out, hence the anxiety coming seemingly out of nowhere.
Have you been offered CBT? I had it after my stroke and honestly, itās been so helpful. Are you still under the care of a stroke team? If so, ask to speak to a neuropsychologist.
I can absolutely relate to the feeling of going backwards at the 6/7 month mark, but try to be gentle and patient with yourself. I just had my 1 year anniversary and I wonāt lie it did bring up some complicated feelings, but I have some new equipment thatās making life so much easier, and through the CBT I have learned to slowly accept that the old me is gone and this is my new life and to work with what Iāve got.
Jeanne
. But they have their place as you say they work for some people and did for me for many years.
stroke changes a lot of things!!