Coming upto my 59th birthday and 3 years post ischemic stroke im conscious of keeping fit and healthy. However the last few weeks any physical activity that raise the heart rate has left me feeling not so good. I weight train at home with moderate weight and cycle a couple of times a week, but this brings on the feeling like post stroke fatigue.
Has anyone else been through this, cant decide if its a change in my health or a sign of being older and exercising.
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Iām 18 months post stroke and also 59. Iām finding things have got progressively better from a fatigue perspective but still have days where Iām feeling very tired. I tend to limit my exercise on these days to a walk and try not to over do things. Todays a good day so Iāve walked the dog (2miles) done a 45 minute pilatis session and am still feeling energised so will hopefully get on the rowing machine later. Tomorrow who knows, as my consultant said ālisten to your bodyā. Its always a good idea to speak your GP if youāre concerned and get things checked out.
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Same here. I canāt walk the dog 2 miles, though. Firstly I have no dog, secondly I canāt walk 1 mile, and yesterday due to paraesthesia I couldnāt walk 250 metres. Everybody says Iām doing great, but Iām not. Hopefully, I can pull myself together and work harder,
ciao, Roland
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Hi Roland, Iām sure youāre doing well, sometimes we need to remember the progress weāve made. Iām sometimes a pint half full person and have to remind myself of the positive progress and not dwelling on what is still not working. Having a dog has certainly helped, heās my reason for getting out even on the days when I donāt really want to. Heās an old boy now so our walks are slow and involve a lot of sniffing. Thats him not me. Just keep trying and weāll all get there even if were not quite sure where there is.
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It could just be low blood sugar after your workout. I think you just need to reassess your fuel intake, a few more slow carbs before you train and a fast carb snack after.
Iām 62 next month and 3yrs post stroke. On a 100g bowl of porridge and 1 or 2 pieces of toast, I can do a 2hr workout at the gym doing a combination of cardio and weight resistance training. I keep a stash of Fredoās (mini chocolate bars) in my bag to have one at the end of my session before the drive home. After an hourās break when I get home Iām fine to carry on with the rest of my day.
So maybe you need to look at when you eat and what you eat prior to doing a workout. If its been a couple hours since youāve eaten before your workout, then maybe top up on some slow carbs such as a banana and a glass of milk, piece of toast, cereal bar, a couple eggs or whatever before you workout. And then have a fast carb snack after to keep you going till mealtime.
Has your workout increased recently or maybe introduced a new exercise that exerts more energy, may increased your speed/distance cycling. Some like that can be just enough to easily tip you over into fatigue without realising it. It doesnāt take much to drop when blood sugar is teetering on the edge.
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I eat before exercise and have a protein shake and fluids after. Been caaryimg around a fuzzy feeling on the top of my head for a couple of weeks now so today booked chat with gp too.
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I think booking a GP appointment is a sensible idea. Any new symptoms should be checked especially if nothing else has changed to cause it. Hope things settle soon.
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It really does very much depend on how we feel on any given day though, doesnāt it, Roland? Iām often inspired by how positive and motivated you are, despite your circumstances coming across as being so difficult, certainly far more difficult than mine. Youāre clearly still making progress and from what Iāve seen in your posts, youāre always trying very hard. If that doesnāt encourage you, then perhaps it will comfort you to know that it encourages others.
I remember having some pretty good days after I was discharged from hospital but as time has gone on, I can truthfully say they are rare now. Until a couple of months ago, I was waking up wondering if it was going to be a good day or a bad day because I was noticing the bad days were becoming more frequent. I would feel that Iād let myself down if I couldnāt manage to walk at least the number of steps Iād set as a daily goal or if I struggled to do something like the washing up simply because I feel so rubbish. Iāve stopped gauging how I feel when I wake up now. And Iāve stopped beating myself up if I have to have a day where Iām unable to achieve much. It is what it is. As one of the elders in my church told me last week, continue to lean on the Lord, ā do not lean on your own understandingā and allow God to fulfil His purposes in your life. Iām doing my best but oh boy! I feel so redundant and useless at times!!
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Thanks, Trace,
but what has me stumped for almost a year now is that I have a good day, followed by a bad dayā¦ they alternate like clockwork, and Iām doing all I can to stop this crazy cycle. Yesterday I was awake at around 6 am when my bad day started. Waves of tension entered my gluteus maximus and it remained locked all dayā¦ Usually I wake up to this knot, but yesterday it formed while I was awake. Then my foot and ankle go numb, and start pointing the wrong wayā¦ the next day itās back to normalā¦ and so the cycle continues. Nobody can help me.
Thereās no doubt that my overall trend is positive, and noteworthy, but the dark side is perplexing. When I find a solution I will party big time !!!
ciao, Roland
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For some reason, Iāve felt my most ānormalā immediately following any strenuous (sp?) activity.
About 5 years ago I got really committed to doing planks and got to a point I could hold one for 5 minutes, and it toned my core pretty well too.
So, since I weigh more now than I did then, Iām trying to be disciplined about inching my way toward again being able to hold a 5-minute plank.
Certainly not trying to toot my own horn, but I can hold one for a little over 3 minutes right now.
I immediately follow it with a delicious protein shake.
Despite any upbeat or positivity in my bragging, my vestibular system is still impacted by the stroke and I may be experiencing what is my new normal. Today during a Physical Therapy session, it was pretty evident that my balance is still negitively impacted, so much so that if asked to walk a heel-to-toe straight line for a sobriety check, Iād fail pretty badly, and rather quickly.
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Its taken me 3 years, and 2 of them attending strength and balance classes, to get my balance right again. And for the first time since my stroke, I actually managed to jog on the spot 
Up to now Iāve only only managed a walking pace because of same balance issues as you.
I actually got quite carried away with myself after that and wound up totally fatigued the following day. I usually pace myself better than that so fatigue doesnāt catch me out like that. Unfortunately no amount of high energy carbs can beat stroke fatigue when it strikes, and theyāre rare for me now but clearly still happen.
So, thereās not to say your balance wonāt improve over the next year. Get your core muscles working again, and if any balancing tips just let me know. In the mean time Iām off to pilates 
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