Feeling trapped

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Hi

I’m writing about my 88 year old Mum who had a stroke about 3 months ago now. I’ve been reading some of the posts about nutrition. I took her to see a functional medicine doctor recently and she has recommended some supplements so I’m hoping that will help.

I think she is low in Vitamin B12. She does seem to respond when she takes it. It giver her more energy. But she is very anxious. She was anxious before the stroke and, understandably, is very anxious now.

The doctor has suggested magnesium and I’m hoping this will help her to relax and help with her sleep. I need to look at posts regarding sleep. She sleeps badly. She can be ‘feverish’ and restless. She is also twitchy - her legs and arms jump. This can be a symptom of magnesium deficiency but I’ve also wondered if it is trauma stuck in the body.

She’s told me a couple of times that she feels trapped. This makes me wonder if she is still experiencing trauma from the stroke but maybe it’s also a normal feeling after stroke? From what she says, I get the impression she knows she is ‘there’ ie the real Mum is trying to come through but maybe her brain is struggling so is kind of keeping her trapped.

Does that make sense? It’s so hard to know how the stroke survivor is feeling, you automatically default to thinking they understand things in the same way that you do but, obviously, that’s not the case.

Would love to hear any insights.

Thanks

Alison

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Hi @Alison9, yes it does all make sense or a kind of sense that many stroke survivors will have experienced, particularly in the early months post stroke. Trapped by immobility, trapped by speech - Aspasia/dysarthria, trapped by cognitive dysfunction, trapped by executive dysfunction, trapped within the brain fog and the fatigue, trapped in pain, the list is endless.

It’s hard for you being on the outside looking, just as hard as it is being on the inside looking out :wink:

The brain has to clean up all the dust and debris from the stroke, repair damage where it can and that takes time. But there may also be some part of the brain cells still dying off depending on how big/how bad the stroke was. The first 6 months usually sees the most frequent return of function, after that is slows but doesn’t stop. It took 18mths for cognition to come back onboard, but it only took 8/9mths for the fog to clear for me. But I was 59 when I had my stroke and it was 2 TIA’s. Your mum is 88, naturally she’s not going recover nearly as quickly.

There are others on here, I’m sure will come along over the next few days, who have the more first hand knowledge of legs and arms twitching and similar issues than I had.

You could also try vitamin B6 for the restless limb syndrome.
Or try her on a nutrient supplement such as Ensure or Complan which have all the vitamins and minerals needed for recovery from any major illness/surgery/malnutrition, as well as the Magnesium.
I was low on folic acid and put on a 2wks coarse and that’s really what cured my brain fog. So, in saying that, it might be a better idea to get her gp to do a blood test on her vitamin levels as mine did :wink:
Rather than me re-writing everything on the subject here, have a read of the post I wrote over a year ago on the burning nutrients.

(Just click on the blue text to active any of the documents below)
Feeling Tired, Feeling Dispondent/Disheartened, Feeling in a Funk

Also, if you haven’t read it before, have a read of the Welcome post several of us put together over a year ago.
Welcome - what we wish we'd heard at the start

And here’s some reading on Cognitive/Executive disfunction which might shed a bit of light.
Problems with memory and thinking (cognitive problems) | Stroke Association

Executive Dysfunction: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment

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Alison,

most here would understand the feeling of being trapped after a stroke. Your mum needs much more than B12… like B1, called thiamine. What you need to sort out is her ability to produce energy (ATP) from food. Her nerves are twitching (a great sign, by the way) so they need plenty of attention ; I use essential oils ; try peppermint.
I met a chap that runs a youtube channel called https://www.youtube.com/@InsomniaTalks
So much more, but I need to dash, ciao, Good luck to your mum, Roland

…and honey !!

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@Alison9
That’s why I suggest a nutrient supplement to begin with such as Ensure. That has all the nutrients she would need, without the risk of overdosing on any particular one.
• 8.65 grams of protein per serving to support your muscles**
• 27 vitamins and minerals
• B vitamins including B2, B6, B12 which contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism
• Calcium for the maintenance of normal bones
It’s what a lot of care homes give to their elderly residents to build them back up again after any major illness or who have come into their home severely malnourished due to neglect, off their food. It’s for getting all the daily nutrients they need without over facing with food or overloading their system. It can be made up into a milkshake or the powder can mixed into other foods. And the residents usually thrive well on them

I would certainly try her on Ensure before you go experimenting on her with various vitamins and certainly not without a blood test first. The risk with vitamin B supplements is that they can make you severely constipated in high concentrated dosage and can be tough on the kidneys. Your mum doesn’t need anything else to compound her problems just now. But while you’re waiting on a gp appointment you can start her on a much kinder cocktail to boost her system.
Whatever rout you take you’re not going to see instant results, it’s going to be days for benefits to seep :slightly_smiling_face:

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@Alison9 the feeling trapped is something a lot of us experience and hopefully in time that will improve for your mum. 3 months isn’t that far into recovery.

If Dr has suggested magnesium it might be worth a try. I would speak to the GP before teying B vitamins etc though as you can take too many & if she isn’t deficient she shouldn’t need them. I take Ensure Juce drinks as I have weight issues but only taking them after speaking to GP. They are full of many nutrients that we need though. A fortified diet might also help e.g. adding milk, butter cheese to things like mash, scrambled egg etc.

Hopefully things will settle in time.

Best wishes

Ann

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Hi all and many thanks for the replies. Mum is taking Ensure drinks but it is a bit of a struggle finding the right one. We’ve just had an appointment with a dietician because she has lost weight.

She’s started on a mineral mix that the functional doctor recommended. I do think it’s helping but I only give her a small dose because too much does make her urinate at night.

She has had blood tests but they all came back normal except for the vitamin D which they didn’t seem overly concerned about. Just said take an over the counter supplement. My main concern was that she was getting very confused at times. I know that lackof B12 (folic acid too, I think) can present with dementia type symptoms. Since the mineral mix, that does seem to have abated. I have a little knowledge about nutrition - not a lot - but I don’t have faith that our medical system understands nutrition so I’m having to do the best I can myself.

I do think she seems better. As I say the confusion seems to have gone, her colour looks better but it’s hard to say because she is SO tired ALL the time. Just been reading about excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea. Going to post about that now.

Thanks again.

Alison

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Sounds like things are moving in the right direction for your mum. It will take a while but any progress is good. Hopefully the mineral mix will help. All GPs tell you to get Vit D over the counter in my experience. For me they just told me how much I needed to take then left me to get on with it.

Best wishes

Ann

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