I was an active 70 year old builder working every day to keep me fit when while driving my van I came to a junction and found i couldn’t lift my left arm to change gear or press my clutch pedal. At this point i realised that I was having a stroke so i called 999 and hence in hospital 35 minutes later.
It’s now 6 weeks and walking again with aid of a stick but still get muscle tightness and dizziness down my left side (right head stroke) also left shoulder feeling very weak and aches.
2 Likes
@monk2316 welcome. That must have been very scary for you. It sounds like you are making good progress. I am 7 months post stroke & still get dizziness although less frequent than before.
Hope you get lots of advicec& support from this friendly forum x
3 Likes
Welcome to our forum. Stroke is a great shock, but please remember you are in the very early stage of recovery. The fact that you are walking again so soon is good news. Some effects last longer. I still have tightness under my left arm after six years. Please stay positive and keep working at your recovery.
2 Likes
Monk2316–So sorry that you are going through this. It is quite a shock. I was an active 73 year old when I had a stroke 4 years ago that paralyzed my left side. With lots of therapy, perseverance and patience I am very fortunate to be back to walking a mile a day and playing piano and ukelele. You are in the early stages so be patient with youself. It takes the brain a long time to heal and rewire. Feeling tired all the time and fuzzy headed goes with the territory. Keep active, drink lots of water and eat good food, but be patient with yourself. P.S. Try to find out the cause of the stroke. I was told to see a cardiologist, a GP, and a neurologist. The cardiologist discovered I had afib, which caused the stroke. I am being treated for that so I don’t worry about having another one. My best to you. Please visit this site any time you have a question or need to talk to someone who understands. 
Jeanne
2 Likes
Very fortunate that you realised what was happening, and took the right action.
Glad you are walking, and keep at it👍
1 Like
I had mine 4 weeks ago and our symptoms sound very similar. I like you are walking with stick and also have tightness on my left leg. It feels very heavy at times. I also have a sore shoulder. I have lost most senses down the left side but feel that they a r e coming back gradually.
Best of luck with your recovery I had mine the day after my 50th birthday
2 Likes
Hello, I’m not sure if I’m posting in the right place as this is my first time posting so sorry if I’m not. I haven’t had a Stroke but two TIA’s last week. I’m a cardiology nurse of 20 years and totally scared and shocked by it all. I have paroxysmal A fib (intermittent) but was never given blood thinners at time of a fib diagnosis as they thought my risk of stoke was so low. I’m 50 years old and have an autoimmune disorder and a recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia so I was putting my dizziness and headaches down to that. I’m struggling to find out advice post TIA about how I might be feeling sympt9m wise. I feel so fatigued, dizzy and a bit like my head doesn’t belong to the rest of me. Does anyone relate?
@Waddy welcome, although sorry to hear you’ve had some TIAs. I had a stroke rather than TIAs but did & still do suffer with dizziness, awful fatigue & heavy/fuzzy head. It has improved from where it was but still get it 8 months on.
You need to rest loads to help your brain heal. Hopefully you will get some answers / some meds to help now you’ve had the TIAs to prevent you having a stroke.
The Stroke Association have many leaflets which you can find at the link below. These will hopefully answer lots of your questions.
https://www.stroke.org.uk/our-publications
You will get lots of advice & support on this forum too.
Best wishes
Ann x
1 Like
Thankyou @Mrs5K . I am resting, I really don’t have the energy for much else. The hardest thing is not knowing what’s normal to feel like afterwards. For instance although it was only a TIA, one half of my face and head just don’t feel normal. Not pain, just an odd sensation. I will take a look at the l8nks you sent. Thankyou
1 Like
@Waddy I think we all had the thoughts at the beginning as no one explains how you might feel. I was just told if your symptoms get significantly worse call 999 but it would be useful if they said what were normal & what you need to worry about. If you’re unsure speak to your GP. It could be that the TIAs have triggered some of your fibromyalgia symptoms. Hopefully they’re going to do some follow up tests for you xx
1 Like
Hi @Waddy - my partner had a TIA at the end of April and is still feeling tired, dizzy and has numbness in his face/neck. I thought that TIA symptoms disappeared but clearly not.
It’s been complicated in his case as the scans revealed old damage in his brain and the doctors think he’s had a stroke at some point and didn’t realise. Maybe the TIA has triggered something from that.
The main thing now is to prevent a full stroke. The investigations showed that my partner’s carotid arteries are blocked and he’s scheduled to have surgery on 9 August. I’m hoping that after that the symptoms will go.
Best wishes.
1 Like
Hi Waddy–Yes I know what you mean about your head. I had that strange feeling too. Fatigue goes along with stroke. That is very typical. I had my stroke 4 years ago, and I still have to work with fatigue–however it has gradually gotten better over the years. So has the “funny” feeling in my head. My stroke was caused by afib (I had been totally unaware of it, felt nothing.) They feel that was what caused the stroke. I am on two blood thinners, Elequis and low-dose aspirin. I am also on medication for the afib and blood pressure, and med. for cholestrol. I feel good that they are being proactive medically. I don’t want to go through that again. Are you on any medication now? Hope you feel better soon. Jeanne
1 Like
I know of a man who took a whole year off work (he was lucky enough to be able to afford this) with fatigue after a TIA so even if it is ONLY a TIA I’m sure that it will cause problems - but certainly do ask questions of the doctors and get plenty of rest.
1 Like
@axnr911 Hi! It’s certainly been reassuring to read that how I’m feeling is kind of normal. I saw my GP yesterday and she couldn’t really give me any answers. She did sign me off work for a month so that’s one pressure off. I was started on Clopidogrel and Atorvastatin by the Stroke Consultant at the hospital. He also wanted me to stop some of my current meds I have for chronic problems so now struggling a bit with pain but if it reduces my stroke risk then so be it. Thankyou for replying x
Hi @JSCAPM thanks for your reply. I’m a nurse and definitely was under the impression that TIA symptoms resolved afterwards. Completely shocked to experience that they don’t. Luckily my neck scan was ok. Hope your husbands op goes well. Best of luck.
Thanks @Waddy. Glad to hear your neck scan was okay.