Hi. I have had 2 strokes. First one in 2021. Second in 2023. PFO closure in 2024.
Anyway, I have worked off and on throughout my recovery and recently started a part time job in Education. I am sadly having to give that up as I get such terrible fatigue. It has got worse since I started this job. I work one to one with a boy with ADHD and autism. I get home and have to have a sleep and go to bed at 7.30 if I am to have any hope of going to work the next day.
Is this normal?
Thanks
Hi & welcome to the community @Leechurch.
Fatigue is very common after a stroke and returning to work can definitely make it worse. I don’t work in education but I know of many people who worked in education pre stroke that had to give it up after their stroke. Working with someone with ADHD & Autism will take a lot of energy and this has no doubt impacted your fatigue levels.
You might want to see your GP so they can rule out other things that can also cause fatigue. E.g. anaemia, low B12 etc.
Best wishes
Ann
@Leechurch
Fatigue is dreadful to deal with. If I manage past 8pm in the evening to stay awake. I am having a late night. I struggle with fatigue everyday. You have achieved so much so far and i bet our colleague with ADHD loves working with you. Good luck 
Hi,
I too worked full time with special needs children before my stoke but had a cut down to 20 hours post stroke and it is completely exhausting at the end of the day! My stroke was also PFO related.
One thing I found is trying to work out what hours were best for me, I found working mornings a lot better than starting later because past 3pm there was nothing left in the tank!
Are your employers supporting you with a return to work? Are you able to have flexi time? It’s not easy in education because of the school day but perhaps it’s worth asking if you could job share perhaps.
I also found taking a walk, if you are able, even if it’s only 10minutes in the fresh air helps to relieve my fatigue in the early afternoon, even if you don’t feel like it it helps your brain to switch off from thinking about work!
I’m not sure about what is normal post-stroke but I still have fatigue five years on post cerebellar stroke, mine was multifocal, so a larger mass of damage and some smaller damage dotted around the left and right cerebellum. I had to give up teaching because of the fatigue, not sure I could be reliable enough now to return to work as the fatigue hits me at different times. I get on average eight hours sleep a night but have insomnia and this means sleep until different times. If I have a busy few days, I crash for several days after. Sometimes my energy levels peak at midnight just when I am preparing to sleep 
- I use mind blanking and mindfullness techniques to reset the brain.
@Rups I completely understand how you are feeling. I don’t see it ever getting better, its just how I manage what I have. Good luck
Do you claim anything as you can’t work?
Hi Leechurch,
I work in a similar environment, kids in care some with ASD issues or trauma both are equally demanding and tend to function “outwith normal parameters” so to speak. The behaviours are challenging and demanding that’s for sure, however sometimes now I view colleagues as more demanding and exhausting than the kids. Don’t know if education is the same.
I returned full time to work and managed 5 months before being returned to hospital for a few days- all clear but a scare. I had already asked to go part time just before this due to exhaustion / fatigue.
I’m one month into two for recovery and feel better now than before: I’m now considering, is this right but also how to manage and process how best to deal with things on return. I have applied for other jobs and am waiting on the outcome as I have transferable skills which are useful.
I worked out some workplace anxiety was causing most of the fatigue, this mainly due to changes in the management team, processes and office politics which I don’t do. I have been lucky to not have too much fatigue but recovery has allowed for a nap at lunchtime, a settled sleep pattern and some reduction in stress. I have also got back to meditation which has been helping.
Sadly it does seem fatigue is or can be normal as part of my reasonable adjustments for return I asking for regular time out breaks every 90 minutes or so which has been agreed; around 5-10 minutes time in a quiet room to see if this helps. Good luck and wishing you well on your recovery journey.
Aye, I am on incapacity benefits at the moment, trying for PIP but they are dragging it out, have to wait for tribunal hearing.
Hi @Leechurch
Welcome to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your strokes and the difficulties you’re facing with fatigue.
I can see you already have some helpful answers here. I’ll just add in case you haven’t seen it, we have some information on our website about fatigue which you may find helpful.
I hope you’ll find this community helpful for your continued recovery. If you need anything whilst you’re using the Online Community, please don’t hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
Anna
Excellent , me too.
I also found Shilajit helps with fatigue
Hello @Leechurch - welcome to the community.
I think pretty much anything I might have been able to offer has already been covered by the previous responses and so all that remains for me is to wish you well for the stroke recovery journey you are on 
Namaste|
pando, I have to admit I hadn’t heard of Shilajit but have checked this out and seems like a good idea. Done some investigation and seems due to having blood thinners could be an issue, but I have an old kung fu teacher ( introduced me to meditation) who is a TCM -traditional Chinese medicine practitioner so will get advice from him. He is good and always considers his advice with conventional medicines in mind.
Sure, it’s 85 trace minerals in one that you will have largely depleted due to a stroke (burn through from stress and fear). Feeling cautious? Try Humic / Fulvic acid ; it’s a similar concept.
The shilajit tip comes from Arjan Kuipers, functional neurologist