I am Ian and this my stroke story - or at least the bits I can remember…
It all started at the end of March 2023, a couple of weeks after my 75th birthday. Woke up one morning with a numb left arm - I thought my other half Jan was laying on it, but she replied no, so I said “maybe I have had a stroke”, although I was only half joking.
Next thing I can remember was laying in a strange bed/room and she was sitting at the foot of the bed smiling at me, although I think I could detect tears in her eyes. Turns out this was towards the end of April and I was in the Stroke Unit at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.
Spent the next two months in the hospital, mostly being bullied by those I called the ‘physio nasties’ into doing things to get me mobile.
Eventually they managed to bully me into walking, initially with a frame and later with a stick.
Was allowed home at the end of June and have had regular visits from members of the Physio and Occupational Therapy teams.
Gradually trying to expand the range of things I can do, but have found it to be quite a struggle. I have a week or two of improving but then it seems to level off or even gets harder to do those things. Main problem is that if I do too much for too long, I get really bad ‘brain fog’ and fatigue and have to have a rest for a day or two.
Everyone says I am making great progress but somehow to me it doesn’t really seem that way, and I as a result I get somewhat depressed. I think the problem is that my expectations somewhat exceed my abilities.
I guess this is all part of the Recovery Roller Coaster.
Hi & welcome to the forum @IanW sorry you’ve had a stroke. Sounds like you had a tough time initially as did your other half. She must have been really worried during that first month.
The fog & fatigue you describe is very normal & it does sometimes feel like you’re not progressing / are regressing. Stroke recovery is definitely a marathon not a sprint & managing expectations is a big part of the recovery journey. I kept a diary of how I was on a daily basis & this really helped me on the days I felt like I was going backwards. I’d look back at it & could see the progress I had made.
During the 2nd and 3rd months of my stay I tried keeping a diary - just found it and a quick scan of the entries it quite interesting.
Most of the early entries are recording the food and my reactions to it - I guess that when you are spending almost 24hrs a day in bed there is not much else to record, apart from noting when I had a poo or pee.
That was some goal when you came out of hospital @SimonInEdinburgh mine were more along the lines of being able to stand up and get the toothpaste on my toothbrush .
@IanW sounds like you’ve made some progress if your diary entries have moved on to something other than food. I found a diary really useful……it’s not for everyone but did help me on my down days.
I started setting goals from early on - the first one was to walk out of the hospital!
The stroke unit at Stepping Hill has a long corridor with wards and offices etc either side and the tradition is that when someone is discharged all the staff line the corridor and clap them out and it also allows the patient to thank them.
Somehow my pet physio-nasty Angie managed to persuade me that I had to walk that trip as opposed to the more traditional mode of being wheelchaired out. I think this was because I had threatened to walk out every time she came round to cart me off to the gym…
Come my discharge day she tried to persuade me to do it using the stick, but I decided I didn’t want to risk making a fool of myself by falling over in front of everyone, so I used the walking frame.
I have continued to set myself goals in the almost 6 months since I came home but I am not sure I would want to attempt painting the shed roof, although I do have an on-going ‘shed related’ goal in that I want to try and complete the 1/12 scale model diorama of ‘men in a shed’ that I was working on at the time of my stroke. As this requires scratch-building the shed it has been quite a challenge using ‘one-and-a-bit’ hands but I keep telling myself it is good exercise for my dodgy left hand.
@SimonInEdinburgh you’ve achieved a lot and definitely braver than me. I’m avoiding ladders…mainly because I can’t lift my foot off the floor. It does limit me a little
It’s good to have goals to work towards. Getting back to running was one of mine. Not posdible right now for same reason as ladders. I’d take being able to lift my foot right now then i’ll set my running goal again
Hopefully the toothbrush challenge will soon be achieved for you.
Oh fudge I think we missed a celebration there, for walking out the hospital.
Anyway, belated welcome to the gang no one ever wants to join
And hey, you must be making progress if you’ve managed to get on the forum, that was your first progress test, and you passed Took me over a year to get on here and I’d long forgotten the reason why
Joking aside, you’ve had quite the journey to get here and I’m so sorry you had a stroke. The fog and fatigue are common, for me the fatigue went within the first 6mths, the fog took longer. Cognition only really improved in the last 5mths. I doubt I’ll ever return to my pre-stroke days but I can certainly live with what I’ve got, which is a lot more than many on here, so I won’t complain
You’re going to have to post a pic of you diorama, I love anything in miniature like that…but I was never nimble fingered enough to build anything like that myself
Hi Ian yes I feel like you at times. This journey is very much 3 steps forward then 3 back! Just keep on with everything as time will make a difference. I am a year post stroke and still do all the exercises etc and I can now walk much further than I could and feel less tired. I’ve learned there is no quick fix. The brain takes its time to re wire. I’ve started going to strength and balance classes and I’m noticing differences so give it time and never give up hope. A very merry Xmas too you and your family.love Suzywong xx
Having just rediscovered this thread, I guess it is time for an update.
The last twelve months have been very much a continuation of the ‘roller coaster’ ride although I guess there are signs of overall improvement (at least as far as my wife Jan claims).
I still have mobility problems although I can get around the house ok using the walking stick. We have tried walking outside but the weather has not really been conducive, especially as I seem to really feel the cold in ‘all the diodes down my left hand side’… We bought a mobility scooter so I can at least get out and about when the weather is good and it does mean that I can help Jan with the shopping by transporting the heavier stuff back home, as we live about a mile from the local shops. I have even managed to do ‘solo shopping’ occasionally.
I seem to spend quite a lot of my time in the kitchen, mainly helping with preparing and even occasionally cooking meals. I figure that preparing vegetables might help with exercising my dodgy left hand - so far I still have a full complement of fingers on my hand…
I have made several attempts to get back to the model-making, but with
somewhat limited positive results - and a growing pile of broken balsa wood.
I eventually managed to complete the framework of the shed and add some cladding but started to struggle when trying to furnish the interior.
Hi @IanW good to read your update. It does aound like you’re making progress although we’re often the last people to see some of the improvements. Improvements do seem to take longer after the initial 6 months but they’re still happening.
I too invested in a mobility scooter recently so thay I can get about morexwhen I’m outside. I got fed up of being left behind and only being able to walk a very short distance before needing to rest. It has meant I can get around a shop now. Yay.
Well done on your meal prep & keeping all your fingers
Hi Ian w I had my stroke just overc2 years ago. I’m recovering well thankfully but I don’t think I’ll ever be back to “ me”. I still get tired quickly and my balance is still not good and aches and pains are part of every day life but when I look back to the start of my journey I have made massive strides back to my old self. I go to fit for life classes which are scientifically proven to work and all the exercises work on strength and balance and once again, I can see the improvements these classes are making. I would definitely recommend them to you. Never give up and just keep setting yourself small goals and when you’ve made that goal , celebrate and then set another. Write down your successes cos it’s easy to forget and it’s nice to look back on. Keep at it even though you may have setbacks at times. It is hard but necessary. Best wishes suzywong
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Took me over a year to get on here and I’d long forgotten the reason why 
