Hi my name is Allan im 47 years old an I had my stroke on November 13th 2024, my stroke was caused by aitrial fibrillation which I have had for over 30 years, due to the AF I was struggling so my doctor put me on a medication called Flecainide which was life changing I was able to play golf and was back at the gym unfortunately I was told to stop taking aspirin which I had taken all my life and because I wasn’t on any other blood thinning medication they reckon because I was back at the gym my AF kicked up a blood clot which cause my stroke and 6th nerve palsy, I have read so much about strokes but since realised that no two strokes seem the same, I had lost the sight in my left eye but has since went back to normal, I do however suffer from a horrendous sleep pattern and feel I can’t switch off at night, im also demented being stuck at home as I have not got my licence back yet. im really fortunate that I don’t have any problems with my body apart from the extreme exhaustion and I get really shaky legs and sometimes a weakness in my arms when doing simple tasks. I have also found myself fixating on the smallest stupid thing and get really frustrated when it doesn’t get done straight away. I came on here to try and find some solution to the way I’ve been feeling and to see what I can expect going forward. I have also found that having a wee glass of wine at Christmas left me feeling terrible for days. I also had the unfortunate event of going to the jobcenter for an interview (how to take a mans dignity) as I only got released from a stressful job situation on October 31st and the loopholes to just tell someone your not fit to work at this moment is unbelievable, not only have my doctor and consultant said take as long as your body tells you these guys are having me assessed by their own doctor which is shocking I honestly felt like telling them to stick it sideways. im honestly just looking for some advice on here from anyone who has been through a similar situation to help guide me.
It is 7.00 am
I’m an old man, our situations are very different. I completely understand the mind churning night thing. I was awake at 4.00 am, as you were writing here, so it would seem.
I do not have answers and/or solutions. My message is that you are not alone.
Others will come along, some with helpful suggestions, encouragement, others in the same situation as yourself.
I hope you will find out that this forum is a useful resource and will be able to make good use of it.
keep on keepin on
@Bigal1977 hi and welcome to the community. Sorry you’ve had cause to join us but hopefully you’ll find it a useful place to be.
You’re right about no 2 strokes being the same but they do have some similarities.
A lot of people have sleep problems post stroke (i have the opposite problem). If you’re not working then perhaps try not worrying about it too much and take naps in the day. Keeping to a nighttime routine is really important - all the usual limit alcohol, caffeine etc, don’t use screens before bed etc are all good things to do. I find reading a little before bed helps me get to sleep others use audio books or listen to music.
There are mixed opinions on alcohol. I don’t drink but others can manage a small tipple & some have to avoid it completely. Have you tried low/no alcohol alternatives?
As for the DWP/job centre. It is definitely not a pleasant process to go through but stick with it as, if nothing else, they will pay your national insurance stamp which will keep your state pension on track. I would suggest getting some advice from someone like Citizens Advice in relation to the assessment. They have some useful info on their website too. You may also want to look at PIP as this is for people who need help with daily living activities & or mobility issues. It is not an easy process but isn’t means tested. Again Citizens Advice can help with this.
What I will say is you are very early in your recovery journey yet & many things should improve / settle for you. Recovery takes a lot of patience- something I wasn’t good at.
Your emotions are likely to be all over the place right now. Try not to stress about things. Stress isn’t good for stroke survivors.
Sending my best wishes
Ann
Hi @Bigal1977 welcome to the forum 
I have no advice on the benefits front as I too am retired. But there are others here who may help you with that.
And only time can sort your sleep out as you recover. The first 6 months see the most recovery as your brain heals, repairs and mops up the damage done. Hence a lot of the fatigue you may (or may not) have noticed. I can relate to your sleeping pattern, or lack of sleep at all. But it is important to at least go through the motions of your bedtime routine, and lay there with your eyes closed (just shut out visual stimulation) for an hour at least. Get up for an hour or two then try again.
It will come back but it may take a month or a year, there’s no way to measure as we are all different and recover at different rates. This is a marathon, not a race and you’ll hear that term used a lot on here. This is indeed ‘slow and steady wins the race’ I’m afraid. So you need to learn to relax, a feat in itself in early post stroke, but it will come in time as you learn to relax and accept your stroke and to manage your fatigue.
Your in a bit shock at the moment and I’m sure the Christmas break hasn’t helped with holding things up. You probably won’t get your licence back until the DVLA has been in contact with your GP and stroke consultant and that will take some time. I got mine back a year after my stroke but I still wasn’t ready to back to get back behind the wheel; that was about another 6mths.
Hi @Bigal1977 - welcome to this community and forum where I am sure you wil find help and comfort to help you on the road to recovery from your stroke.
Try to stay positive and do not be afraid to ask for help or advice. There are many plenty of people here and also outside who can offer help.
I think it is important to stay patient, especially when you encounter situations or responses similar to your DWP/JobCentre situation. Sometimes outside the stroke community ignorance is rife.
Stay positive and keep coming back here.
Hi @Bigal1977 Allan
Welcome to the community although I’m sorry to hear about your stroke and the difficulties you’re going through.
You may find this article on sleep problems after a stroke helpful - it has some good tips in for sleeping better. You can find it here.
I would also echo what @Mrs5K has said about contacting Citizens Advice about your work situation. You may also find that our helpline might be able to point you in the right direction for advice on this too. Their number is:0303 3033 100
If you need anything whilst using the Online Community please don’t hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
Anna
Thankyou everyone for your kind words of support, my eyesight has fully recovered and im feeling a lot better, I feel myself getting anxious going into supermarkets and things, (don’t know if this is normal) I also think people look at me and because I do not have any physical things that people can see you get judged slightly, I also did not prepare myself for 3 hours overnight and be awake the rest, I fall asleep pretty easy but once awake I can’t seem to switch back off, I’ve also noticed I seem to really overheat in bed at night, the fatigue is the one thing that is really getting me down as I feel I set myself a number of goals and things to do and im simply exhausted doing some basic things, I keep telling myself its a marathon not a race but its sometimes a struggle, I do suffer from the brain fog and sometimes completely forget what I was doing, which can be frustrating to others who don’t understand. the only way is up 
Well, if it is any consolation, what you are experiencing is what lots of us are going through.
I can’t promise you a cure or a good method to achieve recovery, but it is certain things will get better, not necessarily as quickly as you might like but given time you will experience improvement. You’ll learn to deal with the after effects which are without a doubt life changing.
Cliche I know, but try to keep your chin up. Life is still worth living.
Hey @Bigal1977 - Pleased your eyesight has fully recovered and you’re feeling alot better. I am not sure if there is such a thing as “normal” when it comes to surviving stroke, but there may be some commonalities.
You seem to be doing very well and I think if you pace yourself, keep monitoring and taking appropriate action and seeking help, be it from healthcare professionals or communities such as this one, you will do well.
Keep up the good work - whatever you’re doing seems to be working well for you.
Takes care and stay strong.
It’s just the stroke effect that’s messed up your sleep pattern, electrical fault in your brain which will repair itself eventually.
Normally: When you’re tired, your body temp drops allowing you to snuggle down under the duvet ready to sleep.
When it’s time to wake up, your body wakes you by raising its body temperature, causing you to sweat and throw off the blankets and wake up.
I’ve gone from no sleep for the first several weeks, to a few hours sleep after lying awake for several some months later. To now, 4yrs on getting 6-8hrs but I can’t get to sleep any earlier than 3am.
And your lack of sleep will be partially the cause of some of your brain fog and fatigue, also maybe a feeling spaciness or punch drunk effect.
The anxiety in the supermarkets is more to do with your brain’s over stimulation. It’s being put under pressure it could do without, it’s frantically trying to clean up and repair and that takes about 6mths. So you are on emergency services only from your brain at the moment.
No one is actually looking at you, it’s just you have come into their line vision. Your trauma is invisible to the naked eye, it’s just that you are new to this stroke and every self conscious of it, so you imagine that everyone is looking and judging. They’re not! 
Stroke brains need lots of quiet time and rest with eyes closed…if not sleeping. Just sit here and there for 15mins or an hour, maybe some soothing music on in the background if you can.
Keep coming back here with your worries, not matter how small or trivial you think they may be, don’t suffer in silence. Talking them through on here is freeing, therefore, heeling for your mind.
Lorraine