Newbie

Hi everyone I had a stroke only 8 months ago my sensory problems came after the stroke I’m unable to walk unaided and can’t feel hot or cold on my left side I’m just really struggling how my life has changed
Ive had a Ischemic stroke perfectly health before normal blood pressure healthy weight don’t smoke drs don’t know what the cause is it’s just one of those things some advice about not feeling hot/ cold temperature would be great it’s effected my left side but also have right sided weakness.

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Hi @Abi
Welcome
Sorry you have had to cause to join us - I suggest you read around a lot here and you’ll get a lot more orientation. 8 months is early in your recovery journey. For most of us things do get better over time :slight_smile:

You haven’t told us much about we can responding to offering examples of our experiences

The stuff we commonly say to new arrivals is collected in Welcome - what we wish we’d heard at the start click the blue text to follow the link

Their will be others along soon to say hello too

Ciao
Simon

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Hello Abi and welcome.
I have found the forums a great place to talk about my stroke issues. Sometimes I have learned alot just by reading on here how others have progressed in their recovery journeys.

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Hi @Abi & welcome to the forum. Sorry you’ve had a stroke.

I don’t have any advice on not feeling hot or cold as, if anything, i feel things more. Hopefully someone will be along in a while with some advice.

I did have some alteted sensation on my affected side & i sorted that by touching lots of different items of different textures. I wouldn’t suggest touching lots of hot things though as assume you would still burn even if you can’t feel it.

Wishing you all the best.

Ann

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Hi @Abi, following my stroke in June 22 I can’t feel hot and cold on my right hand side. I do get some sensation though my brain doesn’t
recognise these as being hot and cold in the normal sense. Over time my brain seems to have made some adjustments and I am beginning to a recognise the new feelings associated with hot and cold. To avoid injury I’m carefull to pick up items that may be hot with my right hand and so far despite a few near misses, I’ve managed to avoid injuring myself. It takes a bit of getting used to but hopefully over time your brain will make the necessary adjustments though things will still be different. All the best in your recovery and take care.

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Hello Abi, @Abi

Welcome, and hopefully my input helps you. I had a stroke 15 months ago, and the range of motion and my movement of muscles is great, but like you, my sensitivity, feeling, proprioception were all totally absent for 6 months, then started making a slow comeback. The only thing I could feel, say 2 months post stroke, was an ice cube placed into my hand. Have you tried an ice-cube? Here is a video clip of the first time I felt anything in my stroke-hand… it was an ice-cube
Imgur

Despite my progress with sensation it’s still a very feint perception, and if you search you may find my post on the one pound coin trick I used to stimulate my sensation. Now, it would help if you could check a few things. Obviously the receptors for hot and cold are working, but your brain has not mapped them out… yet. Anyway, do you have sensitivity in your touch… have you explored other areas on your body? For example, touch on my torso was the first area to reinstate itself. I still can’t feel the shape of a concealed object, but I can feel the texture, especially if it is a little rough.

I have a device called an “iTeracare wand”. It’s complicated to explain how it works, but basically it looks and feels like a hair dryer. Anyway I feel the hot air on my non-stroke side, and on my stroke side I feel a tickle as the air blows across the hairs on my leg, but my stroke-side leg cannot feel the heat. … that is until I keep it too long in one position, and it starts to “burn”… at that stage I shout and back off.

So I have limited detection of heat. And I can feel something tickling again, with freezing cold water out of the tap. So it’s very important to make up a few experiments, keep testing over different parts of your body, and “listen” or make a careful note of what you feel. Is this unchanged in a month… or can you feel more? The point is, you may be reporting (to yourself) your sensitivity incorrectly, and you have to be very meticulous in noticing and spotting a change. If you look (feel) carefully, you will spot the changes. If you are not looking for the changes it might take a couple of years for you to start spotting differences.
Good luck, and let us know how things are progressing. It’s possible things have been changing slowly all the time, just that you have not spotted these micro changes… yet!

Good luck, ciao, Roland

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Hi
That’s great advice especially about the ice cube I’ll definitely be trying that
Good luck with your continuing recovery
Abi.

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Looking back at some of your videos Roland, and I still envy you your voice, because you could speak :laughing: In hospital I had a million and one questions and things to say about my stroke condition and couldn’t even ask for a glass of water :woozy_face: Mind you the medical staff wouldn’t have got anything done with all I wanted to know if I could speak :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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I know, Emerald,

I’ve thought about not even being able to speak (which I couldn’t do for a week) or not knowing the language, if one is in hospital abroad. That’s awful, but so is a serious stroke. When I wonder at the sheer adversity and difficulty that we can overcome, it is truly mind boggling.

ciao, ciao, Roland
ps. hope the foot is enjoying life

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It does getting wondering like that doesn’t it?! For me it was a few months, because when I did get my voice back it was gibberish :roll_eyes: But it all came right in the end :smile:
And yes, I am still enjoying my new found foot :laughing: Although I have had a few missteps because I’m still subconsciously expecting the drop and drag. But at least its not drifting back the way :crossed_fingers: :crossed_fingers:

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Hi
I still cannot feel hot / cold down my entire left side from shoulder all the way to my toes
Things are very difficult and I’m struggling :disappointed:

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Hi
There’s a lot of ways in which things can be difficult and one can struggle so it’s very hard to suggest coping strategies or actions that might lead to easing some of the challenges .

Things like cognitive behavioural therapy and talking therapies can encompass coping strategies. stimulating and normalising responses are some ways in which people attempt improving sensory perception.

searching for keywords that describe your challenges or desired improvements could turn up some posts that talk about other folks tactics and solutions - Also if you’re a bit more indicative maybe people can respond to those indications?

Ciao
Simon

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