I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has experienced this, my stroke happened in the middle of a migraine attack, in an instant aIl went numb down the whole of my left side, I can draw a line down the middle taking in half my nose neck chest, one arm one leg, my leg and arm also feel incredibly heavy, fortunately I do have feeling in the top of my fingers to the first knuckle and my thumb…had none of the FACE symptoms, no weakness in limbs, no speech loss or memory loss …12 weeks on there’s not a lot more feeling except for fizzing pins and needles, my skin is sore to touch and I feel extremes of hot and cold keenly. I tried Amitriptyline for several weeks but it didn’t help, 10 days ago I was prescriber Gabapentin, I’m waiting to see if that kicks in and helps.
I’d be very interested to hear anyone else’s similar experience…
@Sunshine55 i haven’t had the fizzing / tingling but others have mentioned that they’ve had that when the feeling has started to come back. Maybe it could be the start of that for you?
There is also a condition called CPSP which can occur after stroke. Have a look at this link if you want a bit more info.
There are also others that have talked about CPSP on the forum.
You can also put CPSP into the search🔎 and have a look at those posts. They may help.
In relation to feeling hot & cold more. I also had this along with feeling pain more. This has settled over time and hopefully will for you too.
It probably doesnt feel like it but 12 weeks is really early on in recovery terms so there’s plenty of time for improvements yet.
Best wishes
Ann
Thanks Ann interesting posts, I do get the spasms and cramp too…I have investigated CPSP because of my nerve pain, I’m even sore around my hip replacement op scar of 23 years ago! I’m really hoping the Gabapentin will help… you are right, my OT keeps telling me 12 weeks is still early days…
Best wishes
Jenny
Hello Jenny.
I can relate to what you’re experiencing. I’m 18mths post stroke. I was paralysed down the left side initially, had no idea where my arm was for a few weeks - didn’t even miss it😆After 8 weeks of rehab and lots of sensory reeducation, I started to get feeling and function in the arm and hand again. Also had to learn how to walk again. This time last year, I began to notice my skin on the stroke arm was feeling very irritated when it was covered. This hasn’t gone away and has spread to my back. I mostly wear sleeveless clothes but obviously have to cover up if I go out because it’s cold! Very soft teddy fleece or Sherpa fleece is bearable but air and bareness is best! The skin at the top of my chest and around the neck also feels sore, as does my face. I’ve not noticed any major extremes of temperature but certain materials eg metals can initially feel colder on some areas of the stroke arm but not enough to bother me. As time has gone on, I’ve gained a few problems with the arm - heaviness and sensation of tightness all over, including the shoulder.So I found a neuro physiotherapist and after a few sessions with her, I’m now very numb down most of the left side with increased tingling/ pins and needles which is very uncomfortable but I’m not in despair just yet. I just keep doing the exercises I’ve been given in the hope that my muscles will loosen up (they’re definitely improving) blood flow will increase and that the nerve pathways will sort themselves out. I tried amitrIptyline for a few months but it did nothing to help. Early on, I had muscle spasms quite often and although they’ve lessened over time, I’ve found that consistent use of CBD stops them altogether.
Tingling and numbness has also increased in my face more recently, especially across the left side of my lips so I don’t enjoy eating very much!
I know this mostly sounds very negative but it doesn’t mean you will have the same experiences and I really hope you don’t 
12 weeks is very early in terms of stroke recovery. No-one can predict how it will go for any of us, unfortunately. But there are people here who can offer advice and support and that in itself means that we don’t have to do this journey on our own.
Trace
SIG
Hi Trace, thanks for responding to my post, it’s good to know I’m not alone with this tingling torture! It’s 3am and I’m walking about with no idea how to stop my leg and arm tingling, it’s so much sharper at night and I can’t bear the really soft sheets on my knee, it feels so sore,. I’m a bad sleeper anyway so this is just more unhelpful….I’m still having home visits from a physio who is doing sensory re education, he is lovely and very encouraging but I’m not sure there’s much difference yet? When my visits finish I will find a neuro physio and explore what they can offer… my fizzing/tingling, numbness, stiffness and heavyness have been there from day 1 and no change there except maybe for the end of my fingers and my chin area, the rest of the ,lefthand side of my face is still numb…
Thanks again for your reply, I hope you continue to experience changes and that they will be for the better…
Thank you it’s good to chat
Jenny
I think the common rule of thumb or opinion here is tingling etc is a good thing in early stroke recovery. I had it.
It’s your brain waking up/sending signals to the affected areas, in simple terms from what I’ve read.
Mine stopped (I’m 4 months post)
Thanks Matt, hope that’s the same for me, I’ve had the tingling since day 1…
Hi there I had a stroke in September and I still suffer with numbness in my forefinger and thumb on my right hand it hurts more when it is cold
and my face around my mouth and lips are numb all the time I don’t know if it will ever go away
Hi @Andy2
Just wanted to welcome you to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your stroke.
I hope you’re recovery is going well so far, if you need anything whilst you’re using the Online Community please don’t hesitate to tag me using my username and the @ symbol.
Anna
@Andy2 Hi and welcome to the community. Sorry to hear of your stroke.
In stroke recovery terms you are still very early on so there is every reason to hope that your numbness will improve. Keep touching things of different textures to help your finger & thumb & I guess a similar principle could apply to your face.
A lot of stroke survivors I have come across feel the cold more and this will hopefully settle in time too.
Ask away if you have any questions.
Ann
You’re not alone, my stroke was July 2017, I’m still numb on my left side and I have tingling feeling, but I manage as best I can, and get used to feeling numb. I hope helps, best wishes John
Hello Jenny.
Sensory reeducation can take a while. I noticed significant changes after the 8 weeks of rehab and continued with it for a while after going home. The biggest ‘wow’ moment for me was being able to feel the pulse in my right wrist with the tips of the fingers of my stroke hand because the hand had been completely numb and thus devoid of any feeling/sensation whatsoever.
I love the way you describe the pins and needles as ‘fizzing’ - it describes what’s been going on in my hand very accurately for the past few months but I couldn’t think of a word for it😁
Do you think the tingling is worse at night because you don’t sleep well and are more aware of it? I generally sleep ok and feel a lot more comfortable in bed so don’t like waking up much in the morning. Being asleep is blissful escapism from reality!
Trace
SIG
@Andy2 - Welcome to the community and forum.
Wishing you all the best with your recovery from the stroke.
You are amongst friends here and plenty of help and support will be offered.
Take care.
Also, consider getting a blood test for vitamin deficiency.
I had similar symptoms, certainly the heavy leg along with constant head pain, numbness and tingles.
Mine vitamin levels were checked some 6mths after my stroke and they found that I was deficient in folic acid. I was prescribed a high does of folic acid for 6wks and instructed to continue with a daily dose of an over the counter brand. So now I take Morrisons own brand of folic acid daily. Within days of starting that course the heaviness in my leg stopped and as my walking improved and muscle grew and strengthened so too did the numbness and tingles…that bit took time 
I also take Magnesium Glycinate for my head pain, supposed to be good for migraines and it’s certainly kept the pain at bay for me.
As in any other major illness/surgery, in stroke recovery we expensed a lot of energy and nutrients in the course of our healing. B12 deficiency is another one which can cause these symptoms, and the B vitamins are nectar to our brain’s recovery. That’s why it is vital that we have a good healthy diet with plenty of protein enriched foods and green vegetables. So its worth getting this checked out first by the experts, your gp, before assuming it’s just the effects of the stroke.
Lorraine
Thanks for your reply Lorraine, that’s very interesting to me as I was folic acid deficient several months before my stroke, I took supplements for a couple of months, I’d previously had invasive dental surgery which was slow to heal, post folic acid it healed fast and the nerve pain went! …I’ll speak to my GP asap…
Jenny
How much Folic Acid do you take Lorraine?
Hi Jenny, my current bottle of folic acid is Sainsbury’s own brand 400μg, and I take 1 a day. So I’ve been taking them for about 3½ years now.
So, if you’ve taken them before it’s worth giving them a go to see if it improves your symptoms any
Lorraine
Thanks Lorraine I’ve sent my other half out to buy me
some, interestingly I’ve read that Gabapentin can reduce your folic acid levels, I will speak to my GP about that too next week….
Jenny
Yes, I take Metformin for diabetes and that impacts vitamin B3 so i top up a couple times a week for maintenance. My gp is usually very good at keeping me up to date with annual blood checks and if I need to cutback/increase/add to what I’m taking. Its one of the advatages of being diabetic, regular blood checks 
Hi, I have been on Gabapentin for a few months & it has made a difference for me. I mirrored all your side effects & no FAST symptoms when I had my stroke 3 years ago . I also take Duloxetine, nortriptaline, baclofen & anti seizure medication. I still get the symptoms but not as severe. Hope it goes well for you.