Hi everyone, I’m 5 years post stroke and we lucky to not have any physical issues. Mine are all in my head, with cognitive issues and some aphasia. my worst symptom is the dreaded fatigue! As times gone on I’ve found that I can have a few good weeks where I seem to have lots of energy, feel really happy and up beat and could almost take on the world. I suffer with migraines that either affect my balance or plays up my speech and these seem to disappear. Then - I get a crash, just like now, when my energy is low, my mood is low, I struggle at work ( I’m a PA in the NHS) as my cognitive issues are worse, my migraines come back and all I want to do is sleep. I assume it’s the ups and down of having a brain injury but wonder if others get this pattern in their lives too. It’s unpredictable and you don’t know how long each stage will last.
Hi @Debchips
If you had never had a stroke, I would be asking you this - Have you ever been tested for Type2 Diabetes?
Because you are describing all the symptoms I had prior to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes…and still experience whenever blood sugar is out of whack.
Thyroid could be another possibility. Worth having these checked by your GP if only to rule them out…if you haven’t already.
Personally, I feel this is something more than just fatigue from stroke Deb. See your GP and don’t let them stop 'til you have this figured out.
Thanks Emerald eyes - I do have type 2 diabetes it was diagnosed about 12/18 moths after my stroke and I have 6mth check ups so alls good there. I also have hypothyroid too and I must say once I started thyroxine my energy shot up. Had my bloods checked a few weeks ago and all was fine. I do think I am sensitive to my thyroid levels as they were always nearly abnormal but never close enough to diagnose for years. maybe that could be a reason. Might be worth a trip to the gp to discuss it. Maybe I’ve had this longer than I thought??? I’m also neurodiverse and I’ve had times over my life when I hit bottom energy wise - I remember nearly losing my college place because I was off with over tiredness - you’ve got me thinking now - thank you!
@Debchips i am 19 months post stroke & still get fatigue which can be bad for days when it hits. It is possible that it is from your stroke but it might be wise for you to get checked for other things just in case. Low B12 for example can affect energy levels. Hopefully they can sort it for you or at least you’ll know for sure whats causing it.
Best wishes
Ann
So too can Folic Acid. I think this is the thing all of us do post stroke, your first thought is stroke related, stroke effect, so sometimes it takes another person’s nudge to start thinking out that particular box. Hence your need to see your GP and make sure they too are thinking outside the stroke box before you settle for this.
Do you test your own BS daily? You know how eating carbs affects your BS and we do like our occasional naughty but nice things. And these all have the knock on effects you describe…I mean, a spaghetti bolognaise can leave me comatose I’m that tired after one. So I will usually have the bolognaise without the spaghetti; I will bulk up on meat and veg to replace potatoes as they too will make me sluggish after meals; a bowl of jumbo oats and slice of seeded bread (2slices if I’m doing a workout at the gym) for breakfast…that will takes me nicely through to lunch without crashing. By checking your own BS on a daily basis, you will learn better how to balance food intake against your BS levels so you don’t have these hypos and crashes, they do make you jittery and off balance too. I got my monitor free from the GP and the test strips and lancets on repeat prescription.
I know my sister is on Levothyroxine for hypothyroidism and it took a couple years tweaking the dose to regulate it…and what a nightmare that was because it is such a slow process. Now between that and a strictly low carb healthy diet, she’s doing surprisingly well, wouldn’t even know she had a problem…especially compared to how she was just prior to diagnosis 
That’s not a story for delicate stomachs, never knew it could cause such skin issues though.
I definitely think there’s a theme that could be a PhD thesis for someone around something of this nature.
I find an awful lot of things people describe as stroke affects I read as saying yeah I had that before the stroke.
I find " I’ve had a stroke" an easier to accept explanation than I ever had previously
I think there’s something very plausible about the changes in brain chemistry and the altered brain networks. I’m very willing to believe the natural diversity in compasses similar differences to those caused by trauma of stroke or other ABI.
Not quite on topic for your original post but close ciao
I really do know how you feel I am 7 years down the line and also take thyroxine and also work for the nhs
A stroke specialist nurse once told me that it’s your brains way of saying hey you need to slow down and smell the roses which is not easy when you are working …
Like you sometimes I feel fab then for some reason I have no energy normally lasts a couple of days then seem ok not sure if it’s when I try and do to much or if I am not sleeping
Would be interested to see if anyone comes up with any reasons for how you are feeling but I just wanted to say you are not the only one who occasionally feels like this
Hi Debchips. I’ve just passed 2 and a half years. My stroke caused ‘only’ visual and balance problems (it ruined the right occipital lobe) with the usual fatigue/headache etc unpleasantness. Mine was a migrainous infarct - I had just started an aura migraine (I had them frequently, usually short lived) when my sight suddenly went crazy and then settled into bright pattern and fuzziness in top quarter of my vision. I thought it was just a strange migraine…… long story short…4 days later was sent to stroke clinic for tests and scan confirmed stroke. The consultant gave me 5 min of his time, and said old age and high cholesterol were the cause. He ignored the migraine and sent me home with blood thinners. Yes, I am old but my cholesterol was fine - Im a nutritional freak 
! I had 8 short migraines in the 2 months following, which steered me to Google Scholar to look for migraine and stroke connections. Which I found. With aura migraines, one has a much greater risk of stroke than non sufferers. Thats the bad news. The good is that further searching clinical information (from known verifiable sources like Nature etc) lead me to magnesium. It seems that a deficiency can contribute to the cause of a migraine. Taking that has, I think, contributed to lessening their frequency. I now have an aura migraine about every 3 months. But……when I do it seems to relight the fire under the stroke effects, and I have headaches, nausea and balance problems for about 2-3 weeks afterwards. It seems to be the way life goes now. Ah well….could be worse. This is a slow response to your post, my eyes can’t take a lot of screen time. Your mentioning your migraines rang a bell with me……I do hope you’re getting along okay and life isn’t too tough. Best wishes….
Hi @Poozle
Interesting comments about aura migraine, scholar and risk of stroke
I had increasing frequency w/ no explanation & what in hindsight proves to have been silent strokes.
WE (the members here) are the ones who 1) create the value & 2) because our experience when shared with folk who have understanding builds knowledge
Thnx 4 yr post 
Ciao
Simon