Hi everyone my name is Phil male aged 79 I had a stroke just over 2 weeks ago I’m category green status so no impairment and self sufficient been put on the usual medication. look to hear your experiences as finding it very hard mentally to deal with. Have got a very nervous stomach so finding it difficult to eat. worst thing is side effects of the statin which are which are so bad I’ve stopped taking them, the doctors said most people tolerate them easily, is that your experience? The other major thing is the fatigue again how have you all found this and does it get better. Very new hear and do not want to sound needy but have to start somewhere
any advice ould be brilliant
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Hi @wattsy
Welcome but sorry you’ve had cause to join us
You may find the Welcome - what we wish we'd heard at the start stroke welcome post click the blue text contains stuff that is helpful
Yes statins cause a lot of us problems if you use the magnifying glass above to search that keyword you’ll find There are a lot of posts
Yes fatigue is a challenge for a lot of us again if you look at the welcome post you’ll see a bit but if you use the magnifying glass you’ll find there’s been a lot written about it and strategies for coping managing etc
Don’t worry about sounding needy there’s a good degree of tolerance and help here
Simon
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Never worry about asking us anything. Any stroke is a huge shock to your system, it will take time to accept it.
With the statins ask your doctor to try another brand.
Don’t worry about sounding needy, none of us started as experts, we have learnt as we go along and are happy to pass on our experience.
Fatigue is almost universal. It is mostly about managing it. Try keeping a diary so that you know what triggers fatigue. Make sure you rest when you need to, your brain has been injured and will let you know when it needs some downtime to aid recovery.
All the best and don’t hesitate to ask anything.
janet
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@wattsy Hi & welcome to the forum. As others have already said don’t worry about asking loads we are all happy to share our experiences.
Good to hear you have no impairments that’s a real positive.
Statins can cause issues but there are many alternatives so if you need them speak to your GP about an alternative. I tolerate them ok but I know others who don’t.
Fatigue is all about managing it. I kept a diary so i could identity my triggers. I mot oy included what i had done that day but also my fatigue level (i scored it out of 10). Sometimes the fatigue can be delayed - you may suffer today for something you did a couple of days ago. But the good news is yes it does get better. 2 weeks is very early days so plenty of time for you to improve. Listen to your body & rest when you need to.
Best wishes
Ann
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Hi Phil. First of all statins–all people respond differentlyThey don’t bother my husband at all, but I cannot tolerate any statins. Doc tried them all on me. So, she put me on Zetia (ezetimibe) It works differently than statins and doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve been on it for 10 years. She coupled it with 500 mg Niacin vitamin. The only drawback to ezetimibe is that it doesn’t bring down cholestrol as much as statins, but it does help. Something is better than nothing. Ask your doc about it and see if it might work for you. Second, the fatigue–very common for stroke survivors. Ask anyone here. It lasts different lengths of time for different folks, but it seems to me that most people complain about it for several months or longer. It’s been 5 years since my stroke. The fatigue eased up after a couple of years, but I still don’t have the energy or stamina I had before the stroke. Don’t worry about sounding “needy”. Most of us felt that way after such a traumatic experience. Things will get better with time . Keep your spirits up and be patient with yourself. Best Wishes 
Jeanne
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thanks for taking the trouble to respond and information will certainly take your advice currently taking plant Sterols until meds sorted out
you take care as well
x
wattsy
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Hi @wattsy welcome to the forum 
We all came here for the same reason as you, so we were all needy. And we stay for the comradeship and support we can give each other. So don’t be afraid to ask anything, no matter how simple it may sound 
And seeing as everyone else has covered everything else, I just cover this one…which we have all also experienced.
As with any other illness or after major surgery we are off our food for some time afterwards, the same goes for strokes! You can lose a lot of weight after strokes, particularly in muscle mass.
If you haven’t got a lot of muscle mass to begin with then you can’t afford to lose any more. You also risk becoming anaemic and that is an under-recognized risk factor. Then you become as weak as dish water like I did and lose a couple stone in weight you can’t afford to lose 
I was borderline and put on folic acid, that seemed to put a spring back in step…well, in good leg anyway 
We burn a lot of fuel in recovery and the brain in particular needs its brain food, nutrients! In particular the B vitamins and Iron, the brainy foods, also helps breakdown food to digest and for muscle growth. B vitamins can’t be stored in the body so you’d normally get your daily intake from foods enriched with these vitamins such as:
- broccoli.
- brussels sprouts.
- leafy green vegetables, such as cabbage, kale, spring greens and spinach.
- peas.
- chickpeas and kidney beans.
- particularly liver (but avoid this during pregnancy)
- breakfast cereals fortified with folic acid.
If you are off your food, you might want to try a nutrient shake such as Ensure or Complan or other vitamin enriched brand. They can be made into milkshakes or sprinkled into some foods you do eat and come in the usual flavours such as chocolate, strawberry, vanilla or even banana in some brands.
This will also help with some, if not all, of the fatigue you are experiencing. So plenty of proteins to build your muscle, feed your brain and carbs to give you some energy 
Look forward to seeing you around the forum
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Hi emerald eyes cannot recall if i ever properly thanked you and everybody else for giving advice on the food and eating issue, I have taken a lot of it on board and trying to make them work. Sometimes just eating anything makes the nausea worse, but will persevere. On a flippant note I really do hope you have emerald eyes!!!
Thanks to all and hope you have a good day
wattsy
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Hi @wattsy, have you tried taking travel sickness pills for the nausea, that will probably help. Just check with your chemist against your other medications, but I’ve used them from time to time with no adverse side effects relating to all my other medications. And have you seen your GP about it, just to ensure there’s nothing else going on that could cause it?
As for my eyes, well, they are green, just darker than emeralds I’m afraid
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I was given Prochlorperazine for nausea so may be worth asking your GP for something to help. I stopped taking them as they gave horrendous headaches but they did help with the nausea. Side effects for you may not happen.
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