I had my stroke on 05/03/24,
After being discharged I lack the motivation to do the exercises set by physio. I seem to of accepted that my mobility has altered and find work arounds to do the tasks needed for independancy. Any help?
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Hi & welcome. Sorry you’ve had cause to join us.
Motivation is a difficult one & different things work for different people. Being told off by my physio kept me motivated but also being able to do things how I did pre stroke was one of my goals. We can often find work arounds but be mindful that some of those might have longer term consequences. You haven’t said how you’re affected / to what level you are affected but as an example an altered gait can long term result in back, knee & hip pain. Work arounds may also restrict some of the more difficult activities e.g. you might be able to move around ok but could you cross a road safely or could you run if you wanted to.
Set small goals that you can easily aim for rather than something that you might feel is unachievable at this stage. Getting started on the exercises might take aome doing but I generally find once i’ve started they’re not so bad. A routine might help too. For example I do my first lot of exercises when i get up in a morning…they’re done out the way then and I can get on with the day.
lack of motivation could also be due to low mood. If this is the case addressing that might help.
Juat a few thoughts.
Best wishes
Ann
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all of my left side was affected, through pure pig headed stubborness /tears tantrums and determination, i can now move around with an aid, but still do not have any feeling/sensation on my left. the arm and leg still seem to wander off on their own adventure if i dont keep an eye on them.
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Hi
Sorry to hear you had a stroke.
I suggest reading the welcome post as it says stuff that’s probably in your new normal future
Lack of motivation is IMHO Very common and as @Mrs5K Ann said and NeuroPlasticity as the ENEMY! says something you might want to put effort towards
It’s a bit of a double whammy - youve probably got several months where energy is being used internally, subconsciously, non-discretionary on healing AND also elements of neuroplasticity that you probably don’t want long-term - it’s distracting from your combating NP 
but it’s necessary and my firm advice would be don’t fight it - You’ve maybe got a long road to to navigate ahead of you
I don’t know but if your PT is anything like mine they hadn’t got a clue about which exercises were worth embarking on in the first month, first 3 months first year… You have all that to learn. Info is on here but won’t be easy to find the curated story at the level of detail that will shortcut you’re learning but the welcome post does allude to it.
Your best bet I suggest would be to come along to the Thursday zooms and talk about it (although I won’t be at this weeks! @pando Will you be back from Italy?)
Caio
Simon
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You’re well within time frame for return of sensation. Just how much can you move your arm & leg ? Wishing you good luck !!
ciao, Roland
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Simon hi, I might pop in, I’ll be back, but have a massage booked at 2 pm on Thu.
I’ve got to the difficult part of the holiday ; needed wheelchair today ; let’s hope tomorrow picks up with a yang day
ciao, Roland
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And it’ll be the sheer stubbornness, tears, tantrums & determination that will motivate you to do your physio. There is plenty of time for improvement & return of sensation but it takes work.
One thing that is certain is if you dont try you wont improve.
Go for it you’ll be grateful in the end.
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Been there, done that and it all worked well for me, don’t see why it can’t continue be that way for you. So hi 
and welcome to the for forum @gottakeepsmilin 
We all still need work arounds to get through our day and keep on living. For some things it’s always good retraining for the brain before you give in to the work around, because the work around is a good memory jogger anyway. One little tip for you if you’re out walking, keep the kerb/roadside to your good side. That will prevent you risking of any uncontrolled wandering or falling into the road. I soon learnt that one very early on, fortunately I had my hubby to pull me back 
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It’s still very early days for you. You might make a good recovery soon. The first 5 months is the quickest. Your motivation will come when you’ve adjusted and mourned. Stay strong
Helen
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What’s the link for the Thursday meeting please. What time. Can I attend
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Hi Smilin,
Another thing comes to mind. I was exactly like you; no idea why I was repeating this 5 times ; repeating that 10 times. etc. Once I understood that to defeat my stiffness, and stimulate sensation there was no better way, I started understanding why I had to do certain exercises even though my body got tired quickly, and afterwards the muscles did not necessarily enjoy the experience (unlike the good side).
A year later I still struggle with my affected side, but I know if I don’t keep it flowing it’s worse, and gets stiffer by the minute. Luckily I have a good physio, who knows me well, and listens to everything I say. She also explains why something is so, or why I am doing xyz. That makes a lot of difference,
good luck, Roland
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Hi @Mollybenji
Of course you can come they are open to all
The focus is from 1pm UK time https://bit.ly/StrokeCafe on Thursadys
Some folk arrive a little early or later in the afternoon. Other folk use the link to meet up at other times. You can get a reminder each week by joining the mailing list which you do by sending a blank email to cafe-join@logicalmodel.net
You can add a diary reminder by going to the post stroke cafes and then long pressing or double clicking on the date and your device will offer you the option of adding to your diary
If you need any other info or help or support then reach out to me - I would include my contact details but every time I do that admin delete my posts unhelpfully
Caio
Simon
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Roland @pando & @gottakeepsmilin
It was exactly the challenges both of you have summarised that I struggled and struggle still with and why I wrote
And hybrid hubs Hybrid Stroke Rehab Hubs
@gottakeepsmilin next week Roland & I are discussing steps to organise our selves to peer support the ‘gap’ - we will let you know as things develop 
Caio
Simon
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I’ll be there thankyou
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