Tiredness still

The hospital have said I'm able to return to work and I've set the wheels in motion, but before I speak with my gp on Wed I'm concerned about fatigue. I have days where I feel on top of the world but dont over do things and then like today despite having not done much yesterday I've got no energy.

Has anyone else experienced this and does it get better? I'm worried that if I go back to work part time I'm going to be calling in sick on the days when I have no energy and annoy my employer.

When I go back it will have been 8 weeks since my ischemic stroke it's just this up and down with energy i dont know what to do about.

dear tulip

Post stroke fatigue, tiredness, brain fog or as i term it, SF, is very common. 
i think the best advice is "dont fight it".

yes i certainly have xperienced this and yes it does get better.

research is underway, ironically more in the ME field. But right now there does not appear to be any cure.

you are recovering so very well that it would be an awful pity to overdo things at work.

i found it helpful to have good night time sleep and to have a break during the day.

i kept notes to monitor the level and time of the tiredness. 

if your employer has an HR department then ask to discuss it with them, and ask if they have someone with stroke experience.

Good luck

colin

 

 

 

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hi there.i had a stroke in november 2019.i find i still have tiredness and fatigue.off and on.it does get better and some days are really good but when it comes on just have a sleep wherever you can.try not to fight it.it makes you feel worse.took me about 6 months to understand that you have to,walk regularly and do what you can when you can. i was made redundant in feb so no return to work.this year has been bad in so many ways.try and get through this and always ask for help if possible

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I had my stroke in 2017 and I still get very fatigued and tired I knos when I have over done things and I have regular rests if not I get trouble with AF which is very unpleasent. I can feel my heart beating out of rhythm and it makes me feel very unwell. My husband does most of the work and I feel very guilty but I have my limits and stick to them. Hoping one day things will get better. Best wishes to all and a Very happy new year it can only be better than this one. Norma Jean.

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Hi. Post stroke fatigue is SO common and I can fully empathise with both these survivors. My stroke was 2 years ago (November 2018). In fact 2 years ago I was getting ready to go home from hospital. I still get fatigue ocassionally and just have to stop. I tell those I support via Here For You is listen to your body. If you need to rest do so. Exercise in whatever form is good especially outdoors, but if your body is saying NO listen. This might sound a bit doom and gloom, but I always think it is best to share experiences so we know what we might expect.

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Well said  Colin.

the good days are a delight arent they

Colin

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Hi Colin

Having chatted with my gp yesterday shes advised I stay off work until end Jan now. Had good convo with work and now agreed return on better terms.

Had been feeling really good about my recovery but today a short cycle ride left me feeling the worst I've felt since the first week out of hospital. Massive fatigue and memory issues too.

Laurence 

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Hi Laurence

it is the tiredness which I find utterly defeating.  Only 3 minutes on my exercise bike and I am exhausted, and there are no hills!  I listen to my body and have a nap in my chair.  However I'm wide awake at 4am   It will get better, it seems patience is the most needed quality for a stroke survivor.  I am not well endowed in that particular area.

a Happy New Year to all.  Let's tell ourselves we will get better.  I have started the year with a negative Covid test result.  Hooray!  Can't help worrying what is causing my 'crackles', though, will have to wait until Monday to get rest results the NHS doesn't seem to understand that people need GP care at weekends and bank holidays, in fact 24/7. Patience, patience, patience.  I need to have patient patience now.

Your very impatient, marylin

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That sounds good regarding work situation. Much better than before.

most of us yo yo day by day. At one stage i used to be really pleased if i was having a bad day, knowing the next day would be good.

it is however preferable to listen to your body and when it says rest, you rest.

i used to monitor "overdo". And avoid overdo as much as possible. 
 

i have not managed to align memory with fatigue. Probably at your early stage they did link, but now they dont. Its easier now. 
 

lets hope for a vast improvement in 2021. Brexit at last finished, a vaccine on the near horizon, and your stroke symptoms to improve and maybe disappear.

my soccer favourites will even win a few games.

gosh its quiet outside. I have a railway line at the bottom of my very long garden. Just four trains an hour. Hardly notice them. But boy i notice their absence.

colin

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Happy New Year to everyone ?

Just to say that when my husband gets tired, it's as though he drops off of a cliff.  Everything seems to go pear-shaped - his speech, recall, co-ordination, balance, memory, he just stops functioning.  Fortunately because he runs his own business, he can usually pace himself, but fatigue, is a horrible manifestation of stroke ?, even after 3 years, I think this will always be a legacy of the stroke.  We have just come home from a 3 mile walk, so relaxing now, but he may go out again this afternoon.  We never know from day-to-day what his energy levels will be, but we recognise the signs of fatigue and "over-do", and take action before it causes problems.  

Something for people to be aware of when planning to return to work, don't let it stop you, but be prepared to work around the fatigue.  Very best of luck xx

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And a happy 2021 to you. Thanks for your posts during 2020, you often rescue me from despair.

colin

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Hi Colin - you are our "Go-To" person when it comes to advice and support, so I am bowled over, and humbled by your very kind words ?.  

We have managed a 3 mile walk on 3 consecutive days, something I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams following the stroke which my husband suffered in 2017.  (We live in a remote, rural setting, passing only cows and sheep on our daily constitutional, so very low Covid risk). 

Recovery continues, as you always remind us, and never taken for granted, but now time to put our trotters up and snuggle up next to the log-burner!!

Take good care, stay cosy ?, Nic 

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Flattery will get you everywhere  !

i too am lazing in front of our ludicrously over powered log burner. Sooty is snoozing on the arm of the settee. I decided against a walk today.

 I am walking two extra houses each walk, along our 200+ house road. I am way down in the south east of East Anglia, Tendring district, and so far we have dodged the snow. My once lovely village has been destroyed by recent over development but the walks are good. I cant yet manage a mile so i am envious of your three miles, which would take me to the nearby river when i recover enough.

I look forward to the jabs riding in to rescue us. And i look forward to seeing where 2021 might take us.

very best wishes,

Colin

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Happy New Year Nick, I hope you are both well.  I have to agree with how you describe SF, it seems to come from nowhere sometimes even if you're feeling ok I find. I find short term memory loss very frustrating and hard to come to terms with at times. I think that as time goes on (it's coming up to 3 years since I had a stroke) I have less SF than I did but can still get caught out. I'm having a bit of trouble sleeping at the moment and I know this contributes to the SF I'm having. It's all a big learning curve for us all at the moment especially as it's impossible to get a GP appointment since COVID.  Thank goodness we have this site, there's always someone here who'll have had a similar experience.
On a positive note I've taken up reading again which is great and I'm looking forward to catching up on all the books I've bought but not read since the stroke.  I've even started reading the daily newspaper which I've ignored all this time. So if the weather turns and we can't get out I've plenty to occupy my time. 
 

Ann

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Hi colin

Dolly mouse here thanks for your note you have answered my question my stroke was 2yr ago now age 87 I get a day feeling on top of the world that's when I catch up on things... Next day no get up and go so I do what you can say don't force it.... I don't sleep much at night so catch up when I want to... I do as you said listen to your body if it says no go today then don't do it... The quicker we try and accept this the better we will become... A lot of things I cannot do know.... Since the stroke but I am alive you tube has helped me a lot for my crafts by looking up help for can't move fingers etc now I can do some of my crafts again... Just don't give up.. Stay safe everyone Dolly

 

 

 

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When will this stop? My double Stroke was just over two years ago .. the fatigue shows no signs of abating ... ? though I also have MS and the fatigue was a big factor with that too beforehand ... ??

Had a right basal ganglia haemorrhage 5 years ago this coming April. Went back to work 10 months later to an even larger workload subsequently retiring early at my choice end 2017, I still have fatigue fall asleep anytime anywhere at the drop of a hat which annoys my wife of 34 years as she was told  at 2 years I should be normal, whatever that means. So, fatigue like everything, is individual 

 

My stroke was 4 1/2 years ago but the fatigue is still such a massive issue. I haven't learned when to stop either. My problem is the stroke occurred ten days after having my first child so I have the double whammy of trying to be the perfect mum to make up for having the stroke and also having a 4 1/5 year old to deal with. 
Learning to read your body is the key!

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Hello all, my stroke was in October 2020, so it's early days.

It's very encouraging to read about others' experiences. Thank you.

My main issue is dizziness rather than actual fatigue, although it begins to get wearing and starts to manifest itself as fatigue as my head begins to feel heavier and heavier as it feels as if it's bobbing about on my neck. I can walk, but start to stagger after a while, as my balance is affected by the dizziness.

I feel most comfortable when my head is in a fixed position, so it's tempting to keep sitting down. I sleep a lot, always after lunch for an hour or two, and all through the night, no problem, then wake up exhausted. It takes me at least an hour to crank up in the morning. I'm retired so at least I don't have to please an employer, which is a blessing,

After a morning shower I would be happy to stagger back to bed, except that I need to force myself to do something around the house like jobs that need attention, or at least I feel that they do. I have been able, with husband's assistance, to strip and re-varnish two timber doors. This mammoth task has taken over two weeks, just a chunk at a time, and I feel triumphant at having managed it, because I never thought I would recover enough strength in my affected hand to wield a paint-brush, and I didn't think I could keep upright for long enough.

I am encouraged by this, but I have other hobbies which have been neglected, and I don't exercise enough. I am anxious about walking outside in case I fall over and break something. Safer to stay indoors, so I do "landing laps" inside, although it's not as healthy as a nice long walk in the fresh air.

Roll on that vaccine! And thank you for your contributions. I feel I am not alone.

Rilla

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I have dyspraxia  a speech steoke and I get very fatigued after long conversations especially on the phone. I can empathise