It certainly is and can be quite frightening to begin with, like Janerider I was always asking myself if it was ok ….after a day on the sofa today with no stimulations I feel a bit better…hoping not speaking too soon….but having done this before I have learnt it’s the way to go…it’s ok to do Absolutely Nothing!!! xx
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hello Janerider. Please don’t get sucked into using the old BAD words ‘I should’. As most of our friends on the site have replied to you, when you feel tired, it’s our body’s way of telling you that you need to rest and recoup. Fatigue is a big part of the body’s way of healing itself and you need to hear that. Please don’t allow yourself to carry on doing whatever, all you will do is set yourself back longer than if you had a short break. I learned that the hard way and now I rest when I need to. It might only be for a few minutes, or on another day I might need all day. If you push yourself too much, the stress will lay you low and you will be back at square one. Take your time to heal. I do wish you all the best for your recovery.
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Thank you and yes recovery from the pneumonia is ongoing but getting easier to cope with. 
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Hello Janerider, I won’t add to other folks comments, they all talk very good sense! But your post resonated with me about the effects you were having re tiredness. I found it very difficult to accept the ‘fatigue’ status, I too felt that I too SHOULD just bite the bullet and get on with it. But the wise therapists in my rehab team gradually got me to understand the effects of a stroke and how debilitating it could be. If I had the wherewithall I would erase that dreadful word SHOULD from our language. It is so powerful and guilt ridden. It took me a long time to learn my new condition and what my limits were. I’m retired so I don’t have the pressure of employment, but I wanted still to do the ‘housekeeping’ role as I’d always done. I was just making my condition worse and it took another medical setback to get my head straight. Your body will tell you when you need to rest, please listen to it. You are not choosing to take a break, your body is telling you that you MUST take it. I’m sure all our friends on here will support you, We’ve all been there! Welcome, we look forward to hearing of your steady recovery Best wishes Norma 751
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Thanks Norma ill try & remember housework not important at present rest is
I often felt tired after my severe stroke 5 years ago, but found that my speech became slurred as if I had been drinking heavily (I have not had a drink since my stroke !). The solution for me was to have a good nap EVERY AFTERNOON for an hour or two. Try it !
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Ill give it a try. Today however cardiac rehab team want me to go to exercise class at leisure centre today only as new class its 1pm to 315pm. Next week 145pm to 315pm. As I keep waking about 4am i think I might be tired.
Don’t overdo it! When you get tired - REST !
A familiar feeling for me, but you know what? Some days can be a write off, when I was in my late teens I wrote a not very good poem about how there were 365 days in a year and that we don’t need to do something everyday. It’s all right to just be sometimes, let the brain catch up.
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Modal verbs I try not to use; Should, must, need, and will.
Modal verbs I feel are a better fit with the ambiguity of life; Might, may, shall, and can.
Influencers on the internet love the obligatory modals like should, need, must, and will.
It oversimplifies the nuances of existence.
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Indeed, tomorrow I might get up (I am in bed already the noo ha ha) and if I do, I may eat some chocolate and I shall watch some more telly (subtitled Nordic noir as usual) Just because I CAN!!! Not for me getting dressed in my Lycra and cycling 100 miles to prove I am all better. Might even get up in middle of night and howl at the moon if I feel like it !! So there.
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Why not.
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When did anyone start housework please i came out hospital 18th March. Has affected right side & my vision a bit dark?
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I don’t do housework …simples! Well maybe washing up and washing clothes, making beds…oh I guess that is housework !! I Just do it when i feel like it…i always imagine I am living in a log cabin in the far north Canadian woods, wouldn’t really need housework. Realise I am not being realistic or helpful but my point I guess is that there is no time limit to do anything so don’t try to measure yourself against housework time marker, it will come when you feel like it xxx
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It was a few months for me and then I just did very small amounts at a time. It will vary for everyone I suspect. You could perhaps try a little dusting in one room & see how you get on. Just take it easy.
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I started housework almost immediately, after about three months getting home. Hoovering helped me move again, regaining balance through the movement. I found cleaning to be a positive brain blanking activity. Making the bed was a lot harder. I got back to cooking fairly early on because my partner hated doing it and it was something I could just about manage but not without severe pain. I remember, distinctly, having to sit down between each stage of cooking. By the time I was finished, I was on a struggle bus. My favourite was always hoovering and now that I am living alone, I have embraced ironing too. In some rehabilitation centres they get stroke survivors to do cleaning as part of their rehabilitation because the movements often involve thousands of repetitions, needed for effective rehabilitation. And for me, the satisfaction of a clean and tidy space, within reason, releases a big blob of dopamine in my brain and makes me feel good. I also like to sometimes make a mess because I can look forward to tidying it up at some point. I have to be careful though because some of my childhood OCD has resurfaced since stroke and that can be emotionally challenging and bring on fatigue.
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Perhaps they should do this in all rehabilitation centres. There are definitely added benefits to doing this type of activity. In some cases and unless I am getting mixed up with something else, doing housework and gardening are better forms of physical activity/exercises than going to the Jim or pounding the roads.
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My movement ethos is centred around one stone and several dead birds. I find movement for movement’s sake makes me feel aimless. I enjoy having achieved a parallel result from movement, whether that be from gardening or housework. I see the appeal of gyms but don’t have it myself. Running along the roadside I feel might actually be counterintuitive as those heavily drawn running breaths are surely sucking in carbon monoxide deep within the lungs.
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