Chronic fatigue and stroke.

Attended the young stroke survivor gathering on the Sunshine Coast last Friday and whilst I devoured nearly every mentos on our table l guess l was surprised by the impact fatigue is having on stroke survivors.

A doctor gave a presentation during the session and cross referenced the fatigue factor to that of chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers.

During my post stroke physical recovery l had suffered fatigue but pushed on and worked the body on a balcony in hospital when my body was trying to tell me l should be in bed resting between physio sessions. My emphasis and goal at that time was push the body to achieve and regrow into what it will and can be.

The mind during the physical rebuild sat idly. Until a month ago.

Thats when I started back at work - fatigue hit and it hit as hard or harder than it did when l was rebuilding the body. Shit, l was going so well.

And it took me back to when l was 30 and diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs). Back then it was a new condition that was viewed as suspicious insofar as did it really exist. I can confirm that it did/does and it is debilitating. For weeks and months I laid on bed and floors to tired to do anything, to tired to talk and sometimes to tired to breath.

I finally decided that resting wasn’t the solution and when you think about it, rest brings on rust as your muscles start to waste from lack of use.

So I decided to go join a gym. Still well under the control of cfs I began at a gym and I’ve gotta say l was probably the most pathetic gymster of all time. I did a few pushes on the machine then slumped with exhaustion - but l pushed on. I also got on my push bike. And I persisted. A few weeks later l could walk across the road without fatigue and it went on from there. I got stronger and fitter and fatigue went by the wayside. I firmly believed that whilst cfs had engulfed my body at the time, my gym work rebuilt my body into a new version of itself - by going to gym and not to bed l had pushed through cfs.

Back at the present - this post stroke fatigue is the same as my cfs fatigue - let’s see how it plays out this time. Have again decided to hit the gym the last week when bed would have been the golden option. Sat in the car both times and forced myself inside and pumped iron. I have been doing gym during my physical recovery but during my now mental recovery with chronic fatigue it’s a brand new ball game. 10 mins into it and the fatigue is giving way as l push the muscles to endure the weight strain applied. 30 or so mins later after a committed but not gut busting session l leave the gym, muscularly tired but not chronically fatigued. I think this is the solution again to post stroke as it had been to cfs. Will report again.