40 years old and I've had a stroke

Hi Corey, like you I spent 3 days in hospital after my stroke in September 2018 however unlike you, I am not 40 but 68. It takes time for your body to resolve what has happened to you. Good diet, exercise, a positive oulook and a sense of gratitude for still being alive go a long way. It's easy to say that I know. Fatigue and vulnerability are common issues for stroke survivors. Vulnerability is a particular issue which can bring to the surface the emotions you have mentioned. In the past few months I have gained great benefit from listening to some of the podcasts on the EnableMe website. There is some very useful information in them. All the best.

john

Hi Corey,

Welcome to enableme. It is great that you have reached out here. We are sorry to hear about your recent stroke.

The first few days and weeks after a stroke can be a particularly overwhelming and challenging time. It is normal to experience a wide range of emotions as well as strong emotions such as anger, following a stroke. These changes can become easier to manage over time with the right treatment and support. A good starting point for more information are our resource pages on emotions and personality changes. We also have a podcast on emotional and personality changes and depression and anxiety. There is a conversation on our forum with tips on how to manage emotional lability and Synapse also have some good tips here.

We also suggest you book an appointment to speak with your GP about your emotions and mood. They can discuss treatment options and support. Did you have a psychologist or psychiatrist from before the stroke? If so, contacting them for a review might be helpful. If not, your GP may suggest a referral and write up a mental health care plan to enable you to access a number of Medicare subsidised sessions.

We are also here to support you if you’re able to call us on StrokeLine on 1800 787 653. StrokeLine is staffed by qualified health professionals and available 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Please note we will be closed from 5pm on Friday 21 and reopen on Wednesday 2 January at 9am. If you require crisis support at any time please call LifeLine on 13 11 14.

There are stroke survivors in our community who have been where you are and will also have some good advice to offer you.

Best wishes,

Simone (StrokeLine)

Hi Corey 

Just wanted to let you know your not alone, I’m 43 and had a TIA in September last year although not full blown stroke I found it hard to come to terms with, I lost vision in my right eye, felt dizzy and left arm felt funny, luckily it only lasted for 5-10 mins, though felt a lot longer. I didn’t even go to doctors till 2 days later as thought it wasn’t nothing to worry about, so was a shock when doc then said I think you had a TIA, I even had to ask what she meant as never heard of it, when she said mini stroke I just looked at her dumbfounded and didn’t believe her, it still hadn’t sunk in after I had been to TIA clinic. Like you I felt very emotional, angry one minute, crying the next and still in disbelief that I had one, although I got told TIA symptoms would go  away straight away I noticed I started to stutter too but thankful that disappeared by 6 weeks later, it’s been 4 months now since I had mine now but still some days I get emotional, especially when people treat me like I need bubble wrap. Like I said I know what happened to you is worse than what happened to me but it will get better and if you ever need to talk send me a message, take each day as it comes it’s still early days, take care beth

Hi Corey, hang in there - as cliche as that sounds! It will get better. I had a stroke last June at 40. It was a complete shock and I felt my world was turned upside down. It’s seven months now and I have made major progress. The body is amazing and you will see this over the coming months. Have faith in your body even though you may feel like it has let you down. I was hospitalised for 7 days and it took weeks for doctors to agree on what happened. I had a hole in my heart called a PFO and with no other obvious cause, it was decided this was the likely source. I had it closed and that has helped with the healing process and anxiety. Stroke recovery can seem like you go forward and then backwards. At three months I started to feel better and was back to doing a lot of normal things. It was too much. My physical deficits were gone by 12 weeks but the cognitive deficits, fatigue and emotional liability continued. Take it very slow. I started an antidepressant and it has helped a lot. Sleep as much as you need and eat well. I am now back to working part time. Don’t need to rest everyday (yay!). I experience minor issues with loud noises and bright lights when tired. I have speech difficulties sometimes when I’m fatigued but you know what - I’m happy not to talk a lot these days! I still get scared and worried about it happening again but this is becoming less and less. What I see now is so much more joy in my life and family. I am incredibly grateful to be here. Time heals so much. Take care 

Hi Corey,

Here are some comments from Stroke Foundation Facebook too

 

Neil Augustine time....

 

Toni Arfaras Hi Corey, your feelings are so valid so allow yourself to feel what you're feeling and talk to your GP/neuro/ medical team/ family about helping you to find a psychologist or neuro-psyche. Enableme (one of the Stroke Foundation's websites) 

 

Hi Corey.... at this point, no point in saying you are not alone! I just wanted to say that for me that anger thing got better fairly quickly - but with fatigue and everything, I find it best to accept that it all moves at its own pace and i feel better being kind to myself and take one day at a time - getting angry with myself or the situation just 'feeds the monster' and with fatigue, pushing myself just extends the fatigue like a hangover. And i'm 55, so still a bit older but as an extremely fit and healthy person (except for an unknown hole in my heart that has since been sealed up) its still a huge shock - for me and everyone that knows me. I'm extremely calm easy going person, so grateful to be alive after the size of my stroke and grateful to have rapidly made full physical recovery.... and yet, I found myself snapping at people that love me and had been so supportive. I remember the first time I just thought 'what the hell was that' and felt ashamed of myself, but i talked it through with my wife. Then about a week or so later a friend i hadn't seen for many years and currently interstate, heard what happened through the grapevine and called me. He had a stroke and the biggest message he wanted to tell me was about this anger thing and it was great to hear that because then i could forgive myself and since then found myself when I felt it to eg. say to my wife "I'm feeling that anger thing so i'm going to walk away and come back in a little while and talk that thing through" - and she got it, and it worked and now i just don't feel it. I'm trying to remember now the triggers, but I think it was when a situation wasn't going my way or how i wanted it to, something like that - and i guess the channels of the brain with all the really bad uncontrollable things that happen it just triggers something. So I am no expert in any way and others - maybe your doctor - will describe the mechanics - I'm just trying to explain what i felt in case that helps - we are all different and i should say that I have never had anxiety and now have a hugely better appreciation of what that means and never had depression, but my wife has so i do understand, but since the stroke was warned about depression but I just haven't had any - I just feel so lucky to be alive and able to enjoy live and my family and my 12 and 14yo kids. But that's just me.