Wallenbergs syndrom

Panek
Panekon Thursday, September 1 2016
1 Comment

Hi all!

 

2 years ago I experienced a rapid heart rate episode that resulted in a TIA as evidenced by a left medulla infarction and Wallenbergs syndrome. Though I have now greatly improved my balance and gait, I still experience cognitive issues as evidenced by an reduced ability to concentrate, communicate by word to others and organize myself to undertake daily chores. I always feel mentally fatigued even upon waking up and this is only remedied by further sleep which results in the day going past with little or nothing to show for it!

Very annoying and frustrating I can tell you! Is this usual or am I just getting lazy!

1 Responses
StrokeLine avatar
StrokeLine

Hi Panek,

 

Welcome to enableme and thank you for sharing your story. I'm so sorry to hear about your stroke but I'm pleased you're seeing improvements in your balance and gait. The cognitive changes may take longer to improve but keep going. They could also be impacted on by your fatigue. We know that regular practice at the right level (not too easy but not too hard) helps tap into neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to rewire and make new neural pathways. Are you still working on your thinking skills and communication with a rehab team?

 

It is very common to experience fatigue after stroke. This is not laziness. You might like to listen to our podcast on fatigue here. At the bottom of that page there is a link to a transcript from an online chat that we had with other survivors after the podcast. Here is our resource page on fatigue which includes a video, links to our fatigue fact sheet and also conversations on fatigue in our community forum. I think you will find them helpful.

 

It is a fine line finding a good balance with fatigue between resting and getting yourself up to exercise and do some activity. Knowing when to push through can be challenging and we touch on this in the podcast. We do know that regular exercise is good for fatigue and stroke prevention but listening to your body is essential and finding that balance can be tricky. Many of the community find modifying the way you do things, asking for/saying yes to help, mindfulness, reviewing your diet and investigating other potential causes of fatigue like medication or medical causes helpful. Here is another wonderful conversation on practical ways to manage fatigue.

 

If you would like to talk further about fatigue and stroke recovery please don't hesitate to call StrokeLine on 1800 787 653 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

 

Best wishes,

 

Simone (Occupational Therapist)

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