Stroke Survivor looking for support and some answers

Hi Chip,

It’s great that you have reached out on EnableMe, there is a great deal of support here from others who may have experienced similar feelings. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot, but it’s good to hear that you have made such progress.

Stroke recovery is a journey and each stroke survivor is different. It’s important to remember that recovery is ongoing, and you may need to continue having rehabilitation sometime after your stroke. Are you still seeing the PT and the OT? If you aren’t, it might be worth getting another burst of rehabilitation to help with some of your difficulties.  You might be able to return to the outpatient rehab facility you attended, or perhaps speak with your doctor about your eligibility for a chronic conditions management treatment plan, where you can access 5 sessions of allied health therapy such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Do you know the cause of your tense muscles? If not, it’s a good idea to speak with your doctor about it to identify the cause of it. Many stroke survivors experience spasticity after stroke, and there are treatments available to help with this. You can discuss this with your doctor in more detail if you think it might be spasticity, or something else. A physiotherapist can also give you specific exercises tailored to your needs and the management of these feelings.  You might also like to read our fact sheet on pain management. There is also a lot of great conversation about post stroke pain on EnableMe. This post about managing pain after stroke discusses the importance of having a multi-faceted approach to pain management.

It is very common for stroke survivors to experience emotions or mood changes after their stroke. You can read more about this in our fact sheet about emotional and personality changes after stroke. You can speak with your doctor about this as well, and there are treatments available. Some stroke survivors find speaking with a psychologist and receiving cognitive behavioural therapy can be helpful, especially if the changes are impacting your daily life. It can also be helpful to write down when you feel angry or irritable to help identify possible triggers.

You might also be interested in seeking support through a stroke support group, you can find links to local groups here. This can be a great way of, meeting others who have experienced a stroke and possibly similar experiences to you.

It sounds like there is a lot going on for you, so we would be happy to talk with you in more detail if you think this could be helpful.  You are welcome to give us a call on StrokeLine Ph. 1800 787 653 to speak with one of our health professionals.

We hope this is helpful and do feel free to give us a call.

Kind regards

Meredith and Siobhan (StrokeLine)

Chip,  Every stroke seems completely different, you will experience problems different to everyone else, it is quite remarkable. My advice is to see what problems you can solve yourself before seeking professional help. I'm in my fourth year of recovery and had many  problems getting back to guitar playing. Initially I couldn't even work out how to hold it properly! The fingers are moving a lot better now but is surprising how I keep finding some things impossible!

Loss of strength of both hands had to be overcome before I could hold strings down at all but my worst problem was holding the plectrum and I had to design a new one before overcoming that one.

Deigh

Hi Chip
AS you mention, each stroke survivor's story is different and as such I don;t feel I can offer anything in regards to what you're physically experiencing. What I will say though is Enableme is a great palce to 'talk' to other stroke survivors and you can freely share your thoughts, experiences and emotions here with noone judging you but everyone supporting you.

Best wishes with your conitinued recovery

Toni