Hi Sannza,
Thank you for reaching out to us at the Stroke Foundation. I am sorry to hear that you are having these difficulties since your stroke. A stroke is a life changing event and recovery is a journey that is different for everyone. Stroke recovery can be lifelong and you can face many changes throughout your journey. It is important to continually speak with your GP about any new changes you notice, such as your hair loss, changes to your vision and heat intolerance. The GP can then make sure there is nothing else contributing to these.
Pain after stroke can be quite common and stroke survivors may experience injury pain, neuropathic pain or headaches. For the pain in your right knee, it might be a good idea to see a physiotherapist if you are not seeing one currently. They can help diagnose and identify the cause of your pain. You can speak with a GP about this, and potentially access a Chronic Disease Management Plan, which would give you five subsidized sessions with a physiotherapist. You can read more about the management plan here. It would be good to have ongoing discussion with a physiotherapist about your ankle, just to ensure the brace you are wearing is the most appropriate for you.
Headaches can also be common after a stroke, however if you are noticing any changes in the severity or pattern of your headaches, it would be a good idea to let your GP know.
Changes in emotions are also common after stroke, and this could help to explain why you feel angry and upset. You might like to read our fact sheet about emotional and personality changes after stroke. The Synapse website also has a great page about anger after a brain injury. This discusses the importance of self-awareness and offers some potential coping strategies for anger. If you are finding it difficult to manage your emotions, it might also be worth speaking with your GP about seeing a psychologist. You could access a Mental Health Care Plan for this. This is similar to the Chronic Disease Management Plan, but you can receive up to ten subsidised sessions with a psychologist. You can read more about this here.
Fatigue is common after stroke and can take some time to adjust to. The 'Fatigue after stroke factsheet' provides information about managing fatigue you may find helpful. It is also a good idea to talk to a doctor about fatigue and its possible causes. Our podcast on fatigue is also really helpful and may be of interest to you.
It is important to keep focusing on your goals for the future, and even though it is not the retirement you thought you would it have, it sounds like you still have some positives in your future. It is good to hear you are still able to enjoying babysitting your grandchildren and you are able to get out in the garden. Gardening is a great hobby to have and can help with working on your ongoing rehabilitation. If you are interested, you can read a great blog written by another stroke survivor on gardening here. It’s good to hear that you have started focusing on your weight and diet, as these are very important in managing your stroke risk factors.
We would encourage you to give us a call to discuss your post, one of the health professionals will be happy to speak with you in more detail about the issues you are facing currently. You can call us at StrokeLine at 1800 787 653 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (Eastern Standard Time).
Best wishes,
Meredith and Siobhan (StrokeLine).
