STARs - Fatigue after stroke
STARs - Fatigue after stroke
Real patients speak about their experiences of fatigue after stroke.
Key messages for fatigue strategies:
1. Fatigue is very common after stroke.
2. It affects stroke survivors physically but also mentally: the more tired you are, the harder it can be to concentrate.
3. Worrying about fatigue and reduced concentration can cause low mood and anxiety. This makes everything worse.
4. Accept that you are going to be more tired after stroke. Plan ahead and pace yourself.
5. Do one thing at a time. Conserve energy for the most important things. Do not rush. Ask for help with the things you really need help with.
6. Above all, don’t give yourself a hard time! Fatigue is the commonest stroke symptom.
Content
19.359 -> can you tell us a little bit more about
21.119 -> your experience
22.32 -> of tiredness and having poor
25.119 -> concentration
26.16 -> how did that affect you tiredness was
29.199 -> affected me very badly
31.519 -> very badly i'd be talking to somebody
33.84 -> and just feel tired all of a sudden
36.32 -> and concentration just went straight out
37.76 -> of the window i couldn't make eye
39.52 -> contact with people at first
42.96 -> and because that just tied me out um if
46 -> i'm
46.48 -> grouping people and having a
47.68 -> conversation you know in a pub or
49.68 -> something like that
51.199 -> if two people are talking to me at the
52.32 -> same time i'd be switching from one to
53.76 -> the other all the time trying to
54.96 -> concentrate
56.64 -> and talked to the person who's talking
58.16 -> to me instead he was just waffling
59.76 -> around the other place
60.96 -> wandering around the other place
66.32 -> yeah because i'm still coping with
69.2 -> divided issues
70.64 -> uh memory tiredness but
74.32 -> probably from five years ago i have a
76.64 -> much better way of practicing that
78.4 -> i'm sorry of uh coping with that
82 -> i understand why i get anxious and why i
85.52 -> get
86.08 -> angry the danger is
89.84 -> is that you take these coping strategies
93.28 -> and you apply them and some days of work
95.68 -> and other days
96.96 -> they don't and what would happen is as i
99.92 -> mentioned earlier is if i do too much in
101.84 -> one day
102.88 -> i will get very tired and what the
105.28 -> consequences of that are
107.52 -> uh it affects my family because i'll get
110.399 -> more grumpy
111.52 -> uh and we'll have you know i'll be short
114.24 -> and so forth
115.439 -> but everyone knows that's the
117.84 -> consequences
120 -> but if dad gets too tired
123.119 -> dad's going to get more grumpy
126.159 -> but we understand why that is because of
127.68 -> the support we got from from from the
129.119 -> psychologist
130.72 -> so the fatigue you find that it comes
133.76 -> and goes and it affects you
135.76 -> the amount you're able to do what you're
138 -> able to cope with
139.76 -> how how your day goes or how your week
142.8 -> goes yeah absolutely and it goes up and
144.8 -> down still goes up and down the fatigue
146.4 -> thing is just the most
148.56 -> frustrating one i have to say because
152.64 -> you know you just
156 -> if you if you do too much you know the
158.08 -> consequences are the next day or the
159.92 -> following day
161.44 -> you're going to struggle you're just
163.599 -> going to be far more tired
167.04 -> and i said that has effects on everybody
169.92 -> uh
170.8 -> but that is just one of the consequences
172.48 -> now of having the stroke that
174.879 -> i don't know if this is is correct but
176.8 -> you know my brain is going at
178.72 -> 70 as it was before but if you try and
182.159 -> do the same things you did before
184 -> you're going to get tireder
189.04 -> i still occasionally get days
192.239 -> which i'm still absolutely convinced
194.319 -> about the medication i'm on
196.56 -> there are still days when i waken up and
198.64 -> feel absolutely lousy
200.72 -> i've i've not slept well um i've waken
204.319 -> up and i sweat
206.08 -> i feel very shaky um
209.28 -> and those are the days where
213.44 -> if i was having to do something before i
216.4 -> probably
217.599 -> i probably wouldn't have done them
219.92 -> because i would have been so anxious
221.44 -> about
221.92 -> something happening
225.2 -> and now i probably just i've just worked
229.04 -> my way through those things
230.48 -> by thinking like if it happens to hams
233.36 -> it's not
233.92 -> you know and you know these it doesn't
237.2 -> have very often but when it does
238.799 -> it's it's useful just to remind myself
242.319 -> about where i've been and
244.959 -> what i've discussed and what's happened
249.439 -> and that's that's such a positive thing
252.959 -> i mean i see that as a really really
254.72 -> positive thing it's not a
256.72 -> it's not an idea and an inadequacy on my
259.919 -> part or a failure in my part
262.079 -> to turn around and say to someone i'm
264.8 -> feeling a bit shaky
266 -> and i'm just having a bad day and you
268.8 -> know i just need a bit of help with this
272.479 -> and everybody responds
312.8 -> you
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhTbtIMxQDQ