Recognising the warning signs

View text alternative

Recognising the warning signs

  • Staying in bed longer than usual.
    Try setting your alarm clock to encourage you to get up
  • Not bothering to eat.
    Try giving yourself a treat. You should speak to your GP if a loss of appetite goes on for any length of time. You can find out more about this in our Emotional support section.
  • Not wanting to socialise. Let your family or friends know this is a warning sign. Have their numbers on your phone. Phone the CHSS Advice Line Nurses on 0808 801 0899 for information on local social groups.
  • Problems sleeping. Try relaxation and a hot milky (non-caffeinated) drink before you go to bed. You should speak to your GP if this goes on for any length of time. For more information please see our section on Keeping Well.
  • Not bothering with appearance, can’t be bothered to wash, dress or comb your hair. Allow family and friends to let you know.
  • Lacking in motivation, can’t be bothered doing anything. Set yourself goals. We will be looking at this shortly.
  • Feeling fatigued.
    This is normal after a stroke. Don’t do too much – ‘pace and rest’. Becoming overtired can act as a trigger towards a setback. For more information please see our section on Keeping Well.
  • Feeling upset, frustrated, stressed, anxious.
    Mood changes are normal after a stroke. Speak to your GP. You may be referred to see a clinical psychologist who can work with you to self-manage these changes. For more information please see our section on Emotional support.

 

Something to think about

Do any of these warning signs sound familiar to you? You might want to discuss these with your GP or friends and family.

Let’s hear from James about how he recognised his warning signs.

How do I do it?

1 Reply

Many people feel a bit overwhelmed with the thought of getting back to doing the things they did before the stroke. It’s not always necessary to do it all right away.

You’ll see in this section that people have different experiences but they all got started by doing things one step at a time. Select their photo to find out more.

  • Isobel

    Isobel

    Isobel finds a way to be more active again from her home.

  • Allan

    Allan

    Allan talks about how he’s able to get out and about again.

  • Neil

    Neil

    Neil shares his experiences with getting back to being more active.

About me

Think of some of the things you would like to do:

writing_woman

              • Would being more active help you?
              • Why?
              • Write this down

Sometimes in order to move forward you have to overcome some physical challenges. This can be more daunting after a stroke, however imagine the positive feeling of getting towards where you want to be.

Key point

Once you have worked through this section, why not visit the goal setting section for a refresher?

Something to try

Have a think about some things you want to do. Would being more active help you reach them? Make a note of these. It might help to discuss this with family or friends.

How does stress affect the body?

Stress can affect you in different ways as we will explore in this section.

Stress causes a hormone called adrenaline to be released in your body. This helps you cope with the pressures of life.

When you get adrenaline from feeling stressed you get energized, blood rushes through you and your heart beats faster. You may have heard this being called the “fight” or “flight” response.

Let’s look at the physical effects of stress

Stress effects on the body

View text alternative

  • Headaches
  • Digestive problems, upset stomach including diarrhoea and constipation, nausea or feeling ‘a knot’ in the stomach
  • Aches, pains and tense muscles
  • Chest pains and rapid heart beat
  • Feeling sweaty with a dry mouth
  • Cold or sweaty hands and feet
  • Nervousness and shaking
  • Loss of sexual desire and / or ability
  • Low energy
  • Low immune system (increase in coughs and colds)


Now let’s look at how stress can affect the mind.

Something to think about

Are you affected in any of these ways? It could be that you are feeling stressed.

A chat at the stroke group

Jane and Deirdre chat at their local stroke group. Select the arrow keys to hear Deirdre’s story.
Tiredness (Post-stroke fatigue) is one of the most common symptoms of stroke.Setbacks are a normal part of life.By pacing yourself, fatigue becomes more manageable, no longer a setback.Careful planning of each day is useful if you feel tired or overwhelmed.Practice is important, it helps build confidence.By using problem-solving, setbacks become an opportunity to learn new ways to cope.Remember to look for solutions, and ways to do things differently.

View text alternative

Scene 1

  • Jane: Hello Deirdre, how are you?
  • Deirdre: Awful Jane, truth be told. I’m just not coping……I’m tired all the time. I was in the park Sunday with my grandaughter and I couldn’t keep up. Same at home: dirty dishes and ironing piling up.
  • Key point: Tiredness (Post-stroke fatigue) is one of the most common symptoms of stroke

Scene 2

  • Jane: That sounds hard. But then stroke recovery is difficult, especially tiredness. Remember setbacks are normal, part of recovery. I’ve learned to expect them. I see them as a chance to practise new ways to cope
  • Deirdre: What do you mean Jane?
  • Key point: Setbacks are a normal part of life

Scene 3

  • Jane: I used to get exhausted and it got me down. But then I started to pace myself. Taking things easier, pressure off. Conserving energy for the important things, one at a time. And ask for help when I needed it. It really helped. You should try it.
  • Deirdre: Suppose so. But isn’t that like giving up though? I’ve always kept busy.
  • Key point: By pacing yourself, fatigue becomes more manageable, no longer a setback

Scene 4

  • Jane: You can still be busy. Look, this is my diary. Each day separated into morning, afternoon, evening. I plan activities I want to do, but also keep time free  to relax (Close up of Jane’s illustrative daily diary.
  • Key point: Careful planning of each day is useful if you feel fatigued or overwhelmed

Scene 5.

  • Deirdre: OK, that looks like something I could try.

Scene 6

  • Jane: And when a set back arises, say I’m snowed under by housework, I sit down with pen and paper and problem-solve, working out a solution: what I plan to do, how I can get there, breaking down the problem into small, manageable parts. It really works. You could try it!
  • Deirdre: I guess I could. Let me write that down now. Problem-solve…….plan step-by-step solution….
  • Key point:By using problem-solving, setbacks become an opportunity to learn new ways to cope

Scene 7.

Close up of problem-solving therapy sheet

What can I do to help myself

There are certain things you can do to keep healthy and reduce your risk of stroke these include stopping smoking, eating healthily, being active, watching what you drink and managing your stress.

Select the characters below to find out how they made positive changes.

What does communication mean to me?

Select the previous and next arrows to find out what communication means to the characters below.

View text alternative

Animation of a person holding a sign and the message changes

  • Hearing about the family
  • Gossiping with the neighbours
  • Getting what I want
  • Getting it off my chest
  • Knowing I can help
  • Keeping in the loop
  • Clearing the air
  • Putting the world to rights
  • Expressing my opinions
  • Winning the debate

Something to try

Take a few minutes to think about what communication means to you?
Has this changed since your stroke?
Keep a note of what’s important to you.

Meet John’s friends

Select each picture to find out more about their goals.

  • Rosie

    Rosie: I want to feel happier

    My goal was to feel happier and now I’m doing things that make me happy…

  • Jim

    Jim: I want to get out and about more

    My goal was to get out and about more – and now I’m getting to the local shop. I’m planning a trip to the supermarket soon

  • Gita

    Gita: I need to do more around the house

    My goal was to do more around the house. Now I’m managing to wash and dry the dishes and do my laundry, but the vacuuming is still a bit of a challenge. I can only do a bit at a time, and I need help to vacuum the stairs

  • Magda

    Magda: I hope to go back to work

    My goal was to get back to work. I’ve had a meeting with my bosses and they’re happy for me to come back for a few hours at a time, to see how I manage. I’m a bit nervous, but I’ll see how I get on

We’ve heard what John’s friends had to say, but how did they do it?

Medication to help reduce the risk of stroke

Bottle of tablets

Why have I been prescribed this?

After a stroke, medication plays a big part in your living a long and healthy life.

Medications are used to help:

  • manage your symptoms
  • improve your quality of life
  • help reduce the risk of another stroke

Despite the fact that medications are effective people often do not like taking them and do not take them consistently.

To increase chances of taking your medications consistently, you must really understand what they do.

Why has my dose changed?

After having a stroke you will most likely be on medications for life.

Some of the prescribed medications start off at a low dose and are then increased gradually over the next few months. People often think that increasing the dosage is a bad sign, but it is routine.

Key point

  • Your tablets are an essential part of your treatment
  • If you are worried about side effects, speak to your doctor or pharmacist
  • It is very important that you not stop or change the dosage of your tablets before discussing it with your doctor

Scenario 1 – Elena

istock_46738070_179

I was feeling annoyed that I had let myself and family down as I didn’t achieve my goal of walking to school to pick up my daughter. I was very focused on what I saw as a failure until I was helped at my local stroke support group to think about all the progress I had made over the last 3 months since getting home from hospital. You often forget how far you have come.

Something to try

  • Have a think about what you’ve done well over the last few months and make a list of some of these.
  • You may want to discuss this with your family/friends.

Let’s now go on and see what Elena changed to achieve her goal.