r/stroke

🚨
I’VE HAD A STROKE, MY ADHD HAS GONE HYDRO-FUCKING-STATIC, AND SOME BASTARD HAS BROKEN INTO MY HOUSE! 🚨
need to report a crime.
Unfortunately, I can’t.
BECAUSE I CAN’T GET FUCKING DRESSED. 😂
Let me explain.
I’ve had a stroke, and I’m fairly certain somebody has broken into my house and systematically fucked with my entire life.
First, they’ve shrunk all my fucking jeans.
EVERY SINGLE PAIR.
Then they’ve hidden half my clothes.
WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?
I’ve looked in cupboards, drawers, laundry baskets and places where clothes have absolutely no business being.
I’ve found things I haven’t seen since 1997, but I can’t find the fucking top I was holding thirty seconds ago.
I’m beginning to suspect the burglar is still living in the house and moving things around when I’m not looking.
But WAIT. IT GETS WORSE.
When I finally find a pair of jeans, somebody has apparently replaced the buttons with some sort of experimental military technology.
I’ve had a stroke, and I’ve only got one properly working hand.
ONE.
And I’m trying to fasten a button that appears to have been trained by the fucking SAS.
I line it up.
I try to fasten it.
THE FUCKING THING MOVES.
I TRY AGAIN.
IT FUCKING MOVES AGAIN!
WHAT IS THIS? A BUTTON OR A TINY DENIM-CLAD ESCAPE ARTIST?
I’m standing in my bedroom wrestling with my trousers, and the trousers are WINNING.
I’ve been trying to get dressed for twenty minutes, and I’ve achieved absolutely fuck all.
And then, just when I think things can’t get any worse, I find a clean top.
HOORAY!
THERE MAY BE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE FUCKING TUNNEL!
I pick it up.
I sniff it.
OH, FOR FUCK’S SAKE.
THAT SMELL.
That horrible, stale, damp washing smell.
You know the one.
The smell of clothes that haven’t dried properly and now smell like a wet badger that’s been locked in a shed with a bag of old potatoes.
I CAN’T WEAR THAT!
So I throw the bastard thing straight back into the laundry basket in utter disgust.
AND NOW I’M BACK TO SQUARE ONE.
No clean top.
No trousers I can fasten.
No idea where the rest of my clothes are.
AND STILL NO FUCKING POLICE REPORT.
But hang on a minute.
WHO SHRUNK MY JEANS?
WHO HID MY CLOTHES?
WHO REPLACED MY BUTTONS?
AND WHO THE FUCK DID THE WASHING WITHOUT DRYING IT PROPERLY?
IT’S THE SAME BASTARD!
It’s all connected!
The burglar has been living a double life!
By day, he’s a clothes-shrinking, button-replacing menace.
By night, he’s a laundry saboteur, deliberately leaving everything damp enough to develop its own ecosystem.
THIS IS ORGANISED CRIME.
ORGANISED DENIM AND LAUNDRY CRIME.
And the genius of this operation is that the victim can’t even get dressed to report it.
THE PERFECT FUCKING CRIME!
Meanwhile, I’m getting increasingly angry with myself because I can’t find anything.
I put something down.
Turn around.
GONE.
I KNOW I JUST HAD IT!
So I start looking.
And looking.
And FUCKING LOOKING.
I’m moving things around to find things I’ve misplaced while looking for other things I’ve misplaced.
I’ve now forgotten what the original thing was because I’ve found three other things I lost last week.
And then the people I live with start getting annoyed.
“Oh God, what are you looking for now?”
“What have you lost this time?”
I DON’T FUCKING KNOW, DO I?
IF I KNEW WHERE IT WAS, I WOULDN’T BE CONDUCTING A FULL-SCALE FORENSIC INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN FUCKING HOUSE!
Now I’m angry.
They’re angry.
I’m getting more flustered because they’re angry.
And the more flustered I get, the harder it is to think clearly enough to find the bastard thing.
ROUND AND ROUND WE FUCKING GO.
It’s a self-perpetuating cycle of frustration, anger and missing objects.
And then I start gaslighting myself.
Did I put it there?
Did I move it?
Did I imagine the whole fucking thing?
AM I LOSING MY MIND?
Three hours later, I find the bastard thing in the last place I’d ever think to look.
And for one glorious moment, I feel vindicated.
THERE! I KNEW I WASN’T COMPLETELY FUCKING MAD!
Except I’ve already spent three hours telling myself I’m an idiot.
THE BURGLAR DOESN’T EVEN NEED TO GASLIGHT ME. I’M DOING HIS FUCKING JOB FOR HIM.
And now I’ve had another thought.
Can you report yourself to the police for gaslighting yourself?
Because I’m beginning to suspect that another persona has broken into my house.
Someone who looks exactly like me.
Someone who knows where I keep everything.
Someone who moves my belongings when I’m not looking, shrinks my jeans, hides my clothes and leaves my washing damp.
And then disappears without a trace.
WHO THE FUCK IS THIS PERSON?
AND WHY ARE THEY LIVING MY LIFE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?
I NEED TO REPORT THIS.
BUT I CAN’T.
BECAUSE I CAN’T FIND MY PHONE.
AND I CAN’T FIND MY GLASSES.
AND I CAN’T FIND MY FUCKING TROUSERS.
So I imagine the conversation with the police.
POLICE: What’s the nature of your complaint?
ME: I’VE BEEN BURGLED!
POLICE: What’s been stolen?
ME: I DON’T FUCKING KNOW! EVERYTHING’S BEEN MOVED!
POLICE: Do you have a suspect?
ME: YES! ME!
POLICE: YOU?
ME: WELL, SOMEONE WHO LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE ME HAS BEEN MOVING MY FUCKING BELONGINGS AND GASLIGHTING ME INTO THINKING I’M LOSING MY MIND!
POLICE: Can you describe the suspect?
ME: NO, YOU ABSOLUTE MUPPET! I’VE GOT ENOUGH TROUBLE REMEMBERING WHERE I’VE PUT MY GLASSES!
POLICE: Can you come down to the station and make a statement?
ME: I’VE JUST FUCKING TOLD YOU! I CAN’T GET DRESSED!
And that’s when it dawns on me.
I’M THE VICTIM, THE SUSPECT, THE DETECTIVE AND THE WITNESS.
I’m investigating a crime that I may or may not have committed, while gaslighting myself into thinking I’m losing my mind, wearing one sock, holding a damp T-shirt and wrestling with a pair of jeans that no longer fit.
THE BURGLAR HAS GOT AWAY WITH IT.
BECAUSE THE VICTIM CAN’T GET DRESSED.
THE DETECTIVE CAN’T FIND HER NOTEBOOK.
THE SUSPECT HAS NO ALIBI.
AND THE WITNESS HAS FORGOTTEN WHAT THE FUCK SHE WITNESSED.
😂😂😂
CASE CLOSED.
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN FIND THE FUCKING CASE FILE.

Seriously, though: this is my attempt to find some humour in the frustration of everyday life after a stroke. Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all.

Hello all, I’m new to this subreddit. Have found it incredibly helpful and validating so far.
I had an Ischemic stroke on 8.9.26. I’m 21 years old, female, and up to this point had never had any health issues.

The stroke was terrifying. I experienced loss of speech and right sided weakness. My stroke was treated with clot busting lysis medication and thankfully I only had to spend 3 nights in hospital.
My stroke was likely due to the combined contraceptive pill that I was taking as it is known to form blood clots. The hole on my heart (small PFO) is likely to have facilitated the clot going to my brain.

The mental fallout is what I’m currently dealing with. I am so damn anxious all the time that my body is going to fail me again. Every ache or pain or light headedness sends alarm bells ringing. The mental fatigue is unbearable.
I’m currently studying a masters degree and finding the concentration so difficult. I’m finding talking about my emotions to difficult to friends and family.
Please offer advice in replies ❤️all comments greatly appreciated

Hi everyone

I had a stroke back in June 18(brain hemorrhage) (2 bleeds) that left my left side paralyzed (there is some movement now Yayyy!!)

The biggest issue I am facing is the uncertainty of it all, somedays are good and sometimes I feel alien in my own body. Love to know you all's good experience

Anyone have a stroke so young? I’m 26 F and had a stroke almost 2 weeks ago (tomorrow). I spent one days shy of a week in the hospital. They said I was the youngest they’ve ever seen and I feel so alone in this.

My mom had a stroke and her previous hobbies are now impossible because she can't read or use her right arm. She's recovered enough to where she's fully lucid and staying awake most of the day and she seems to be getting really bored with TV and YouTube. Does anyone with experience have any ideas for something fun we could give her to do with the limitations she has?

Edit for more specifics: she is right handed and her left hand coordination still isn't very good, so we're not really sure what hobbies we can introduce her to

Can you tell me how much recovery you’ve made since your stroke?

1.Are you able to get out of bed on your own?

2.Can you communicate in long sentences and have normal conversations or tell a complete story?

3.Can you tell when you need to urinate or have a bowel movement? Are you able to go to the bathroom and use the toilet on your own?

4.How much do you sleep during the day?

5.Are you able to use your phone, eat, and brush your teeth independently?

6.How much movement and strength do you have in your affected arm and leg now?

Please reply. My dad has stroke in nov last year and trying to find where he is in terms of expected progress.

Thanks in Advance!

Two weeks ago I, M/40 had multiple infarcts:
- left parietal lobe
- posterior left temporal lobe
- bilateral centrum Semiovale
- right pre central gyrus
- right parietal lobe

Thankfully I’ve had no motor skill deficiency, however during the stroke I was unable to read but able to lift my arms, and speak with no issue.

I did a FAST self assessment and since I didn’t have any issues with face droopiness, issues lifting arms, scratch problems I dismissed this as a stroke.

Had I learned BEFAST and included my balance and eyesight in my assessment I likely would have recognized this sooner.

Did anyone else miss their stroke because it didn’t fit neatly in the mnemonic only to find out later they did indeed have one?

I wasn't planning on making a post, but I feel like I want to say to the ppl who aren't doing good that I feel you. I see a lot of posts about different struggles, and every struggle is valid. Regardless of where you are on the recovery journey, whether it's new or old.

The things I read here, are from ppl that have substantially overcome their physical journey. They are working, in relationships, travelling. I don't see posts of anyone who is near the level that I'm at.

I fell off an escooter (going slowly up the sidewalk ramp from the road, no helmet) and had brain surgery (brain bleed/hemorrhage). I had a seizure (I have mild epilepsy) and a stroke. I've ridden those escooters for yrs, I was experienced. I was 35, this was 2023. I spent 3.5 months in the hospital, then went to the brain injury rehab unit for almost 16 months. Had a trach tube. I was non verbal for months. I don't even remember the accident, or the next 2 months. Adult diapers for months. Couldn't move my affected side arm/leg/foot. Could only open my eye halfway on the affected side. Had a feeding tube surgically inserted in my stomach.

Went to the rehab unit. I was wheelchair bound for months. I was diagnosed with pseudobulbar affect, it's random laughing or crying with no emotion behind it. My speech therapist got me to the point of talking again, I have dysarthria. Basically the muscles used to speak aren't working. I learned how to eat/drink again and I got my feeding tube pulled out. I went from blended food, to pureed, to diced, then finally I could chew on my own. I had to learn how to write again, even though I'm right handed and that's not my affected side. I couldn't shower on my own, I was showered by staff. I had to get a catheter inserted a few times a day and in the night, couldn't pee on my own. I don't really know the details of that, but it was like my body didn't know it had to pee. I couldn't lift my affected leg up to do any walking, physio had to be behind me and beside me to lift my foot to take a step. I had to wear a slider on my foot so I could glide it when I couldn't lift it. A slider is what someone wears if they are curling, and it's smooth so it allows your foot to glide smoothly across the ice. Eventually I got rid of that and I made it to a walker, once I could work both of my hands. The pseudobulbar affect (PBA: laughing randomly) made it difficult to do my programs and to be in a social setting with the other patients or to be with staff. The meds they put me on for the PBA made me so constipated. And I was stuck eating the shitty unit food, I gained almost 15lbs there. I was a really healthy person before. Then I got to a point where I could shower on my own. I went from a room with another patient to my own separate room finally. I was able to go to the bathroom on my own. For months I had to go to the bathroom strapped in that chair machine that stands you up. Can't remember the name of it. And after you go to the bathroom you press the call button and they come stand you up and wipe for you. I got an AFO for my foot and I needed regular botox in my leg/calf muscles. The spasticity makes my foot turn inward and the heel doesn't touch the ground. I still get regular botox, I'm on a list to get surgery to lengthen the tendons of some muscles. I got a palate lift retainer to help with my speech and stop the air from exiting my nose when I talk. Then physio started to walk with me and a quad cane. It's a 4 prong cane that keeps you stable. I had to wear a gym glove to hold my cane, cause my hand would get so sweaty. I still currently need a glove if I'm doing cane practice.

My story has so many details. I was so sick of living with other patients/staff. My only goal was to make it back to my condo, living alone again. It's been 3.5yrs. I can only walk maybe 7 steps without my hands on something. I walk crooked and very slowly. I just got to the point where I can lift my affected arm all the way upright. My mom came to live with me for a couple months and then could see I was good on my own. I can now change my own bedsheets, I do my own cooking and can use the oven for baking. I can vacuum, with my cane in one hand. I go to the gym on my own, it's a fitness facility made for ppl with disabilities. I never drove before my injury, I now book rides with the accessibility public transit service. I do my own laundry, shower with my shower bench on my own. I have to constantly speak outloud to myself to keep improving my speech, it's far below sounding normal. I am always giving myself praise and say that I am making progress, even if I don't believe it at the time. I've had a couple falls, it's been quite a while since that happened though. I'm not working, I'm on disability income. I'm 3.5 years celibate now, I don't even know if I'm still a good kisser. I was single when the injury happened. I can't even imagine dating, needing to conversate so much with my shitty speech. I have no sex drive anymore, and I've always been very independent so I'm still happy being single. I have to lay down on my bed to put my hair in a high pony. Doing two braids is already a shldr workout. I remember practicing putting makeup on in the brain injury unit with my rec therapist. I rarely wear makeup now, it's a whole event to put it on, but I learned how to do it well. I was very devoted to exercising in the unit, I needed to live alone and be successful at being alone.

The muscle growth after the TBI/stroke is soooo incredibly slow. 3 yrs to be able to reach all the way up, no weight in my hand. There are ppl who were patients at the same time as me and some still can't use their affected arm. Some are still in wheelchairs. Lots are in assisted living. I stayed very determined to get better. Fortunately, my body & nervous system allowed that to happen. I was a gym rat pre injury, so I spend a lot of time doing exercises. Either on the floor mat in my room, or at the gym.

I just want everyone who is still far beyond leading a normal life after their TBI, to know that I fuckin hear you to my core. I haven't lived a happy life since my injury. I have happy moments with my friends/family, who I absolutely love to death. I am just existing here. I have no choice but to keep going. I have to be the one that went from 'I don't think she'll live alone', to then being the one who says 'well just fucking watch me get to that point'.

YouTube : AHS Scooter accident, to see my interview that I did after I'd been in the brain injury unit for 11 months

My husband is 44 and is 3 weeks post stroke. He has moderate expressive aphasia, with difficulty finding and saying words, along with some trouble reading and writing. He understands most of what is said to him and can communicate basic phrases, but gets very frustrated when he knows what he wants to say but can’t get the words out.
He has started speech therapy last week. For those who have been through this: How long did your recovery take and what helped the most? Did you continue making significant improvements months or even years later?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. ❤️

I am wondering if high blood pressure is more related to causing hemorrhagic stroke versus ischemic? Your thoughts?

When I measure it while resting in bed, it’s normal. When sitting, it’s elevated—140/95. After exertion, it’s higher than 160.

After a tough medical experience – in 2017 I survived a stroke with an intracerebral hemorrhage –, when almost everything was largely out of my control, I wanted to see after a long rehabilitation what could still be achieved with good preparation, strict discipline, and respect for my own body.

​Last weekend, I set off on the Slovenian Camino from Ljubljana to the Italian border (Opčine) in a "fast-packing" style – all gear in a backpack under 5 kg, completely self-supported.

​3-Day Breakdown:

​Day 1: Ljubljana ➔ Logatec (40 km)

​Day 2: Logatec ➔ Razdrto / (40 km over Mt. Nanos)

​Day 3: Razdrto ➔ Opčine Italian border crossing (37 km across Karst hills)

​Total: ~117 km and over 2,200 m of elevation gain.

​The key to success wasn't sheer stubbornness, but strict pace control – I walked the entire route in a calm aerobic zone with an average heart rate of just 98 bpm. As darkness set in at Opčine and my legs had done their job after all the climbs, calling it a day at the border was the only sensible choice.

​I'm not sharing this as any kind of "miracle," but as proof that with a stroke of luck regarding the aftermath of a major stroke, along with proper adaptation, thoughtfulness, and discipline, you can still cover some really great distances.

Uneven arms and legs that hurt. Flabby stomach hiding under my shirt. Fingers that barely grip, and toes that won't bend. You're the body I was given until the bitter end.

You're defective and brittle and make things hard to do. I have trouble with simple things, even tying a shoe. You've held me back from fortune, you've held me back from life. You're the main source of my pain and my strife.

I wanted a body like everyone I see. They take them for granted because they're truly free. My body is a prison, my body is a cell. My body can't be heaven, that only leaves hell.

I look out at a world where I don't fit in. I hide my grief behind a fake grin. I walk the line between normal and broke, not quite either, like a paradoxical joke.

I wish things were better, i wish my hand it worked right. I wish this hand wasn't my reality right here in plain sight. I wish my leg weren't crooked and my limp it was gone, the list that I have, it goes on and on.

With all that hate, there's also some good. I survived something tragic even though many did not think I would. It made me strong but also weak. It made me different, but not a freak.

Yes my leg hurts, but I can still walk, and yes my mouth droops but I can still talk. My mind is warped, but it's still there. My scars are hidden under my hair.

You're not what I wanted, but you're all I've got. I get a little sad when I think that thought. But like when you're sad because things didn't work out. Finding the good is what life's all about.

Yes life is the blessing and reward so grand. Life is making the best with just one hand. Life is fleeting life it is short. Life has has winners just like a sport.

No you're not the body i wouldn't have chose, but I need to accept what I've been given I suppose. You're not broken, just badly bent. You're a reminder of a blessing that was heaven sent.

While I accept you for you and your parts that are bad. Please accept my apologies for making you sad. Please accept my forgiveness for hating you. It's now that I realize that the facts aren't that true.

You'll never be an athlete, but neither will most. You'll never have perfect hair or looks like a game show host. You'll never be many things but neither will they. You're my imperfect body at the end of the day.

New to this sub but Ive been to trying to get back into shape and started with some strength training to build muscle (I've always been on the smaller side) background context 5ish years ago I had a ministroke and an aneurysm that left the right side of my body with some weakness on top of that I'm left handed so there was already some unevenness in terms of strength. How do I go about getting both sides to lift at the same level?

Right now I've just been matching reps (curls, hammer curls, rows, reverse curls, triceps) between arms or doing more on the right than the left, starting at a 10 lb dumbbell and then a 15 lb

I am 25 years old