Long lasting fatigue

[elsae]

Hi. A year since a brain injury.. total recovery from fractured skull, brain bleed, fit etc. but find any really concentrated brain activity very tiring. For example, I used to be able to practice the piano for a good 45 mins. Now after 15 minutes I feel exhausted. Does this eventually go? Or is it something that will stay with me for life really.

[Kirk5w7]

Hi Elsa, sorry but you can't put a time limit on this recovery time.

I'm 5 years into recovery and have to plan my days to allow for the fatigue. Just getting up showered and getting dressed warrants a half hour rest .

Intense concentration can only be done for me in approx 20 min bursts.

Some people overcome this fatigue earlier than others.

I hope you can overcome yours quickly x

Janet

[elsae in reply to Kirk5w7]

thanks for the advice. I'm an impatient person and must change!

[hazyjane77]

Hi elsae. I'm almost 4 years from my brain injury and while I'm not as fatigued as I was immediately after I came to ICU, I think around the the six month mark my fatigue/energy kind of plateaued. Keep in mind we're all different, and my bleed was a stroke.

[spider555]

Depression and fatigue is hard work.

[moo196]

I'm 3 years in and still find fatigue an issue. Try to work with it and prepare for anything big. For instance I went to Hyde Park concert recently but tried to make up sleep in advance by going to bed at 8pm Sat before and cleared my evenings for the next few days so I could sleep.

I'm a little better on reduced anti epileptics but still get exhausted if needing to learn something new or have emotional upsets.

Maybe plan your piano practice over two lots of 15 mins ( which may be able to be extended to two lots of 20 after a few weeks ).

Good luck

[elsae in reply to moo196]

I think you are right about breaking up the piano practice but sometimes with a long piece I get frustrated. I know that this fatigue is a small inconvenience really and i do realise that I am so very lucky in all other respects.

[moo196 in reply to elsae]

Just try to "allow" for it.☺

[Pat-rick1]

Fatigue is horrible and makes you feel useless!!! But as others said shower walk rest etc

[scrambledbrain]

Hi. I agree with the above. I had an AVM (artery and vein fused together which needed major surgery after the malformation bled.) 2.5 yrs in I'm recognising when I am "brain tired". Dont overwork your brain - if you know that after 15 mins your done in, stop at 10 minutes so you dont end up with that completely useless and maybe tearful state. Might just take my own advice 🤣🤣😁

[Matt2584]

Hi,

When you do nothing about it, I believe you will carry on feeling fatigued after a short spell all or most of the time.

I am an artist. A few years ago, after a session of drawing, my right hand would cramp up and feel stiff and I would feel heavily fatigued. It felt like my head would be full of cement.

There is a wealth of information you can find through the internet and I have a lot more faith in natural medicine over pharmaceuticals now.

I read up more on essential oils and frankincense in particular is good for brain injuries as it sends more oxygen to your brain when you inhale some. Oxygen is what the brain needs in order to heal.

So after a few weeks of inhaling frankincense right from the bottle I did notice a change as I wasn't getting so fatigued and my hand didn't hurt as much as it did.

So I do believe the fatigue can eventually go or lessen but you need to find this information out for yourself.

Mainstream news will never tell you helpful information like this. Independent/alternative media teaches more.

[elsae in reply to Matt2584]

Funnly enough I also find art quite exhausting but what cheers me is that most of my group also complain and they haven't had a brain injury! shall try the frankincense.. it is all a question ofj oxygen I'm sure.

[Matt2584 in reply to elsae]

I went on a cognitive course with my Headway a couple of years ago and our current manager was the lady running the course. She said that a person with a brain injury treated his injury with some kind of treatment that sends pure oxygen to the brain. A few people have spoken about it on this forum too.

My brothers' partner has neuralgia and his doc mentioned an oxygen-based treatment. It sounded like it was like an inhaler but you inhale pure oxygen which my bro had never heard of before. I told him that I could understand that and told him the story our current manager told us about the guy with the BI.

Most of your group complain? On how good you are? I can sort of relate to that because quite a few people have told me how amazing my art is and that they can only draw a stick man :).

I've seen other art online, pinterest for one, and I think the art on their is pretty much outstanding but then I think back to what I have been through and it is even more of an achievement.

Sorry if it sounds like I am bragging, I'm not trying to :).

[redeyes2 in reply to Matt2584]

Good to know, I am also an artist and many friends are as well. We often have hand aches and fatigue as well. I added Arginine to my supplements to increase nitric oxide.

[Matt2584 in reply to redeyes2]

Haven't heard of that one before, might have to give Arginine a go then. I like the name Arginine. It makes me think of 'Our Janine' like Northern parents might say :).

[suemoff]

I'm 3 1/2 years down the line and fatigue and trouble sleeping are still my main problems. The explanation that resonates with me is that pre injury our brains worked via direct lines and now it's like going through a few telephone exchanges. So mental tasks are much more tiring. It still frustrates the hell out of me though.

Sue

[RogerCMerriman]

i find it depends on what your doing, for example in order of exhaustion Tube/Bus/train/walking/car/bike.

I find noise or rather lots of clutter shattering, have I got better? yes you clearly can relearn it may not be as good as before but the brain is good at learning.

[stedman]

A great idea, I hope encourages usage and helps in removing one of the blindspots of life that we all miss. Excellent!

[keeley24]

Getting tired easy is a common thing with BI it could be something you have to get used to unfortunally. I attend a BI group and most there get tired easy. Does effect some more than others. The man who set the group up had BI over 5 years back and pretty much recovered but he does get tired quite easy. He is able to carry on as normal, runs marathons etc, but on 2 days out now he has been tired on way back after not really doing that much just walking round and playing bowling. Which is a shame as on the bowling day I would have liked longer as there was more to do but didn't have time. So yea common thing after BI

[meowrie]

Had my injury in 2006 and fatigue is still a major problem. From support groups found that the 2 things most brain injury survivors have in common is fatigue and memory issues.