Beyond tired ....

[ElleGee]

Hi all, I have been reading the posts on here since joining last year. The advice & support offered by everyone is wonderful. Had a 12 mm brain aneurysm stented & coiled last year. It was successful & I count myself lucky indeed. Especially when I read the daily struggles many of you encounter. Back in work as a psychiatric liaison nurse. I love my job but get so overwhelmingly tired and tearful on times. Not a tiredness I recognise from pre aneurysm days. But a silent inward scream from my head saying no more input please I can't take it. A small difficulty to live I know, but would like to know from others if this is normal ? I feel a fraud in many respects . Was never injured or suffered a bleed, just had an elective procedure ... is this a result of having alien bits n bobs in my brain ? Or just a psychological reaction ? Any of your thoughts would be much appreciated.

[Kirk5w7]

Hi Elle,

When I read between the lines of everybody's posts I think that fatigue we all get no matter what causes the brain injury must be down to our brains trying to heal. The best way that can happen is for us to stop doing anything and sleep if possible.

And you have an acquired brain injury, any trauma to the brain must cause an injury. Mine was caused by encephalitis, no actual bleed or bang but that squeezing of my brain caused traumas to my optic nerves too. So you see we must all listen to our bodies when they tell us to stop.

I'm really glad you have managed to return to work but do be kind to yourself, your outcome is fantastic and you too have been given a second chance, grasp it with both hands and enjoy every day.

Janet xxxx

[ElleGee in reply to Kirk5w7]

Thank you Janet. Food for thought. I think I need to listen to my body more and stop pushing so hard. An yes you absolutely right about gaining enjoyment from each and every day. I appreciate your reply.

[cat3]

Elle, you put me to shame ! I had a burst aneurism coiled 5 years ago and, even now, though I don't work, I'm (inwardly) running screaming from lengthy conversations/discussions because my brain can only deal with small amounts of stimulus at a time.

So I appear impatient or irritable when I'm actually really struggling. But to be dealing with such taxing work as yours would be tantamount to torture for me.

Please try to discuss a compromise in hours with your employer, because your brain simply isn't equipped to deal with the expanse or intensity of work it was before your procedure. You, at least, need many more rest breaks than others in such a demanding vocation as yours.

You should congratulate yourself for your dedication, but please don't risk your own health. Fatigue is the brain's way of asking for respite, and the commonest issue after any type of brain injury.

Take care m'dear. Cat x

[ElleGee in reply to cat3]

Hi Cat, would doubt anyone could put you to shame. Have seen you reach out & offer kindness & support to many people this past year via this site. I dropped to a four day working week recently to try and give myself more time to rest. It has helped, but now I find myself trying to fit in the demands of full time into 4 days. In part because I don't want to let my patients & my team down in anyway. But also because setting my bar high has always been a trait of mine. I think I need to pay heed to my brains warnings and talk to my manager. Thank you so much for your reply. Warmest wishes to you.

[suemoff in reply to ElleGee]

Following my accident I finally settled at a 4 day week and manage to work from home at least 1 day a week and still get exhausted. I also haven't slept well since my tbi. I can't imagine managing to carry out your job, so I think you're doing brilliantly and beyond tired is a great way to describe it.

Sue

[Pat-rick1]

Ellegee , beyond tired is brilliant and so true for head injury’s , take it easy it will get better 😇

[ElleGee in reply to Pat-rick1]

Cheers Patrick 🙂 Am sure your right. A positive attitude & belief that things can improve is a necessity in life.

[Pat-rick1 in reply to ElleGee]

Absolutely and never more so than after head injury 😏😜

[Hidden]

Hi Elle

My bi was a result of a stroke.

I can totally relate to the beyond tired and agree that fatigue is so different to normal tiredness. For me it's a pressure squeezing my skull and sometimes feels like an iron mask on my face. When it's bad I can't speak coherently or think straight. I've also found that sleeping doesn't always make it go away. It very much depends on how active my brain is.

I also work but have progressed to 3 days a week with a rest day in between each work day. My stroke was almost 2.5 yrs ago and whilst I'm making good recovery and improved a lot I know there's no way I could do more. I also put a lot of effort into keeping to routines to manage the fatigue.

Please listen to what your body is telling you there's only you who can do your recovery no-one else.

I wish you all the best.

[sca2013]

Here is a very interesting book I'm currently reading that may help you get ,more functionality out of your brain and reduce brain fatigue:

Head Strong: The Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Faster-in Just Two Weeks by Dave Asprey

[ElleGee]

Hey Rachel & Sca, thank you both for your replies. The implicit understanding offered by everyone so far is such a massive help in itself. I shall look up that book. Very best wishes to you both.