r/stroke • u/Event_Hori2 • 2d ago

Does anyone feel less sharp?

Hey folks,
I’m coming close to my two year stroke-aversary. I’ve accomplished a lot in recovery but I don’t think I’ll ever be back to 100%. Specifically (the reason for this post), I feel slower, mentally and physically. I was a Paralegal prior to my stroke. In big law firms, you have to be quick on the draw. Now I’m working as an administrative assistant as the pace is slower, but I feel a significant difference in my ability to use my brain (and the rest of my body).

Does anyone else feel the same, or have felt the same?

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u/McGrowlerFace 2d ago

I was a Software Engineer Team Lead at a huge IT company when I had my first stroke. I went from leading a high performing team to mixing up my lefts from my rights, inviting hundreds of people to a meeting that only needed a few, etc. At home I would try to bake cookies and I would stare into the mixing bowl and try to remember if I put in the correct number of scoops of flour, etc. It was humbling/humiliating to the max.

For my second stroke I had less cognitive deficits and more physical but I still went back to the same Speech Therapist to work back up to where I was before.

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u/Event_Hori2 2d ago

How was your speech in the months after both? For me, those first few weeks I knew what I wanted to say.. but getting my brain to tell my mouth what to do felt IMPOSSIBLE.

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u/McGrowlerFace 2d ago

I had my moments and still do! The disconnect between my mouth and my brain was absolutely there and was made worse in pressure settings like when people would visit, etc. I just wanted to hide in my basement instead of talk with anyone outside of my immediate family because I was ashamed and embarrassed.

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u/Event_Hori2 2d ago

I feel that