I’m beginning to feel some energy coming back, or perhaps it’s because I have worked two days from home and took a real drive in the car. Getting back to a normal life is part of recovery, but fatigue is still evident.
The Brain Aneurysm Foundation has some really good explanations as to WHY one is so easily tired after an aneurysm. They say:“After an aneurysm, many people report that their energy is diminished after relatively little activity or effort. It is natural to want to return to previous activity levels as quickly as possible and many survivors become disturbed when fatigue gets in the way. Their frustration is often rooted in the belief that inactivity equals “laziness” or poor effort.”
Even though I’ve been through this process before, just on a different level, and KNOW the fatigue would be a part of it, it IS still frustrating. The BAF also says:“You should keep in mind that fatigue is a necessary part of the recovery process. Fatigue should be considered a positive sign of progress, rather than a negative sign that indicates poor effort, or ongoing disease process, or a “plateau” in the rehabilitation process.”
The following statement is the one I found to be the most telling and the best explanation on fatigue:“After a brain aneurysm, brain function is disrupted by damage to complex networks of brain cells (neurons). These networks must be repaired for improvement in function to take place, an internal process that occurs over time. The healing process takes energy that the brain did not have to expend before there was damage to the neural network. The brain works at recovering function 24 hours a day and in many different ways, including the reorganization of functions, the re-growth of damaged brain cells, and the cleaning up of debris. Without your knowledge, the brain diverts some of its energy to the process of healing, a process that significantly subtracts from available energy levels.”
It makes perfect sense that the brain needs energy for healing, and as a result, it diverts some energy usually used elsewhere to heal the brain and nerves. I get it now!
“It is important to emphasize that fatigue cannot be overcome by an act of willpower, or by making an extra effort. The human body knows when it needs rest and that rest is a restorative process.”
Now it’s a game of balancing being lazy with getting the rest I need.
Heidi's Brain Blog 