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Hidden effects after a stroke Impaired overview and planning ability You may have difficulties managing your daily routine, keeping track of engagements and/ or finishing tasks. Perhaps you start to do too many things at once and therefore lose sight of the whole picture. Even small changes in your daily routine can lead to stress and frustration if you do not have a proper overview of things. Impaired initiative This can manifest itself in terms of you finding it difficult to get started on things. You might become passive and feel the need for others to initiate things for you. Perception of sensory input All forms of sensory input sound, sight, smell, touch etc can seem different than before. For example, you may find that loud noise irritates you more than it used to, perhaps you find touch uncomfortable or painful. Emotional life Emotional changes can be due to a psychological reaction to your new life situation, whilst other changes may be due to changes in the brain. Perhaps you experience increased irritability, loss of control of your feelings (laughing/crying), or you feel carefree/indifferent and/or a greater fear of having another stroke. Depression Research indicates that up to 50% of stroke victims are affected by depression. This can both be due to a psychological reaction to your new life situation, as well as other changes in the brain. Language Perhaps you will experience that you are unable to formulate complex sentences orally, for example regarding work, whereas you can communicate normally when it involves everyday speech. You may also find it difficult to express yourself in writing. Cognitive flexibility You might find it difficult to manage change and might become fixed in certain routines and solutions even when the requirements of your surroundings have changed. Problems with wakefulness/arousal You might find that you have very Little energy or even the opposite too much energy. Too little arousal can be confused with fatigue, but it is a more basic underlying problem, which cannot be solved by more sleep. Too much arousal manifests itself in, for example, restlessness and difficulty in concentrating. Visual disturbances You may experience increased dizziness, headaches or difficulty with reading (not difficulty understanding what you read but physical difficulties), as well as experiencing that your do not function properly together or get tired very quickly. If you experience any of these symptoms it would be advisable to see an ophthalmologist. 2/2