David Willick on Life with Invisible Fatigue After Stroke

Recovery After Stroke

Post-Stroke Fatigue: Living With Exhaustion That Family Doesn’t Understand

When you meet someone who has had a stroke, you expect to see something.
A limp. A drooped smile. A visible clue.

What you often can’t see is the one thing that shapes their entire recovery: post-stroke fatigue.

For survivors like David Willick, fatigue wasn’t just tiredness — it was a complete rewiring of how his brain operated. And because nothing looked “wrong” from the outside, the exhaustion was misunderstood, dismissed, or invisible to everyone around him.

This is the part of stroke recovery that many people never talk about.
But for countless survivors, it becomes the most life-altering part of the journey.

What Post-Stroke Fatigue Really Feels Like

In the first weeks after his ischemic stroke, David slept for 44 out of 48 hours. Twice.

Not because he wanted to.
Not because he was lazy.
But because his brain was fighting to rewire itself at a level no one else could feel.

Post-stroke fatigue isn’t physical tiredness.
It’s neuro-fatigue — the deep brain exhaustion that follows even the simplest task.

For David, driving for ten minutes meant sleeping for hours.
A restaurant meal became overwhelming within 30 minutes.
Noise, light, background conversations — all of it flooded his brain faster than it could process.

Survivors often say:

“I look normal, but I’m exhausted inside.”

And that’s exactly what makes post-stroke fatigue so frustrating.
People don’t see it, so they don’t understand it.

Why Post-Stroke Fatigue Happens

After a stroke, the brain becomes like a construction site.
Damaged pathways collapse.
New ones must be built.
Old ones must be rerouted.
Simple tasks suddenly require manual mode instead of the automatic brain patterns that existed before.

David described driving after stroke like this:

• “I had to consciously think about braking.”
• “If I brake too softly, I’ll hit the truck ahead.”
• “If I brake too hard, I’ll get hit from behind.”
• “Where’s the noise coming from?”
• “Why is the windshield so bright?”

That’s one minute of mental processing… for something he had done automatically for decades.

This is what drains survivors.
Not weakness — but the intense cognitive load of rebuilding pathways.

The Part Survivors Struggle to Explain

One of the hardest parts of David’s recovery was convincing others he wasn’t alright.

“I looked normal,” he said, “but I was struggling more than ever.”

Post-stroke fatigue is invisible.
You can’t X-ray it.
You can’t bandage it.
You can’t show someone what light sensitivity feels like or what it’s like to suddenly forget where you parked your car.

When fatigue shows up, it looks like:

• turning down invitations
• leaving a restaurant early
• needing another nap
• feeling overwhelmed in a shopping centre
• struggling to keep up with conversations
• cancelling plans last minute

To friends and family, it can look like disinterest.
To survivors, it feels like survival.

One of the best things you can say to a survivor is:

“Whatever you’re feeling is valid… and I believe you.”

The Non-Linear Reality of Recovery

Every stroke survivor eventually discovers this:
Recovery is not a straight line.

David described it as a long-term stock market chart — trending upward, but filled with unpredictable rises and drops.

Two good days in a row don’t guarantee a third.
A setback doesn’t erase progress.
Your brain is always working, always rewiring, always adapting.

And fatigue can flare for reasons no one can pinpoint:

• overstimulation
• weather
• stress
• sleep changes
• doing too much the day before
• mental load
• emotional overwhelm

You can be “fine” one moment and overwhelmed the next.

This is the reality survivors live with.
And it doesn’t mean they’re failing.
It means their brain is healing.

How David Rebuilt His Energy and Identity

David didn’t just rebuild strength.
He rebuilt himself.

Here are the strategies that helped him navigate post-stroke fatigue and regain stability in his life:

1. Journaling the Little Wins

David tracked his improvements daily.
Not because he felt optimistic — but because depression and mental spirals made progress hard to see.

Reviewing weekly entries became proof that he was improving, even when he couldn’t see it in the moment.

“When I felt discouraged, I looked back at the journal and saw how much better I was than the week before.” — David

2. Respecting the Brain’s Need for Rest

He learned to respond to fatigue, not fight it.

Early on, if his brain said sleep, he slept.
If fatigue hit while walking, his wife spotted it instantly.
If his voice changed — softer, heavier — it became a signal that the day needed to slow down.

Rest wasn’t weakness.
Rest was medicine.

3. Gradual Return to Work

David went from:

• 6 hours per week
• to 12
• to 20
• to 30
• slowly back to full-time

At 20 hours per week, he almost quit — the fatigue was brutal.
But pushing in measured doses expanded his “ceiling” a little at a time.

This part of his recovery became one of the biggest catalysts for growth.

4. Redefining Success

Before the stroke, success for David was high performance, global work, and climbing the corporate ladder.

After the stroke?

Success became:

• peace
• health
• family
• meaningful work
• mentoring the next generation
• living with purpose

That shift transformed everything.

Advice for Survivors Facing Post-Stroke Fatigue

David’s message is simple and powerful:

“It’s going to be okay.”

You may not return to the person you were before — but you can grow into someone wiser, more self-aware, and more grounded.

Here’s what he wants every survivor to know:

• Recovery is possible.
• Fatigue doesn’t mean failure.
• You can improve for years.
• Rest is part of rehabilitation, not the opposite of it.
• Don’t compare your recovery to anyone else’s.
• Track your progress — your future self will thank you.
• Your mindset shapes every part of your healing.

And perhaps most importantly:

“You’re allowed to say no. You’re allowed to protect your energy.”

If You Love Someone Who’s Recovering From Stroke…

Understand that:

• They’re not faking the exhaustion.
• They’re not being dramatic.
• They’re not “overreacting.”
• They’re not trying to avoid you.

They’re trying to survive a neurological crash you can’t see.

Ask them gently:

“What do you need right now?”
“How can I make today easier for you?”
“Do you need rest?”

Support doesn’t fix fatigue, but it makes the journey human.

Next Steps for Your Own Recovery

If you’re dealing with fatigue, overwhelm, sensory overload or hidden deficits, I want you to know something:

You’re not alone — and recovery doesn’t end after rehab.

Here are two resources that can help:

• My book: The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened — a practical guide to post-traumatic growth after stroke
  recoveryafterstroke.com/book
• Patreon:
  patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke

There’s a path forward.
There’s hope.
And your energy will rebuild — one small step at a time.

David Willick on Life with Invisible Fatigue After Stroke

Post-stroke fatigue can feel impossible to explain. David’s story reveals the hidden exhaustion behind recovery and how hope slowly returns.

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction and Acknowledgments
06:37 The Discovery of PFO and Its Implications
09:20 The Day of the Stroke
11:16 Emergency Response and Delays
17:00 Initial Reactions and Miscommunication
25:23 Post-Stroke Fatigue and Recovery Challenges
27:28 Sensory Overload and Sensitivity
31:35 Emotional and Physical Challenges
37:01 The Journey of Recovery
41:13 The Impact of Memory Loss
48:10 Shifting Perspectives on Life
51:50 The Importance of Mentorship
56:45 Self-Awareness and Recovery
01:00:14 Encouragement for New Survivors
01:07:19 The Power of Perseverance
01:11:46 Conclusion and Reflections

The Transcript Will Be Available Soon…

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