Tips for stroke-surviving software engineers

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Article usability & accessibility

  • A few readers report very low-contrast text on iOS/Safari, calling the page nearly unreadable and tying this to broader accessibility concerns.
  • Commenters note accessibility isn’t just about blindness; cognitive and visual fatigue after brain injury makes good design crucial.

Advice is broadly applicable

  • Many say the tips work not just for stroke survivors but for:
    • Burnout and chronic stress
    • ADHD and other neurodivergence
    • ME/CFS, long Covid, brain fog
    • Epilepsy and other neurological conditions
  • Several suggest the title could be “for everyone (or anyone trying to avoid a stroke).”

Work culture, overwork & agile

  • Multiple stories link strokes or serious health events to long hours, high stress, and “12–14 hour coding benders.”
  • Strong criticism of modern tech culture: endless notifications, open offices, meetings, “vibe coding,” and “feature factory” agile/scrum seen as burnout machines.
  • Debate over agile/SAFe:
    • One side: agile-as-practiced is mini-waterfall plus stress; unsustainable over decades.
    • Other side: the core manifesto is fine; problems stem from incentives and bad management, not the method itself.

Recovery, coping & practical strategies

  • Recurring themes:
    • Strict rest and pacing; accept reduced “juice” and stop before exhaustion.
    • WFH, stress limits, naps, good sleep, exercise and diet adjustments.
    • Hard “no” to context switching; disable notifications, minimize meetings, use headphones and even physical “blinders.”
    • Externalize memory with journals, worksheets, and detailed notes.
  • Tools mentioned: voice recognition (esp. for limited dexterity), copilot/LLMs as cognitive offload, not replacement for people.

Accommodations, law, and social safety nets

  • People ask how to talk to employers about WFH-only or low-stress requirements, and note the emotional cost of repeatedly explaining disabilities or gaps.
  • Some argue it’s safer to leave toxic workplaces than rely on anti-discrimination laws; others stress the importance of asserting legal rights for broader systemic change.
  • Discussion of disability/unemployment coverage: EU commenters describe relatively strong protections; others call this naive given real insurance/bureaucracy hurdles and financial obligations.

Medical, prevention & diet debates

  • Stories include strokes, brain trauma, migrainous infarction, autoimmune optic neuritis, epilepsy, IBS, Lyme, tropical mono, etc., often with lasting cognitive or visual effects.
  • Prevention suggestions: moderate lifestyle, Mediterranean-like eating, walking, stress management; some mention supplements or experimental compounds.
  • Keto sparks debate:
    • Pro: strict keto + walking as stroke-recovery/health advice.
    • Contra: warning about long-term risks (organ damage, lipids) and lack of strong evidence for stroke/CVD benefit outside epilepsy.
    • Counter-critique: accusations of scare-mongering; noting non-keto diets also lead to metabolic disease.
  • A few speculate on rising young stroke rates and possible links (e.g., Covid, genetics, nutrition), but these are clearly speculative/unclear.

Emotional and psychological dimensions

  • Many describe terror during the event, long-term fear of recurrence (especially with epilepsy or rare autoimmune issues), and identity shock when cognitive ability drops.
  • Depression, anxiety, and “othering” oneself come up; commenters stress:
    • Be patient with slow recovery (months to years).
    • Don’t define your whole identity around the condition or online patient communities.
    • Communicate openly with teammates so they understand not just what accommodations you need but why.

Community, relationships & perspective

  • Some push back on framing “not being alone” as “use AI,” arguing real human relationships and supportive teams are crucial both for prevention and recovery.
  • Several emphasize finding humane workplaces and managers who treat you as a person first, and sharing your story at work when safe to foster empathy.
  • A stroke-rehab speech-language pathologist (via a commenter) reinforces: younger strokes in sedentary, high-stress jobs are increasingly common, and early recognition (FAST: Face, Arm, Speech, Time) is critical.