Alexandre Sicilano Borges
I am Brazilian, and last year, when I was 31, and I was living in the Netherlands, I suffered a cerebellar stroke.
On a sunday night I was studying in the computer for an exam and I had a sudden pain in the neck and right shoulder. I though it was a kind of a muscular pain and didn't care too much. The next thursday, 4 days after the pain, I was attending a class and the light of the classroom began to disturb me, I couldn't look directly to the windows. When the class finished I stood up and felt dizzy. My friends helped me and I start to vomit and became confused.
I was taken to the hospital and they found a stroke in the cerebellum (half of it died) due to a clot generated by a dissection of the cervical artery.
So the pain I felt 4 days before the stroke might have been the dissection of the artery. I had my right side paralyzed (legs, arms, face) soon, in the hospital, I regained some movements and a week later I left the hospital walking with a stick. At home I had intense physiotherapy, everyday, for 6 months.
8 months after the stroke I came back to Brazil almost totally recovered. Today, 1 year after the stroke, I have only some problems speaking (I am having speech therapy) and in handwriting, since my right hand became a little loose (lack of coordination).
I am very glad that I can walk (even practice some sports) and live a normal life again, but I keep thinking what may have caused the artery dissection?? Can it happen again??
I cannot think of any reason for that. Maybe is a genetic tendency. Maybe the computer (I was tense with the exam). I don't know and I do not want it to happen again because I don't know if I am going to be so lucky again.
Thanks to Alexandre for sending in her profile. Anyone else who would like to share their story can send it along with a photograph (if you're not shy!)
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