Cathy Guy
I had my stroke 21 months ago in February of 2002, I was 51 years old.
I awoke one morning feeling a little strange and when I got out of bed I realised that I was dragging my left leg, my left arm also felt weird. I was very scared and as I live alone I immediately rang my son. When he arrived, about ten minutes later, everything felt ok again. I explained to him what had happened, and we decided on a trip to the local A&E. I got as far as putting my jeans on when the whole of my left side just went numb. I couldn't even stand up. Chris, my son, had to lift me onto the bed and called an ambulance. By the time the ambulance arrived, about 15 minutes later, I was back to "normal" again. Nevertheless, they took me to hospital. While in A&E, they did all the usual tests and told me I'd had two TIAs. I'd never heard of a TIA before and was surprised to learn that this is possibly a warning sign of a full stroke.
It happened the next day. I was at home on my own and began to feel very unwell, this seemed to pass but over the course of the day my left side was getting weaker and feeling most peculiar. Later that afternoon my daughter took me back to the A&E department. After about four hours and the same tests as the day before, I was told I could get dressed and go home, but when I got up to leave my walking was obviously worse and the doctor decided to admit me.
Looking back I think the stroke just progressed for about three days until I could hardly use my left side at all. I managed to struggle to the bathroom with the aid of a walking frame, but found things extremely difficult when I got there!
As I have private health care I was transferred to a private ward, I had every test, blood tests, CAT and MRI scans, ECG, heart and necks scans, x-rays. They were all normal, so the doctor put it down to the HRT that I was taking. I spent two weeks in hospital. I had physio as an out-patient, then the physio came to my home twice a week for about six weeks.
When I came home the only thing that worried me about being on my own was whether I could manage the bath. My sister-in-law came to the rescue and stayed the first two nights, after which I was on my own.
I made up my mind to fight this a couple of days after being admitted to hospital, while having my first bath after the stroke. To have to be hoisted in and out of the bath was, for me, so awful, I said to myself "I can't be doing with this!"
This has made me realise that I'm quite a determined person when I want to be and right from those first few days in hospital, I set myself goals. I made sure I did the crossword everyday to prove to myself I still had all my marbles. I was determined to walk out of that hospital, and I did. When I went home I practised walking everyday and eventually I got to the local newsagents (5 minutes away for a well person), with a rest in the bus shelter there and back, to get my newspaper. I am driving again and trying to improve my walking to enable me to walk to work as before. I am swimming again, only a few lengths with a rest between each one, but I'm getting there.
I've been in the depths of despair some days, I'm on anti-depressants, but trying to wean myself off them now. I'm back at work, just part-time, I still get quite tired and need to pace myself. I think I'm lucky that my company and workmates have been very supportive. None of them had any experience of stroke before, so we've all been on a steep learning curve. I've also had a lot of help and support from family and friends.
The medical profession would call my stroke a minor one, but it was a major event in my life. The way people were talking I thought I was going to be completely back to normal within six months. It wasn't until I range Different Strokes and spoke to Donal O'Kelly who told me that it was going to take a lot longer that I really started to come to terms with it. That was the turning point. I was very depressed and he put me back on the positive road again, here was someone who knew exactly what I was going through.
I've cried when I've read other stroke survivors' stories, I've cried while writing this. Just going back over the last 21 months has made me realise how far I have come and on the days when I feel low I try to think positive. Perhaps I will never be as I was before, but I'm sure going to try!!!!!!!
Thanks to Cathy 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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