Eleanor Moore
I was 53 when I had my stroke, now aged 60...Survivors Stories seems a good place for it to go!
On June 21 2004 I had a fall...it is emblazoned on my mind because it was Midsummer Day and it presaged months of angst, including 2 more related falls. This sequence could have permanently restricted my mobility, because at the time of writing (April 2005) it still hasn't returned to where it was on June 20 2004
Let me explain myself. Yes, I am a stroke survivor, (Christmas 1997). It was described by my Doctor as a "serious" ie I do not have a wheelchair and can normally get around the house without a walking stick but I cannot leave my house unaccompanied, I cannot do my own housework or gardening and I cannot give myself a bath. My leg is permanently splinted at 90 degrees to the ground. I live alone.
In these circumstances I very foolishly over-reached my capabilities on the back step of my house that fatal afternoon. What happened next involved me, my walking stick, my Radio (the cause of all the trouble) a large plant pot filled with soil which I managed to knock over and land on top of, severe and dramatic looking bruising which I discovered later, and a bleeding hand. Well, I will spare you any more details, because it is the aftermath that is important.
Being of the stiff upper lip variety, and not knowing any better, I carried on as though nothing had happened....
Then, on July 1, I actually fell off my dining chair… This amazed me...I had never done this before. I fell onto the same bruised part that had been caused by the first fall...then my troubles seriously began. My diary records that I had to cancel all regular excursions outside the house (eg supermarket, sports centre, half day voluntary job etc) Although unrecorded, it was about this time that I had a carer in daily for 3 weeks because I just could not get about in my own home. My morale was on the floor.
I could barely walk. My foot was in constant spasm and was acutely uncomfortable. etting down stairs was a nightmare. My carer took me to the GP. She prescribed Baclofen, warning me that it might make my foot go floppy. This drug gave me instant relief, relaxing my foot and my whole self. I was overjoyed at the (mistaken ) prospect of being able to return to my former level of mobility.
From now on the sequence of events is rather unclear, since I do not keep a reliable diary. Suffice it to say that my Physiotherapist was alarmed at the issue of Baclofen and urged me to stop taking it immediately, which I did after careful thought and a telephone discussion with my GP. On July 30, I had yet another fall, just while trying to get around in my own home...My mobility had not been restored
It was not until late September that I was able to resume some of my regular excursions outside the home. Now (April), I am still using my walking stick to get around indoors, and I have made the first visit back to the sports centre, hoping against hope that gradual muscle strengthening will bring me back to where I was before.
Moral to all stroke survivors: Try not to fall....
Thanks to Eleanor 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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