Joanne Brown

My name is Joanne Brown, I am 34 years old, live in Leominster with my Partner Sean, boxer dog called George and my daughter Charlotte who is 5 years old. I work as a Telesales Operator in town selling Mail-Order Sportswear. I was taking Oral Contraception and I was a smoker.

This is my story regarding the Stroke I suffered on the 27th October 2003.

Monday 27th October 2003. I got up with Charlotte and came downstairs to make breakfast, had a coffee, put some washing on the line, had a fag, went and got dressed and I felt fine. It was half term week and my mum was going to look after Charlotte for me, as I was going to work between 12-3pm. I started the housework upstairs and my ears popped, I could not hear anything and my head felt all muzzy. I still continued to do the hoovering, thinking my ears would pop and I would be able to hear once again. When I got downstairs I started the hallway, the kitchen and finally the living room, where I found Charlotte lying on the floor colouring. I began to ask her to move her things so that I could hoover around her, but my words came out all muddled up and she could not understand me. I kept thinking what is the matter with me!!! I obviously did not know that this was a warning of what was about to happen. After the couple of seconds my speech was back to normal, and I did not think about it again.

Charlotte and I drove to my Mum's at Richards Castle, 7 miles outside of Leominster. When we got there, I was telling Mum all about what had happened that morning, and she said it sounded like the first signs of a Stroke, I said don't be so silly, I'm not old enough to have one of those as I only associated Stoke with elderly people. My Mum's neighbour and Sean's Nan had recently suffered a Stroke and they were in their eighties. I began to start sentences about other things that Charlotte and I were going to do over the half term, but could not remember the words to finish what I was saying. This was very disturbing and Mum had noticed that I was getting very annoyed with myself and told me to go and sit down in the living room. She made me another cup of coffee, which I started to drink and soon started to choke on it, as I could not swallow properly. My Dad was upstairs sleeping as he works nights, my mum went upstairs to wake him up, but he was already up, as he heard all of the commotion going on downstairs. It only felt like a couple of minutes had passed, but I could not talk at all. I still had movement in my arm and still could walk.

At that stage my Dad phoned my place of work to say that I was not going in today and also phoned the Doctors in Leominster for an appointment. We went straight to the Doctors and my sister looked after Charlotte, as she lives opposite my mum, and it was her day off. My mum was trying desperately to get hold of Sean on his mobile phone to let him know what was going on. On the way to the Doctors, my right side of my mouth was slightly drooped and all I could think about was "what is the matter with me"? When we finally got to the doctors, my dad needed to come into the room with me as I still could not talk, as he needed to tell the Doctors about my symptoms. After a pulling and pushing exercise on my right-hand side of my body, she told me to go straight to the Hereford Hospital.

Sean took me to the hospital and when we got there, I needed to be pushed in by wheelchair as I could not walk, we went straight in to the A&E Department. Later in the afternoon my speech came back a little and the feeling in my right leg came back. Sean and I thought that I would be able to go home - how wrong we both were!!! The Doctor who was looking after me and doing lots of tests and taking lots of blood, was waiting for a bed to become available in Admissions. I was attached to a drip as I still could not swallow properly and taken up to the Admission Ward.

The next morning I was paralysed down my right-hand side of my body and could not speak at all. The Doctors came around later on that morning and told me that the symptoms I had been experiencing were a Stroke. They said I had suffered two minor TIAs on Monday morning/afternoon and a major CVA on Monday night. All I could think about was WHY ME!!! After the initial period of emotion I decided that this has happened for a reason, and I am determined to lead a normal life.

I spent a total of 4 weeks in hospital and came out on the 27th November 2003, after having loads of Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy.

It is nearly 10 months ago since I had my Stroke. I can now talk, walk, move my right arm and do normal every day things. I still get tired and need a nap in the afternoon, but I think I can live with that as it could have been a lot worse. The reason for my stroke, was apparently a blood clot travelling up my body and finally placing itself on my left-hand side of my brain, causing the loss of speech and loss of movement in my right arm and leg. The Doctors do not know why it happened, or where the blood clot came from and I suppose I will never know. I am thankful that I have recovered so well and pray to the gods, that I don't have another one. The medication I am taking now and for the forseeable future is 75mg of Aspirin.

If any other Stroke Survivors read my story, I hope it gives them inspiration as there is life after stroke.

Thanks to Joanne 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!)

• c/o PROFILES,
• Click here for address