Leigh Arnison
I am 29 years old and in January 2010 had my life turned upside down. On the 10th of January I woke up to what felt like a severe stiffness in my neck. I put this down to nothing more than an unusual sleeping position then was shocked to find I couldn't stand properly. Being young, ignorant and stubborn I went to work as usual and the worst of it passed after a few hours. This was the first lesson I learned this year "The fact that you can't stand properly should never be ignored!" The pain in my neck remained that night and into the morning after. The following afternoon I was struck by a dizzy spell and again couldn't stand followed by an extreme pain behind my left eye just before i lost my vision. I felt very sick and statred to go numb in the face and limbs. I was driven to A and E at Airedale Hospital, near Keighley.
Once in hospital the doctors seemed to be at a loss to diagnose me and I was told I showed all the signs of having a stroke apart from the fact that i was functioning so well both physically and mentally. My vision had become split as my eyes stopped focusing together and started to move of their own accord. I couldn't walk unaided either was bed ridden for four days. Finally after three days of scans and tests they told me they had found a blood clot in my neck and I had suffered a stroke.
Looking back now it seems ridiculous but as a fit and healthy 29 year old man my first reaction was one of embarrasment. I didn't want people knowing I'd had a stroke it sounded pathetic to me let alone anyone else but I soon realised that wasn' t the case. My friends and family rallied round and the support I'm recieving is nothing short of amazing! Being so stubborn and single-minded I was discharged in two weeks and have returned to my parents house for the forseeable future.
Now just four weeks on my recovery is astonishing I'm walking further every day without the use of frames or sticks and my vision has returned in a fashion, its still a long way off perfect but a massive improvement.I have lost all feeling down my right side (arm,leg,chest) and can't quite decide whether thats returning or not but its all working so on the large scale of things I'm not too concerned. For me the worst thing is the fatigue, I feel tired and out of breath a lot. A small walk down the street or a flight of stairs leaves me exhausted and the constant headaches start to grind after a while.
Being back at my parents with no income is something I'm finding hard to get to grips with although they are being very understanding I still feel like I've lost my independence. Reading other peoples stories has made me realise how lucky I am and my own story seems trivial even as I'm writng it. I know its early days yet and I'm trying to be realistic but I'm convinced I will make a full recovery and refuse to hear any different. Pig headed..maybe but that has got me through this far. This is my story, take from it what you will but being positve and persistant is the best advice I can give so far.
Thanks to Leigh for sending in his story. 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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