Lynn Natividad

Stroke: 28th January 2004

It was my 48th birthday and as I’d booked a fortnight off work had gone to Manchester on a day out with my sister. I just remember feeling ‘not right’ and extremely tired but that was why I had booked the time off. It was a long day and in the evening I had a long hot bath, soaked my tired feet and went to bed. In the morning I’d taken my son to college, did shopping for my mum and went back to bed because I felt as though I had a hangover but I hadn’t had the pleasure of the drink!

Apparently my son had rung me to inform me that he’d need picking up and I spoke gobbledy gook on the phone, so he rang my mum to see what was wrong. I got out of bed , dressed myself , fell downstairs and was trying to get my shoes on when my mum came round- none of this I remember- an ambulance was called for and all I recall was a pleasant woman talking to me and putting me in a wheelchair. I was in A& E for a while and the doctor kept asking me to smile- apparently I was paralysed down my right side.

I was taken to the Stroke ward and put in a side room but by the next day I felt ok , the paralysis had gone and I was left with a brain ‘fog’ is the only way I can describe it, I felt as though everything was in slow motion and I was trying to speed it up. I had various tests and it was confirmed I’d had a stroke in the left parietal lobe. I stayed in hospital for 3 days, didn’t have any physio as I could walk, make a cup of tea and get in a bath! So my family decided it would be best if I went home- I didn’t argue as the brain fog was at work and if they’d said would I go to Timbuktu I’d have agreed.

At home all I did was sleep, stare out of the window and the hours flew past. One major plus was that I forgot I smoked! So I gave up smoking without the withdrawal symptoms- a drastic measure I know and I’d rather be a recovering addict than a stroke survivor! I knew I had to get back to work so arranged 3 months after to go in for an hour a day increasing it slowly until I am now back on full time hours. Work have been brilliant and even allowed me to go for a sleep when fatigue overcame me, which really helped. It took a while for me to use the phone as I couldn’t get my words out or explain things – which was a blow as I was the main point of contact at the workplace.

The problems of the stroke are now rearing their ugly heads three years later- because of the paralysis and reduced mobility I have been diagnosed with foot drop. I was always falling over and bumping into things so after a nasty fall made arrangements through my GP to be referred to the Neuro physio and not the normal phyiso whose exercises weren’t hitting the spot. So I am undergoing treatment for that which includes a brace, and because of the foot drop I have problems with my knee and hip. I just wonder if I’d been seen by the physio at the time of the stroke whether the condition could have been averted.

I was in denial after the stroke and because I could walk and appeared ‘normal’ the family thought and do still think I’m fine. It is the feeling of not being me that angers me, I am now shy and won’t talk to strangers because I get my words mixed up and get easily embarrassed. My self confidence has gone out of the window. But I feel a fraud when I see and read of how bad others have got it, which is why I never made a fuss in the first place.

It was good to see others stories on your website which prompted me to write.

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