Ron Wilson
Good day,
How strange it is to feel you are all alone when recovering from a stroke, most certainly not the case, hence my decision to share my reflections since my recent stroke.
I suffered my stroke 2am 28th December 2003. Now you may feel that date is etched in my life's history for obvious reasons, however thereby hangs the tale.
The timing was two hours after the celebration of my 50th birthday on 27/12/03. Ah! I hear the cry, goodly celebrations have disastrous results!! Possibly quite so, I was out in Prague celebrating the monumental event (my birthday) a surprise gift from my partner and her son. My wife Diane died suddenly from lung cancer May 2001 and my close family friend, Lorna, who had been and is a tower of strength. However I digress, I suffered my brain haemorrhage suddenly whilst in the hotel and once local doctor eventually arrived the journey well and truly began. Whisked off to hospital admitted to intensive care, three CT scans performed within 12 hrs (NHS amazed at this when I returned to local hospital) and professional care of tremendous quality.
However whilst professional care was excellent the communication issues were horrendous, here I was 50 years plus one day old, could not move either left arm or leg, drooling at mouth, eyesight extremely blurred and could communicate with no-one. My traveling companions had to return (at my insistence, 'I'll be OK') to Scotland on the day of my stroke, so I was well and truly alone. I had never dreamt that the journey hadn't really started; I thought that a couple of days get my blood pressure under control and on my merry way. Yes the dreaded HBP, I had been diagnosed with HBP four years earlier when admitted to hospital with broken arm, which was result of motorcycle accident. On discharge from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee at that time the nurse said, 'Aye you come in with one thing and go out with another!' Again ignorance is bliss HBP, take medication control it end of story no problem. I got annual employee medicals anyway so it would be monitored regularly. But early 28/12/03 that was all out the window.
It took five days in intensive care in Prague to get my blood pressure under control and another six days before they thought it safe for me to travel back to hospital in Dundee. During my time in Prague some physiotherapy was attempted on a daily basis, the physio would come in give me some instructions in her language, get disgruntled with me and move my useless limbs to try to them coax into movement. I must admit my only goal at this time was to get back home as I thought everything would be fine. How naive. My wish was granted though and an angel of transport nurse Sue McPherson came and escorted me home, right back to Ninewells hospital arriving late evening. Now the real journey started, here I was almost two weeks a stroke survivor and didn't even know what I'd survived!! That was soon put right by Dr McWalter who explained to me the full extent of my plight and what the plan was to be. I listened but never really took in what he said as this wasn't me he was talking about, boy was I wrong.
I started physiotherapy that day and how helpless I was, couldn't sit couldn't stand wheeled everywhere who was this person? However slowly some resemblance of movement came back, completely uncontrolled of course as all sense of feeling was lost. I stayed in hospital for four more weeks was then transferred to Centre for Brain Injury Rehabilitation unit (CBIR) close by in Dundee I spent two more months learning how to do things I took for granted before.
I cannot for one minute say I enjoyed any of this hospital time but on reflection realised how much was achieved. It is all about challenges and goals, I wanted out of wheelchair, managed, I wanted to walk with single stick, managed! wanted to walk without stick, managed!, wanted home, well, yes managed it. I was discharged from CBIR 27/2/04 against their better judgement but there was/is a big world out there and I wanted back into it. I was asked my goals, the usual, driving, working being able to do what I want when I want. I was back behind the wheel in an automatic car with driving assessor and DVLA approval mid April and went back to work as rig manager in Aberdeen late May.
Now the story doesn't end there as whilst all those goals have been met it is with some, nay great compromise, I still cannot use my left hand for very much certainly not writing or fine precision movement, major drawback as I am left handed, my walking is laboured to say the least, akin to a sailor who has been at sea for too long, so who defines success, or full recovery, two statements often given by the professional people involved in my recovery.
I was back at work for two months when the contract I was involved in was terminated. I was not working until January of this year when I took up a residential position out in Baku, Azerbaijan. Yep another challenge and one which has all sorts of angles, being newly disabled in the UK was an eye opener, being newly disabled in a post Soviet country is positively mind blowing, westerners are unusual enough but one stumbling about with a still slightly crooked arm is bizarre. Don't know if this tale has inspired or frightened but the fact that I have and am continuing to recover is testament to the love of good friends and dedication of medical nursing and physiotherapy staff, and maybe me, but only me, when I realised that I wouldn't wake up one morning and be able to jump out of bed and do all the things I could 27/12/03!! Stroke - 1, guess I should have stayed at 49!! We must all try. Good luck fellow survivors.
Ron Wilson
Training and Competence Manager,
KCA Deutag Caspian Ltd,
13th Floor ISR Plaza,
340 Nazami Street,
Baku, 370000 Azerbaijan
Thanks to Ron for sending in his 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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