*Trigger Warning* Remembering my stroke

I had my stroke on Friday 17th October 2014.

My husband had realised, afterwards, in the days leading up to it that I had been more forgetful than normal and somewhat unsteady on my feet.

On Friday morning I woke up and got my girls ready for school. Once they left, I went to lay down because I just felt "off"..

When I woke up I remember not being able too see initially and being very disoriented. I tried to move but I couldn't. I tried to call out for my husband but I couldn't do that either... By now I am crying, scared and have no idea what's going on!

I banged on the wall to get his attention and he came in. He didn't know what was going on at first.. He asked me what was wrong and I was crying AND laughing AT THE SAME TIME hysterically.

He sat me up and I fell to my left.. He tried again and it happened again.. This made him realise that I had a stroke.

The ambulance got there pretty quickly. I remember being in the ambulance for what felt like an eternity before we left. They were trying to canulate me and stabilise me.

Then lights and sirens were on and we were off...... On the way, I remember them saying one of them had stopped working (lights or sirens).

At the hospital they didn't think that I had had a stroke.. Rather they told my husband and I that I had basically had a brainfart and it had just temporarily had enough. My CT scan came back normal.

I had altered vision, turned eye, couldn't move my left arm or leg and was slurring my speech.... And they didn't think it was a stroke?

I later had an MRI and it showed I had an ischemic stroke in the pons. My brainstem.

I was taken to the stroke Ward. I had youth on my side.. I was 34 when I had my stroke.

They did Physio with me on my leg but never with my arm and hand. This concerned me immensely so I started doing things myself to try and get it to move again... I didn't want my hand to remain paralysed! I used to play guitar and I made this something that I wanted to work towards.

I spent just over a week in the hospital and then was transferred to rehab and stayed there until December 8th.

When I came out of rehab, I could talk almost normal for me unless I was tired, I had some movement in my hand, could move my arm (not backwards or above my head) and I could walk small distances.. The doctors and physios etc were all very suprised. Apparently I was lucky to be walking let alone be here at all.

I wasn't able to get Physio or O.T visits until January because of it being so close to the end of the year so I just continued with the excercises theyd given me in hospital.

I have to stop here for the time being as now finding it very hard to concentrate and think clearly.. Thanks for reading!