EnableMe | enableme - stroke recovery and support

It has taken me nearly two years to write this blog, I still don’t know if I am ready to talk about it as I still have a lot of unanswered questions about how and why I had a stroke.
The doctors have said they don’t know.
Two years ago on 5 August I had a massive stroke and a blood clot at the base of my skull and two bleeds on the brain, the doctor told my husband that they didn’t think I would survive and if I did what damage I would have.

The day my life and my husbands life changed for ever.

I had been complaining of a sore lower back for about two weeks and went to the doctor twice, I was told it was muscle and go have a massage which I did on the Sunday I remember saying to my husband afterwards that it was a really painful massage, I remember friends visiting on The Wednesday I woke up on the Saturday with a massive migraine and was being sick, my husband had gone to work so I rang him to say I was sick and going back to bed, he tried ringing me later to see how I was and when I didn’t answer the phone he came home straight away, I remember talking to him that was it, my husband said I was disoriented and called the ambulance, I wasn’t aware of the paramedics and ambulance or arriving at the hospital and being admitted, my husband tells me that I was awake and talking to everyone the whole time, the doctors didn’t realise At first that i had a massive stroke because I was alert, I woke up in hospital 3 days later and couldn’t talk,walk, swallow properly and ,my right side was weak. After numerous tests and scans it was found that I had had 2 difficulties strokes. I lost a week of memory, after a month in hospital then 2 weeks in rehab then 3 months of inhome rehab 2 hours a day 5 days a week and numerous visits to doctors I was told that the type of stoke I had is called a silent stroke and we will never know what caused it and because majority of my damage is unseen and unknown damage until they appear it’s hard to treat.
It’s been along journey a lot of tears have been shed and I know that I will always have Issues and have worked hard to get better, i only have a slight limp on my right ankle when I am tired and I have trouble with my speach when I am tired or upset and trouble reading out load. Yes hidden issues have shown up, some not so great others easy to cope with.
People can’t believe that I had a stroke and comment it must have been a mild one I tell then it wasn’t I am lucky to be alive if my husband hadn’t noticed something wasn’t right and called ambulance the doctors said I wouldn’t be here today. Some friends have said some strange things to me that upset me especially why did you do that or that was stupid.
I take one day at a time but every time my back hurts I get scared I am going to have another stroke, I don’t think that fear will ever go away.
The doctors and my husband say I have gotten to where I am today because of my determination and stubbornness, I wasn’t a very good patient. I am so glad that I have such a wonderful and caring husband who knows when I am having a bad day or tired.

Hi Yvonne,

Thank you for sharing your experience, we really appreciate your courage and are grateful that you've reached out.

I hope that you get lots of responses from the community - they are an amazing group of people.

Hi Yvonne, Thank you for sharing your story. The good thing about this forum is that you can say as much or as little as you want and everyone will respect that as your right. Not knowing wy you have had a stroke can be hard; for me it made it taht bit harder to not think that another one could happen at any time. I've now quietened that voice and it's my husband taht stresses about it. Like you, my husband is wonderful and caring and I know I wouldn;t be doing the things I'm doing without his support.
Take care,
Toni

Hi Yvonne, thx for sharing. From my experience: time, patience and never giving up! Be kind to yourself! My journey: 21 days ICU, temp loss of vision, learned to walk again, look after myself, back to full-time work. It took time, though! All the best!

Hi Yvonne

Thanks for sharing, it is interesting to hear others stories who have had a massive stroke like me. I too was in a world of trouble and live in a rural area, which didn't help when the injection didn't assist in dissolving the clot so I ride with the Angels in the Sky it was. I am able to remember parts of my ordeal as it were and people (medical or community) apparently find my story interesting to hear. Into the brain they went to get my clot out. My prognosis also was I wasn't expected to survive and if I did I would be a vegetable as they said. I defied the odds to the disbelief of the Professor who came to see me 2 days after when he heard I was up walking and talking, he had to see it for himself. I came home 7 days later and started back at work 9 weeks later. My Neurosurgeon called my recovery Phenomenal in the report to my doctor. I then started doing 12-13hr/day in our busy times, which lasted 3 months. I decided to test my brain and it's abilities with the theory 'what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger' and after that length of time and pressure it did start to say enough, but it didn't kill me. I have no physical disabilities and nothing when speaking to people that they can detect. So yes I am truely blessed and am thankful everyday, but do worry from time to time will it happen again and will I be so lucky.

Always look forward and never behind you and enjoy all the accomplishments you have gained. Good luck with it all. Take care and stay safe. Robin (I am a girl, not a boy as my name would indicate)