First anniversary
The first anniversary of my cryptogenic stroke (meaning the doctors don't know why it happened) whizzed by with hardly a sound early in April 2020.
I think I had the 'easiest' stroke you can have, with a fast recovery, no residual weakness and no discernible deficits (though I can see some). Fatigue continues but has lessened. For a long time I experienced 'survivor guilt' as I witnessed how much harder others had been affected.
Some people said, "Don't be silly!" As Cold Chisel said in their song Khe Sanh, "And it's only other vets could understand".
Three weeks after the CVA I was out of rehab and returning for exercise sessions each week. By mid-June I was back at work 1 and then 2 days per week, and then 3-days per week from 1 August. By the end of the year I was still getting fatigued and consciously trying to avoid the stress and busy-ness that others were caught up in.
In January I remember saying to my husband, "I want the world to slow down. Maybe I should take another three months off!" And that brings us to this crazy time of lockdown which is definitely not time off but at least has removed some pressure - commuting, waking up early, getting dressed etc. (It has brought other pressures of course)
Though others never mention it, I still think about the stroke at least once per day. I am aware that it could have been so much more damaging and I'm grateful each day that I was spared the worst.