Was your stroke noticed

The more I have read about stroke the more it becomes apparent many of us have been misdiagnosed and depending on the circumstances it may be some time before it is picked up. You are fortunate that an MRI was done.  In my own case I knew I had had a stroke and hence my call to 000; however because I could still walk and talk I was not taken seriously by the medical profession.  My heart goes out to those who may not be aware that they have had a stroke. Fortunately my stroke occurred early morning and I recognised the signs.  My MRI was done three days later which proved I had had a stroke. 

Hi Misunderstood,

Here is some information about cognitive fatigue which may answer some of your questions.

Click here.

I hope that this helps,

D

Hi there Misunderstood

I am so gald you have found a safe space to share!  Your experience sounds so frustrating  for you, so hoping that some facts which are researched and shared for understanding and awareness of life after stroke are of some comfort to you.

I hope  that you are able to gain some strength from knowing  you are not alone.

Have a good look around this website in your own time and know that it is full of information and support.  

All the best

Sue Bowden (fellow survivor)

Thankyou Sue, Diana and Karen for taking the time to reply. Sometimes I do feel like I am alone with this.None of the FAST applied to me, I just had incredibly weird symptoms.It started with a very debilitating tiredness, which I tried to overcome by sleeping it off. When I awoke I was worse then before so opted for a cool shower which seemed to help.I then repaired a laptop and was in the process of testing it when all of a sudden, I felt like I was sinking into the ground.I convinced myself I was just tired and my office chair must be broken. I decided if I just stand up and walk around I might feel better.Big Mistake. As soon as I stood up, my whole left leg went really numb and so did across the front of my head. As I went to walk it felt like someone had attached a big block of cement to my left foot.I sort of had to drag my foot about a metre or two where I sort of fell into the lounge chair where my wife was. I said straight out to my wife "I feel weird", to which she replied do you want me to ring an ambulance?I said no I must be tired but then i kinda stumbled when I got up and my daughter asked me something and I tried to respond but couldn't find the word.I was talking ok, not slurring but  soft. I just could not find the words. I made it to bed and then my left eye went really blurry, that scared me so I went back out to my wife and said call someone pls. All through this whole ordeal my sense of reality was challenged. It was like I was in a dream and yet it was real.Apart from having Marfans syndrome I was otherwise fit and healthy having run my own business doing electronic repairs for around 15-20 years.In all of this never once did I think I was having a stroke and yet , even to the surprise of the neurologist, the mri showed I did.I have a fear of it happening again and maybe worse as I dont know why it happened this time.Searching for answers. Regards Jonesy(Formerly Misunderstood)

Hi Jonesy

The shock of everything happening so suddenly, the scramble to find out what was happening - it all sounds like a pretty scary time. Yes thank goodness for the MRI.

I can remember the events my stroke so very clearly, the slow deterioration as I became more unreachable. 

There are lots of people's stories who I have read  through the Stroke Foundation Website and EnableMe and FaceBook - Stroke Foundation Page who's strokes occurred even if they were fit, young, prime of  their life, Stroke does affect a wide cross section of our Community. 

Do you have any follow up appointments or anything suggested by your Dr. to assist you with your current fears of a re-occurence?  There is a link on this EnableMe site to ask a Professional. Maybe put some questions to them?

I can let you know some very basic things i did which helped me in early days:

 Music - music which meant something to me, listening to soft classical music when I became fuzzy headed, music to lift me in times of despair, music when nothing else made sense to me.  And I say that nothing made sense because for me sometimes recovery was an onslaught of situations which I was so uncomfortable with.

Writing - I wrote about anything.

Reading - I read widely about about life stories of adversity, brain injury, again stories that would lift me - honest stories which included the guts of life and what it can throw at people.

Sleep - I slept when I was tired. No late nights for me - that did change once we had children!

Walking - I walked heaps when I was able to.

Day Dream - I visualised, imagined what I wanted my future to be like. Visualised a clear and healthy brain.  Sounds weird I know - but I did it.

Reflect - I would just reflect on my days and think to myself I had done the best I could. Even if it had been what I considered at really bad day.

The Emotional Lability for me (laughing and crying)  was a really big part of what I needed to manage. It was difficult I can't say it was not.  It's very early days for you Jonesy so keep exploring  and finding out stuff about Stroke for yourself and even your family may want to read some information for themselves. I hope some of this helps.

Cheerio

Sue

Hi Jonesy,

Not all strokes show the classic FAST signs of stroke. Approx 80% of people display one up to all these signs.

The other signs are:

Weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on either or both sides of the body
Difficulty speaking or understanding
Dizziness, loss of balance or an unexplained fall
Loss of vision, sudden blurring or decreased vision in one or both eyes
Headache, usually severe and abrupt onset or unexplained change in the pattern of headaches
Difficulty swallowing

Fear of a second stroke is very normal and common. So much so that we've produced a podcast about it - you may want to listen: https://enableme.org.au/Community/Podcasts/Fear-of-second-stroke

Hope this helps

D 

Hi Jonesy, 

I'm so glad to hear that you called for an ambulance and that you had an MRI. It's not always easy to advocate for yourself in these situations. As you mention, people's knowledge of stroke varies greatly, with many still believing it occurs in the heart. It's our mission to change this and to build public awareness around the signs of stroke. Stroke survivors sharing their story is an important part of this so thank you.

As Di mentions, there are a number of different signs of stroke. FAST (Face, arms, speech) are the 3 most common signs, which is why we promote the FAST acronym. If you'd like to talk more about your stroke experience, please give us a call on StrokeLine 1800 787 653 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm EST)

Sue has provided some great ideas around how to manage fatigue and emotional lability, as well as some really great self-care tips. It's important to know that you're not alone, and that there is help and information available. You may find our fact sheets on fatigue and emotional and personality changes after stroke useful. Our podcasts on fatigue and fear of a second stroke may also be worth a listen. 

Do you know if you have any follow up appointments with a neurologist? If you do, we can help you pull together some questions about your symptoms and ongoing stroke recovery. We can also help you explore if there are suitable strategies or therapy options to better manage your fatigue.

Don't hesitate to give us a call, or email us at strokeline@strokefoundation.org.au

Best wishes,

Alana