Didn’t see this coming.

HI Trina,

Thank-you for reaching out to the Stroke Foundation of Australia on EnableMe. I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s Stroke, the impact on him and you. Having a loved one suffer a stroke can be a very stressful and emotional experience.

Every stroke is different and is difficult to say the impact on life expectancy, therefore I would recommend speaking about this with his neurologist. It is challenging being so worried about your husband’s future.  There are certainly risk factors for stroke, which you have mentioned a few, but knowing the risk factors and managing these can help reduce the risk of further stroke. It’s important to speak with your husband’s doctor about his stroke risk factors and any preventative measures or medication that would assist with preventing further stroke. You may also find the information below helpful in regard to stroke prevention.

Prevent Stroke | Stroke Foundation - Australia

Prevention | enableme - stroke recovery and support

Given you worry and fear for your husband, I would also encourage you to speak with your doctor or other health professional about how you are feeling as they may be able to provide a referral to a psychologist or counsellor to provide support. You may be eligible for a Mental Health Treatment Plan which lets you access several sessions with a mental health professional at a reduced rate through Medicare each calendar year. This may be something your husband may also wish to consider.

You and your husband may also like to consider a Stroke Support Group. Support groups can be a wonderful way of reducing social isolation and connecting with others who may have a similar lived experience, as a stroke survivor or a carer.  You can find a list of support groups in Australia here, and you can search by state or name of the group you are looking for. The Stroke Foundation do not manage these groups, but we do try and keep this list up to date, so please let us know if you come across any that are no longer running. 

If you have become a carer for you husband, you may be interested in our resources on EnableMe here. You may also find more carers resources and services here and here. Below are a few more organisations that can also provide Carer support and information.

Carers Australia  is the national peak body representing Australia’s unpaid carers, advocating on their behalf to influence policies and services at a national level. They also have information about and for carers, such as services available and how you can be supported.  

Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) is a place for carer support, services, resources, and education. Although there may be a waitlist, they also provide free in-person or over-the-phone counselling for carers.  

Synapse (1800 673 074) is the Australia's Brain Injury who provide information and support to people who have experienced a brain injury, such as stroke, and their carers and families. You may find support for carers here.

I hope this information is useful for you. If you would like more information, please reach out to Strokeline on 1800 787 653, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm AEST, or via email at strokeline@strokefoundation.org.au.

Best Wishes,

Jo (Strokeline).

Thanks so much Jo- some really helpful info and contacts there. 

You never see it coming , even the best doctors can't say  , just unlucky , education is the best  way but the government has none ,  No it's not for a simple stroke , most live an almost normal life , and the really lucky ones just live , the unlucky ones die , usually last a day . Sounds like he had a mild stroke , theirs 2 types , mild and severe .

Mine was completely unexpected at age 62. I had had a heart attack and cardiac arrest at 50, was forced to retire and made all the lifestyle changes to prevent stroke. I was doing fine until one day I was out walking and felt unusual. Turned out to be a stroke. 

Hospital and independent neurologist agree that it was likely caused by a cardio embolism, but no idea why it suddenly happened now. We just have to keep going with what I’ve been doing and hope it doesn’t happen again.

if the speech slurring bothers him (it did for me), it’s worth doing a few sessions with a speech therapist to identify the reason. They gave me exercises to improve my oral motor function, and reading/speaking strategies to use and practice. I think it was 5 sessions all up, including the initial assessment, and made a huge difference to my speech and confidence.