What upsets me is to this day I still do not know what happened to me. How can I find out?

oops i meant  look in to my eyes  :) 

 Hi Cazzab,

I am sorry to hear of all you have been through in the last few weeks. It sounds like it has been a very frightening and worrying time for you.  The things you are feeling are very normal, especially when you haven’t been given an explanation or any information about what has happened to you.  You’ve done the right thing by reaching out.  Recovery after a stroke can be challenging, so it is good to know where to go to for help.

A stroke can be caused by many things, and there are some risk factors that we talk to many stroke survivors about. These include things like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes management, irregular heart beat or what’s called Atrial Fibrillation or AF. You can read more about stroke risk factors here. This link also talks about secondary prevention and reducing your risk of having another stroke.  This is good information about what to do to reduce your risk of being in this situation again.

I would imagine that not knowing what caused you stroke is very frightening. There are possible tests that can be done to rule out certain causes such as heart problems, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. We can talk with you about whether you have undergone any further tests, and where to go to if you haven’t.

How would you feel about contacting us here at StrokeLine on Ph. 1800 787 653. Or you can email us at strokeline@strokefoundation.org,au with your phone number and we can call you.  We can talk with you about your possible risk factors, things you can do to reduce your risk of having another stroke, and help support you though your early recovery.  You are most definitely not alone, and sometimes talking to either health professionals or other stroke survivors can help reduce the uncertainty of what has happened to you, and what it means for your future.  

Take care and do reach out to us, or let us know if we can reach out to you.

Siobhan (StrokeLine)

Why does that happen??

im so sorry that you have experienced that, it is so wrong.

angela

Wow this is very similar to my experience.  The main difference is I am getting follow up tests as I searched for a neurologist privately myself once who has since also hooked me up with a cardiologist (all quite costly). I have no life-style symptoms but I have very low heart rate (which doesn't seem to concern anyone) and I asked questions here on EnableMe as I am concerned but after 4 days no-one has responded.  Seems it is very difficult to get advice post-stroke for those with no  long-term symptoms or explained reason for the stroke.  I will say I do acknowledge how lucky I am to not have any long-term symptoms of my stroke but the fear of it happening again is there in the background.

Hi AIVas,

We're here for you, StrokeLine 1800 787 653 replied yesterday, did you see it?

Click here to read.

Hi Cazzab, 

I had a stroke on the exact same day as you. I have not been given a reason why this has happened either (after a million tests) and I'm the same as you, constantly worried about it happening again. I have an appointment to speak to a mental health professional in January to help to deal with my anxiety. I just keep trying reminding myself that I'm doing everything I can to minimise any risks. But I know, how hard it is to keep that mindframe. 

If you would to talk to someone who is in the same position as you, please send me a message x 

Hi

i understand fully how you feel, I have been told I am lucky to be alive as I had two different strokes same time, I had 2 bleeds on left side of the brain which affected the right side of the brain and I had a blood clot at back of the skull which couldn’t be operated on, Then 2 days later I had a seizure. I was in hospital for 1 month then rehab for 2 weeks then home rehab for a further 3 months. I have been left with unseen damage and a slight limp when I am tired on right side. 
this happened in August 2018 and still today I don’t know why, was told that what I had was very rare and sometimes you never find out why and it’s a 90percent chance that it will never happen again. 
my husbands and my live changed drastically that day, the slightest thing scares me and I get upset worried that it will happen again, with specialist approval we have taken an extended holiday in Phuket Thailand we have a big support of friends here, I see a stroke specialist here and he was shocked that the doctors never found out why. 
I understand fully how upsetting it is.

Hey,

Hello all thank you for your replies, I went offline ( and forgot to check the website) for a little bit sorry for the delay.

I have a follow up appointment with the neurologist at the public hospital on the 20th of feb! I cant wait!! 

I had a heart  monitor for  a week and that came back fine.  

Hello there Yvonne and AIVas,

How are you both doing ? 

Phuket would be a great holiday. 

How did you cardiologist go AIVas ? 

Regards,

Carrin

Hi Frank,

We are sorry to hear about your stroke and TIAs. It must be frightening going to bed and having these episodes during your sleep. Strokes and TIAs can unfortunately happen at any time and there is no way of knowing when one may occur. We had a brief look at the literature on time of day that strokes occur and some studies suggest a higher incidence between 6am-12noon, however the cause for this is unknown.

The challenge with having strokes overnight while sleeping is that it can affect the accuracy of determining exact onset of stroke which is important when being assessed for time critical stroke treatment such as thrombolysis and clot retrieval (for ischaemic stroke). The good news though is that our clinical guidelines have recently been updated with a recommendation that addresses strokes during sleep. Clot-busting thrombolysis can be given up to 9 hours from the mid-point of sleep, as long as brain imaging indicates there is brain tissue that will benefit. So there is treatment available if it happens again and you get help early. It’s always important no matter what time of the day that if you suspect any signs of stroke you or someone with you calls 000. Here is more information on signs of stroke.

We recommend taking stroke preventative measures to reduce your risk of further strokes and TIAs. This includes taking your prescribed medication at the recommended time of day, managing major risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation and diabetes. As well as exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, not smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

Do you live with anyone or have a personal alarm you could press if you woke and thought you were having another stroke? Do you have atrial fibrillation or any of the other stroke risk factors?

If you’d like to call us to discuss ways to reduce your stroke risk or concerns about having further events please call StrokeLine 1800 787 653 (Mon-Fri 9am – 5pm AEST).

Warm regards,

Kath, StrokeLine