Well I’m writing to share my little story of how my life changed from going to bed, to waking up the next morning and facing a scary battle – and some harsh realities!

I had done a late shift as a Healthcare Assistant and headed home to my homeless flat.  I’m in temporary accommodation due to leaving a violent marriage in November 2020.  I was home with my nine year old son, eleven and fourteen year old daughters.  I woke and laid on my bed looking through social media.  I had a warm sinking feeling begin to wash over me, and looking up all I could see was the view shooting side to side, so I felt like I was on a fair ground ride.

I felt so scared and really thought I was going to die leaving my children alone.  I tried to get up and I felt a pushing sensation on my chest, holding me down and I couldn’t speak or call out.  Then the sickness came and I couldn’t stop.  My nine year old son then woke and was rubbing my back.  He got my phone and called my eldest daughter for help and to come to us.  She was a thirty minute drive away.  So, I crawled to the bathroom and that’s where the weakened side hit in and my left side went numb.

My eleven year old called for an ambulance so they were also en route to us.  After examination they decided I needed hospital treatment and I was taken to the local A & E department.  I was treated straight away and had the stroke team meet me and begin checks, and before I knew it I was headed for a CT scan and after that they made the decision to thrombolise me too.  I was then taken to the stroke unit, which is one of the top in the UK.

The funny thing was I’d worked on this ward two years before, and now I was lying in a bed there looking at former colleagues and they were caring for me!  I have never felt so frightened as I did those next forty eight hours – just the ‘unknown’ and how my life was going to change.

I had left my babies and I missed them and knew how worried they all must be too.  The team at the hospital were amazing and I knew what was ahead daily.  Plans were set out with test after test to decide where we went from here.

I’m so lucky my feeling came back within four days, and my face within give – and I was independent on the ward and getting things done, alone ,which helped me mentally too.  I have found out I have a small leak heart valve so now have to face the cardio team as an outpatient, and also neurological intervention too.  Returning home I have put myself on a low cholesterol food plan and am now tee-total also.  I am tired daily and feel the weakness in my left side quickly with exercise.

I needed time to recover, build my strength and have a healthier future.  I’m just so grateful that my children thought ‘FAST’.  The strange thing was the previous week I had been teaching my son and daughter the FAST signs, and what they meant as if I had a premonition to do this!  Driving between family homes and our flat I was asking them what the letters stood for the just week before it and then that weekend they were using it on their own mum!

I have been left with they believe either seizures or hemiplegic migraines.  I have daily head pain, body aches and pins and needles in my feet also -which can be uncomfortable.  I have medication to help these too.  Things have changed and I’m struggling to adjust.  I need to get back to working and I miss not driving so much, but I know I must rest myself so that I can recover.  My memory is terrible also.  I forget words and have to write lists.  I also have a meds box so I know what I’m going to have to take and that I’ve taken them.  How things change so fast!  Digging deep and not being stubborn is hard some days, but I’ve had to learn I’m not alone and one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that asking for help is OK.