Stroke is so unique to the person that it is so difficult to find someone who has exactly the same symptoms as you. The stories are an excellent way of trying to find the similarities and possibly other treatments which may improve symptoms.

Physiofunction are incredible. They gave me the confidence to push on, the knowledge to understand why my body was reacting the way it was and what I could do to try and change that. I still continue to have treatment there and would highly recommend them to anyone who has had a stroke or neurological condition.

When I first got out of hospital, I was so happy to be home and I just assumed that I would get better straight away. After a couple of months when that didn’t happen, I crashed. I still remained dedicated to my rehab, but was not able to cope mentally. I started to put a brave face on and hide my true feelings. I suffered constant anxiety of having another stroke when I felt dizzy or had pins and needles which resulted in me ending up in A&E again. This happened numerous times in the  first couple of months after my stroke. I was convinced I was having another one-  because the stroke all started with pins and needles and have never found the reason why I had it in the first place. I have had numerous investigations including a bubble echo, no hole was found, and a 14 day tape to monitor my heart in case atrial fibrillation caused my stroke. Despite the fact that they found no evidence of this, as a precaution, they put a loop recorder in my chest to monitor my heart for 3 years. I had this fitted in April 24 and to date no AF has been identified. 

Fatigue was really hard to manage initially. This has improved significantly over time, but I still have to manage myself and I am constantly making lists of what I have to do on a daily basis to structure my week. In the beginning, I was having a proper rest where I would lay down upstairs and close my eyes with no light or noise for an hour in the morning. I gradually reduced this down to nothing at all from April 2024 – which I liken to a toddler dropping their nap! Striking the balance was hard and still is, given the goals that I set myself.

Two occasions that I remember clearly was firstly when I tried to do our online shop in the evening like I used to do. It just got to a point where I couldn’t process, or look at it anymore. I passed the iPad that I was using to my husband and said he was going to have to do it, because I couldn’t! I wasn’t really even able to explain why I couldn’t, it was just like I had hit a wall. On another occasion with me being the determined stubborn person I am, I was trying to do everything that I did pre-stroke in the morning i.e. getting up, having a shower, emptying the dishwasher, making my son’s breakfast and his lunch for school. Again, I ended up in a heap on the floor after doing too much, but this would be an ongoing trend and to a certain extent still is! I always push myself to do more. I remember having an interesting conversation with the nurse at the time about spoons and that I had used all of mine by 9:30 in the morning!

I used to use electrical stimulation to calm my muscles on my left side, which I know sounds insane, but it provided such relief to start with, I remember when my physio first used it on me, I just felt a sense of calm in my body.

I have always been a super competitive person and a bit of a perfectionist which is probably both a good and bad attribute to have as I am so hard on myself. I have become a lot better at being kind to myself and telling myself that I don’t have to push myself to the limit every time I do something. Although, I do still do a lot of things that people who haven’t had a stroke wouldn’t do.

Stroke recovery is an absolute rollercoaster, you go from one extreme to the other, but have to be kind to yourself and allow yourself to grieve the old you. I am one of the lucky ones to have survived my stroke, although I didn’t used to be able to say this as I didn’t feel lucky to have had a stroke at 40. After my stroke I had to re learn how to walk and train my brain to move my body the way it is supposed to. I am a very determined person who will not be told I cannot do something. This determination has driven me to challenge myself to get as much of my old life back as possible.

Thankfully most of my vision has returned so I have been able to return to driving. I continue to have sensitivity to noise and light, especially when I am tired. Loop earplugs have helped tremendously with this. The ones that I have just lower the decibel of the noise, but you can still hear everything clearly. I used to love going to concerts and to the theatre. Having these earplugs has allowed me to return to going to these events and shows.

I still have physical limitations with control, high muscle tone and areas of my left side, which feel like a mixture of cement and numbness. I also experience a variety of sensations (like burning, swelling, pressure, pins and needles, fizzing – or what feels like a small static shock) – these sensations can happen on my unaffected side as well, and get worse if I am tired, emotional or stressed. To look at me you wouldn’t realise there was anything wrong with me. I have found compression garments help with sensations, stability and control.

When the sun is out, I often still look at my shadow to see how I look when I am walking as it feels completely different to how it looks. With the help of my family, friends, coaches and therapists, who have provided tremendous support, I have been able to return to cycling, boxing, horse riding and running.

I had an amazing day running the London Landmarks Half Marathon on 6th April 2025, which was actually my birthday! I am still absolutely buzzing from the event. It was an experience and a birthday that I will never forget. I feel so privileged and proud to have run for and raised over £1,700 for Different Strokes so they can continue to provide invaluable support to other survivors. This time last year I couldn’t even run a mile!