Sunday 7th May 2017 was the day my world was turned upside down.
My husband and I both went to the in-laws to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday and have a lovely dinner. It was a happy event, and we were all having fun. I felt perfectly fit and well. I was enjoying a glass of Prosecco and a piece of Chocolate Birthday Cake, when I experienced a cracking headache and vision loss.
It was an odd sensation. The family joked that it was the mother-in-law’s chocolate cake, or the alcohol (I only had one glass, so I knew it was not this). At this stage, I thought it was a migraine, as I had been working hard, and studying at university.
My husband made a comment “You have not had a stroke”. Since then, he has felt awful for this comment. He is autistic and this was his sense of humour, but also because of the stigma, and the common misbelief that strokes do not happen to young people.
I came home from the party early to go to bed, and I took some pain relief. When I woke in the morning I realised I still could not see, and my head was pounding.
I was taken to the hospital by my mother, where we sat in A&E for at least four hours, to be told by the consultant that I had not cleaned my glasses properly! The consultant told me to go home as it was a migraine. My saving grace was that the Healthcare Assistant, who was in the clinic room, had recognised me from working in the same hospital. The consultant then offered to scan me, although he felt it was still not necessary.
The CT scan had indeed showed something, so I was then sent for a MRI, which confirmed that I had definitely had an ischaemic stroke (right PCA infarct). The consultant later apologised for not taking me seriously. I then discovered that I’d had a TIA in 2015, which was misdiagnosed. I was then admitted onto the stroke ward where I was the youngest patient, even then it had not registered to me how serious this was, I was still trying to help/care other patients next to me instead of resting (That is the nursing side of me). I stayed on the stroke ward for almost a week. The hardest part for me, was the convalescing at home for 17 weeks, when I desperately wanted to be back at work. Normally I was 100 miles an hour, and I was not a good patient.
A year after the stroke, I was diagnosed with a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale). The surgery was performed in 2019 and there were no side effects. The hole is now closed and I continue to take clopidogrel and statins for security, as prescribed by a Stroke & Heart Consultant.
I have since been under the chronic pain team as I constantly suffer with neuropathic pain, neuro fatigue and chronic fatigue, I suffer with left sided weakness and numbness. I have been receiving help from the Continence Team, this was something I hid and was embarrassed about (urge incontinence). I had another stroke last year, which was unexplained. I have put it down to stress and high blood pressure, as I lost my parents a month apart, and I was diagnosed with hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers–Danlos syndrome).
My personality is always ‘glass half full’, always looking on the bright and positive side. I thrive to help others. I had to retire from my job due to my Ill health; a very sad and hard decision, as I lived and breathed it. I believe this was the universe, telling me to slow down.
Normally I would never want to write about my stroke journey. I guess it is easier to read other survivors’ journeys and not accept what has happened to you. I am inspired by all the survivors’ stories at Different Strokes. I wanted to write this to own it – and not feel ashamed or embarrassed by it all. For so long I had been good at wearing the mask, but now I want to be transparent.
I am a stroke survivor and I am still kicking its ass. I am grateful to tell my journey – and be proud!
Different Strokes has been invaluable to me. I feel heard and the support is incredible. You are never made to feel alone.
I was the first person to walk through the doors at Different Strokes Whitstable support group, when it opened several years ago. Jim, who is the coordinator, and a survivor himself, has been a huge part of my recovery. The fact I was with likeminded people, who understood and cared. I have made lots of new friends, we joke “we are in the group that nobody wants to be in”!
I would like to empower and inspire other survivors. Different strokes charity, has given me the motivation to become a volunteer/stroke coordinator and manage my own DS Support group in Ashford, Kent
Whether you’re a stroke survivor looking to connect with others, or someone interested in volunteering, we’d love to hear from you!
📧 Email: ashfordkent@differentstrokes.co.uk
📞 Call Lisa: 07961 152826
By coming together as a community, we can make a lasting impact on each other’s lives.
There are 100,000 strokes in the UK each year with 1 in 4 happening to somebody of working age or younger. Different Strokes aims to promote independent stroke recovery and help these younger stroke survivors reclaim their lives.
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