I’m 57 years old and a Stroke Survivor - living with my partner in Christchurch, NZ.
At the age of 53, we were out with friends having dinner when I turned to my partner and quietly said “don’t panic but I think I’m having a Stroke”.
My left arm felt warm, tingly, and swollen. I lost some of my eyesight. While driving home, began to felt awful again, which lead to a trip to the 24-hour clinic. Their Diagnosis? - a migraine. Over 48 hours I had three Strokes and three hospital trips & was finally correctly diagnosed when I had a stroke while in hospital.
I’m right hemisphere affected in my Parietal and Temporal lobes. That affects mainly speech (for me, creating sentences and conversation), also sound (a noisy room full of chatter can be hideously difficult to be in) and sometimes making sense of where my body is in the world.
Adjusting to the “new norm” has taken time, but now I’ve accepted this, life feels easier. The cause of my Strokes was a tear in my Carotid artery, which was a random event.
During my rehab, I had to have Speech therapy which made a huge difference. The nurse suggested I try painting. I found painting a great mental space to go into. No talking, no thinking in words, and painting photos of places I have been seemed to have more meaning and connection.
Life will never be the same. Stroke Fatigue is a bugger! So I’m slower, I achieve less but because of this, I have more time to smell the Roses.
I now volunteer most weeks to help other Stroke Survivors.
I’ve walked in the Christchurch Marathon to raise money for the Stroke Foundation.
I cannot work like I used to ... but my skills and abilities haven’t changed ... it’s mainly my capacity to do any volume of work (or the amount I can do in a day).
