It was around about a year after I had open heart surgery that I got my two valves replaced., I was told very clearly that I would have to start a specific kind of drug that would keep my blood thin. Because I had to get mechanical valves, there is a high chance that a blood clot can form as the valves open and shut.

 

To make matters worse, I was also born with a genetic disorder, that increases the likelihood of having a stroke, as well as having a Lupus-induced blood clotting disorder.

 

After bBeing put on the medicine, Warfarin (which has traces of rat poison in the make), I would have to get my International Ratio checked regularly. This tests  how fast blood clots can form, and my blood needed to be very thin.

 

5th September 2012 was the day I suffered a stroke, and, I was in hospital for a total of three months., The first week was at Wellington hospital, before being transferred to a rehab facility to get me up,walking and moving my left arm.

 

The one thing that no-one can prepare you for after having a stroke, is the extreme fatigue experienced, trying to rehabilitate yourself and for years after. It’s because the brain in the side of the body that the stroke happened,is trying to develop new pathways out of what’s left after the clot.

 

The stroke left me weakness on my left side, and severe fatigue, which makes me lose words and I struggle to communicate when I’m very tired. I will always walk with a limp, and have a weakness on my left arm, but I own my disability, and feel a strong sense of pride on how far I have come!

 

http://www.stroke.org/