I just wanted to say hello. I have been dipping into the forum regularly for weeks and found much reassurance from you all.
I am 73, in good health, never been in hospital, on a low dose of amlodipine for the last couple of years. Did a Pilates class weekly, did at least one 5-7 mile walk a week as well as shorter walks most days. I was mentally active too. I apparently ticked none of the boxes for stroke risk — apart from age I suppose. Then on January 4th I suddenly stopped being able to talk. I ended up a few hours later in hospital and, after a scan, was diagnosed with a haemorrhagic stroke.
Fortunately it was a mild one and I was home 2 days later. The consultant sad it was ‘a subtle bleed on the brain.’ After 24 hours my initial aphasia turned into acute dyslexia. That slowly resolved after 2-3 weeks. So to all intents I was back where I began. I was optimistic that this was a minor blip and I would find practical steps to return to ‘normal life.’
It hasn’t been so smooth a process. Headaches, sleeping 5 hours a night instead of my customary 7, bouts of fatigue, inability to concentrate and what increasingly seems to be some kind of anxiety continue to bother me — a lot. I suddenly find myself hot and uncomfortable in public places. It feels like some kind of claustrophobia perhaps. I seem to be hyper-sensitive to loud noises. It’s like all my defences are down and I am overwhelmed by the material word around me. I am struggling after 10 weeks more than I did after 4 weeks and find myself withdrawing from the world and my friends.
I have also had a couple of brief bouts of not being able to talk. One landed me in hospital for 5 hours last weekend. I notice if I am active and then get tired and stressed, I get neck ache and I start slurring my words. I have an MRI scan in April and finally get to see my consultant in May.
I feel like I am moaning when I got off pretty lightly compared to a lot of you. Apologies. But my initial confidence that recovery was going to be a breeze has been severely dented. I need to learn more about my condition and how to manage it. So I will keep coming here. Thanks again.