I had a mild stroke in October last year while doing chest presses at the gym. I got to the hospital within 40 minutes and, thankfully, it didn’t affect my movement or speech. However, it did impact my cognitive function and memory, which I’m still working on improving.
In February this year, I also had a PFO closure procedure, as my doctors believe the stroke was directly linked to my heart condition. I’ll share more about that journey in a separate post.
The good news is that I’m feeling much better now and have returned to the gym, although I’m not quite the same as I was before. I’m currently taking 75mg of aspirin and statins, and I feel much better than I did when I was on clopidogrel and a different statin.
Life is gradually returning to normal, but I still have questions and moments of anxiety.
In a few days, I have a flight booked. Both my neurologist and cardiologist have told me that it’s safe for me to fly, but I still feel nervous. Has anyone else felt this way after a stroke? How did you manage it?
The same applies to driving. I haven’t driven since my stroke, but I’m planning to start again in July. My doctors have said I’m fit to drive, but I still worry about making a mistake or not feeling fully confident. Did anyone else experience this? Also, did you need to inform your insurer, particularly if using a hire car?
One final question: my sister would like to treat me to a reflexology session. Is there any reason to avoid reflexology or a body massage while taking aspirin, or has anyone had experience with this?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice you may have.
You can fly as a passenger withoout fear. You need to tell your insurers and hire car company before you drive, but there shouldn’t be a problem. I was able to carry on driving after my first stroke, but lost my licence after the second. Massage and reflexology should benefit you, as pando says. All the best.
Welcome to the Online Community. I hope you’ve found joining the community useful and it offers some reassurance that you’re not alone.
I can see you’ve already received some expert advice and I’m confident they’ll be more people rallying around to offer their experience to help answer your questions..
I’ve popped in some links from our website around travelling and driving that you might find helpful.
Anna our Community Coordinator is off this week, you can reach out to her by tagging @Anna_Moderator, but in the meantime if you need to reach out to the team for anything please feel free to tag us into your post or contact us directly through the service desk.
Sorry you’ve had cause to join us but hopefully you’ll find it a useful place to be. We’re a pretty friendly bunch
When I had my stroke I had a holiday booked and was very apprehensive about flying but after speaking to the Drs etc I decided to go for it. I am very glad I did as although it was tiring it was just what I needed. I was advised to make
sure I kept moving my feet and to get up from the seat and move about a bit to keep the circulation moving. I also booked assistance at the airport as fatigue was a big issue for me. Whilst away we altered what we’d normally do so that I got plenty of rest.
So if you have a busy day a rest day the next day is advisable. I was anxious but soon relaxed once I was on the plane and we were on our way. I let my insurance company know about my stroke too.
With regards to driving it took me a long time to get back to any sort of driving but that was because I suffered dizziness a lot. I would advise that you build up slowly. Perhaps just start with a very short journey somewhere very familiar to see how you
get on. The bit that I found difficult was managing the multitasking element involved with driving. I had to think really hard about putting the car into drive for example (I drive an automatic). I sat in the car a few times without going anywhere to familiarise
myself with all the controls again and check I could indicate and check the road was clear at the same time. Sounds silly but I found these things difficult. As for letting the insurance know I would advise that you tell them. They may not need to know
but let them tell you that. A hire company probably will want to know – again honesty is the best policy as you don’t want to find you’re not insured in the event of an accident.
Good luck and hope you enjoy your break and are soon back driving again.
Hi Peter. Sorry to hear of your stroke but I hope everything will eventually settle down for you and you find your level in what you can do and what "isn’t such a good idea!
I can’t comment on the driving as I gave that up for other health related issues a long time ago. My son and his family live in Canada and I wanted to fly out to see them, but was afraid to go due to the thoughts of cabin pressure, long haul etc, but my consultant said it would be okay to fly long haul giving it a few months after the stroke so I guess flying is an option. I haven’t actually flown anywhere yet, as they all tend to fly home here for a month so I haven’t needed to go out to Canada.
As for the massage. I would be careful. I used to have regular full body massages, and finally plucked up the courage to have one, 6 months after my stroke. I was quite ill afterwards and it took me a few days to settle back down as I became extremely dizzy, feeling sick and very unbalanced. I use a massues whom I’ve known for many years. She has said I could try a reflexology session next time to get my confidence back, and I might try another full body massage as it is coming up to 2 years since my hemorrhagic stroke. She is also my friend, and she has offered to try it at my home so no travelling is involved which I’ll try. I hope this hasn’t stopped you accepting your sisters lovely offer, I just wanted you to be aware of any difficulties that could arise, but doesn’t necessarily mean they will. I wish you well for the future.
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