Do you ever think why did I have a stroke. I was fit. I never drunk or drank much. I never smoked. I wasn’t overweight. I used to eat healthy. The jobs I’ve had haven’t been over stressful. So why did this happen.
It’s just some days I wonder if I had been the opposite to all the above would I not have had a stroke. I asked my Dr that. And he said who knows. And that my friends is the answer. I suppose.
You can live a healthy life style and still be struck down.
I find this the most difficult side of my stroke to deal with. I am 11 weeks post stroke and was also told ‘it can just happen’.
I am only 40. I have never smoked, barely drink, bp is normal, I do have quite a stressful job as a secondary school teacher so i can only assume it was that.
I have struggled with anxiety for years and my most recent evaluation with my therapist was told I am presenting with severe low mood and depression. I am trying my best to be positive and know that people come off from a stroke far worse than I have but it is so hard. One day I’m like yes I can do this I feel normal the next my whole body just shuts down like ‘nope not today’
I can’t help but feel like I should be ‘better’ by now.
I do have a CT scan tomorrow and awaiting on a full head and spine MRI which is supposed to be at 12 weeks but have been told February! Hoping for a little clarity to ease my mind
When I do Earthing (every day) it removes background inflammation and quite a lot more. Now that I’ve had a stroke, at least I also have a tool to help my health.
I know exactly why. I had an aneurysm which burst triggered by a near drowning. Apparently I was born with a weakness in a blood vessel. The stress of drowning caused my blood pressure to rise which burst the aneurysm.
Good afternoon Gnasher,
Snap! Same. Though I am a bit older than u (67). But year before (stroke) I was at Mt Everest base camp. Always fit always ate well. I think u (& yr Dr) have it right theres no telling. I often ask myself if I’d not done something made different choices would it have been different? Well yes in as much it may have occurred later (or earlier) in life but if the makings are there i think it would have occurred anyway. Im thankful it didn’t happen on Everest…. Or when I was flying.
And the consultant/Drs have all said if I hadn’t have kept fit the outcome may well have not been as good. Again no way of knowing though……
Hi Mrs G16,
Further to above, I have in the past worried about stuff too much my grandad did and he died of heart attack at 65 so I guess this is in my DNA and possibly a cause🤷♂️ and something I definitely have to actively guard against.
Re low mood and depression type feelings I imagine most of us have had this? I know I have. Past that point now i value the recovery I have made so far and am determined to make the most of things and my words to the kids - who said life was fair - come back to haunt me. And like my wife used to say - enjoy every day.i do constantly coach myself.
Good luck with your scans - I insisted on seeing mine to try and understand so I hope it gives you some answers or at least an understanding.
Keep on keeping on (Bobbi phrase) keep talking I find everyone here sharing thoughts and stories help me immensely - thanks for sharing.
I know exactly why. My stroke was caused by high blood pressure that I didn’t know I had. I was reasonably fit, never smoked, didn’t really drink much, never been over weight and I eat a healthy diet.
It’s so frustrating 
.
The only good thing is that I have been told that being reasonably fit and healthy has put me in good place for my recovery.
Regards Sue
Strokes can also be hereditary.
Quick head turns, yoga, neck manipulation, sports, coughing, sneezing, or even painting a ceiling can all cause strokes.
It does not discriminate, it’s neither ageist nor healthist. A brand new baby still in the womb can have a stroke.
And it’s always been this way. Its just that when you are young fìt and healthy you think you are immune to these things, you are invincible, these things only ever happen to other people or old people.
Public health hype may be aimed at those who are at high risk, such a elderly, heavy drinkers/smokers, diabetics etc, but no one is actually immune to a stroke. You can only reduce the risk!
Lorraine
Susan Jane I am exactly the same. When I had my stroke I was putting some towels into the airing cupboard and looking forward to meeting a friend for lunch. No stress there or as far as I can remember in the weeks before. My left hand suddenly wouldn’t hold anything - and still wont. I walked down the stairs feeling ok but apparently my voice was a bit slurred. Looking back I was lucky I didnt fall down the stairs but carried on walking into the lounge to my husband who immediately realised what was happening. Over 3 years later I am walking or rather hobbling with a stick, but I never really feel well, am constantly exhausted and still have a very strange head that hasn’t improved. Had a scan on my head all ok, GP says I will get used to the strange sensations in my head - I havent - and I am now fed up with life like this. Does anyone else feel the same? I know Im a miserable old woman - sorry!
Irony with me, I smoked and drank, made my own hedgerow wines and mead, ate what I wanted and then had a stroke caused by trauma to the neck lifting a cast-iron radiator. However, who is to say that I might have had a lifestyle triggered stroke in the future. Some people have DNA genes that help protect the body from lifestyle choices, these probably exist in the people like the ones some people use as example … my grandmother smoked and drank everyday until she reached a hundred … one just never knows.
I don’t think I ever think why did I have a stroke but do get fed up with some of the lasting affects sometimes. Like @Apple says I never really feel well any more. I do say sometimes why not me. I am constantly told by the drs I have no risk factors……hmmmmmm. But it still happened.
I am grateful things weren’t much worse and try to live life as best I can with the hand I have been dealt.
If we had all done things differently would the outcome have been different? I guess we’ll never know.
They told my husband his haemorrhagic stroke was caused by high blood pressure. He has known it was extremely high for decades and was on loads of medication but the GPs never got it down properly, just added more meds.
Prior to his stroke he never smoked, barely drank and was still working full time, running a business and very physically fit. We all eat a healthy diet and he was very laid back, not stressy at all and not overweight.
Thank you all for these posts. I just logged in to finds posts that might help me as caregiver to my wife. Though I and others have seen areas where she has progressed, ultimately she sees how she is now and focuses more on her losses than gains. We are entering our 5th month.
The Drs here say one year as a guide. I’m optimistic that there will be more improvements. She is doing a lot between her PT classes to gain balance ,strength flexibility and so forth.
Thanks again for what you have written here.
Five months is a relatively short time in terms of stroke recovery, though of course this is all relative and very much depends on the type, extent of stroke, the patients health condition pre-stroke and post-stroke both physical and mental.
The recovery achieved will depend on how much professional help is given and how much the patient is prepared to do to achieve their desired level of recovery.
There are no limits in terms of time scales and physical and mental recovery. As in life, you can carry on improving as long as you want to and as long as you are willing to invest. Simple example, if as a 90 year old, I wish to go to university to study for a degree then I can as long as I have the capacity and desire to do so. This happens - many people achieve many things that are not considered “normal”.
Stroke recovery is the same.
How much do you want to recover?
This is a state of mind - if she chooses to do this (and it is a choice) then that is what she will see. If on the other hand she would like to look for positives and seeks support then she will surely achieve that. It is a choice she is making - I don’t know how she was before stroke and whether the stroke has affected her in this way.
Ask them why? What is the guide based on?
When they answer that question, ask them more questions to challenge what they are saying.
Just exactly what do they know about your wife as an individual?
We are all different and we all achieve according to our beliefs and abilities - nobody can tell us what the limits are, only we set our own limits.
Doctors told my Mum would not leave the bed - they were wrong. Today she is making remarkable recovery and achieving way beyond what any professional had thought possible.
Why?
Because there are no barriers for her and there are no limits.
Wishing you all the best.
Namaste|
It is very rare that I can rest assured, blissfully, on my laurels and feel completely content. Every day is still at least a hill to scale, even bed days come with their bouts of anxiety and such.
Exactly the same happened to me with blood pressure (269/198) and meds. In fact, my condition led to a cascade effect ; I become insensitive to meds, and required higher and higher doses (like someone requiring stronger pain killers all the time.) Good job I have solved all that. To give you a rough idea how; it was mainly inflammation that I appeased via electrical Grounding / Earthing.
R
Life my friend, you won’t get out alive! My dad was super fit never smoked, ate the right stuff rarely drank and exercised and he got MND. Some babies do not leave hospital. Shit happens. No one is untouchable, and the people who deserve to vacate this spinning rock still cling on to it. As my 13 year-old old tells me “it’s not that deep” and usually the answers to the questions we ask are not the ones we need. Strokes definitely change you and if there was an op to put me back as I was……..a few years back I would have had it……but now……I guess I’m where I’m meant to be. Embracing change is hard, especially when you don’t want it, but sometimes we don’t know what we need til we get it. I’ve grown to like the new me. I hope you do too.
I was a fit healthy stroke victim but with a family history of same, so I guess my genes caught up with me, and might have done so earlier if I’d lived a more rackety life. I never thought about stroke until it happened.
I had a family history of high blood pressure & myocardialinfarction(to my father & grand father),Iwas healthy & fit,no any disease.But now Iam more health conscious,Ihad stroke in June 2025,at presently 90% recovery,on aspirin medication only
Mrs G16 - how did yr scan go? Or do u have to wait for results……?