As I’ve lurked on here for a while I thought maybe I should introduce myself and bore you all with my own tale. So here goes!
I’m male, 74 in a just under 3 months, married and a retired garage owner/mechanic living in Devon. In fact that retirement brings me to the start of my tale. I packed in work and leased my business with my last job on 16th November 2023 and went with my wife on a “holiday of a life time” to India for a couple of weeks. Came back from that and spent the night at my daughters in London, drove back to Devon the next day and then woke up on 6th December to find that I had NO peripheral vision on my right hand side. A little bit of history there. I do have a small degree of Glaucoma in my left eye affecting the 5’o’clock position but very minor and perfectly controlled by daily eye drops. So initially I assumed it was something to do with that and my wife drove me (driving was, and is, out of the question) to our GP. He said go to A&E immediately where I was seen by an opthalmologist who after an examination said that he was afraid he suspected a stroke. So onto the stroke team and frankly it was all a bit of whirl after that! I have no complaints at all but I think I went into a degree of shock but was scanned, X-rayed and a whole lot else and then put to bed for perhaps the worst night’s sleep I’d ever had!
Next day I just wanted to get home but I had to prove I could make a cup of tea first while I was more concerned as to whether I could go into a pub and order a pint!
Anyway I get released, got home. Giant Asprin a day for a week and then Clopodogril for life as well as the the Avorstatin which seems to be everyone’s old favourite! That first day home I slept for around 15 hours but I was delighted to have only spent 1 night in hospital.
Since then I was initially pretty up, the loss of my driving licence hurt more than anything, because I expected to recover. Then I was very down when it started to become apparent that I wasn’t recovering. But then, with the help and support of Val (my wife) I’m around 90% confidence levels. We’ve been out and about, Bruce Springsteen in Cardiff, a weeked break in Berlin that sort of stuff. I’ve been lucky I know, never any mobiity issues for instance and my biggest problem now is a lack of confidence (which is something new for me!) especially in crowds but I take Val’s hand and she keeps on my “blind side” and it works.
So that’s my story, to date! I think that I’m now about where I’m going to stay though. I accept that I won’t drive again (in fact I KNOW I can’t!) and I’m never likely to be as confident as I was but there are trains, there are busses, even at times there are airliners. I walk my dog every day alone (we did build up to that in a series of steps!) and I suppose that all is left is for me to take a train journey alone. But there’s really no need to.
Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read this.
Hi @peter25
Welcome to the community and thank you for sharing your story with us.
It sounds like you’re doing really well and have a lovely supportive wife, having a great support network always helps with recovery.
I’m sure your confidence will continue to grow as you do more things.
Please keep us updated on your continued recovery and any dog photos are always appreciated 
Anna
Hi and welcome to the forum @peter25 
It’s great that you are recovering so, keep up the good work. As for riding the train and building up your confidence in general is to keep on doing things independently that’s really the only way to do it.
My first independent rail journey was from Greater Manchester to the Wirral, Merseyside which involved 3 trains. I had my hubby at home checking on me every step of the way, and my sister at the other end doing the same. And while they were both fretting for me every the step of the way, I was having the time of my life 
I met so many interesting and entertaining folk along the way, and back again. So well worth the trip and I didn’t even have time to get bored or impatient with the trains
You could always try taking a train locally, go a stop or two and come back just for the hell of it, that way there is no pressure on time and your confidence grows. 
Hi @peter25
Hello and welcome sorry you have had a reason to join us.
I guess if you have “lurked for quite a while” you did that before registering an ID? You’ll find that there is a lot on this site about every aspect of post-stroke life.
You could do the survey at Did ANYONE have classic FAST symptoms as it sounds as though you’re another of us that had none of the symptoms in the advert 
You say you’ll never drive again perhaps you have no aspiration There are scanning techniques that can compensate and some folk report recovery of peripheral vision over time. The contract for testing from the DVLA is held by Specsavers. I would look up the stipulations if you are interested because there are limits on how many times you can be tested per application
Impact on emotions and confidence, anxiety etc are common. Sometimes SSRIs or SSNIs are prescribed - maybe something to discuss with your GP.
Caio
Simon
Thanks @SimonInEdinburgh it’s nice to be back
We’re you on hols :), ill or summit else
('course you don’t have to say)…
@peter25 Just popping by to say hi & welcome to the forum.
Confidence is a big thing after a stroke and does take time to build back up. Sounds like you are doing all the right things though so I am sure it’ll be back in time.
Best wishes
Ann
Thank you one and all for the kind words and sound advice!
And SimonInEdinburgh I may look into the “driving again” thing but I have moved a car around a forecourt and I have to say I really didn’t feel safe even just doing that! But that was a few months ago so, in general, I’ve got more used to my defective vision now so, well, possibly.
Hi Peter
My own story mirrors your own and I am nearly 15 years on from my small stroke in october 2009 which changed my life forever.
I have loss of left peripheral field in both eyes,my balance is poor,my fingers fumble particularly on the left hand.
Like you the loss of being able to drive impacted on my life.
Fast forward 15 years and I have largely adapted to any defects ,they are still there but I work around them.
Many stroke survivors experience fatigue and I am no exception.I do things in short bursts and take frequent rest breaks.
Every journey begins with a single step and acceptance of your plight is one of them.
It sounds like your partner is a gem
Good luck on your journey
Tony
I get tired as well, I’m hoping that will pass with time but I gather it may not?
But, yes, without my wife I really don’t know where I would be now!
It does pass for some and it did for me, mostly. I think I’ve just learnt how to pace myself better so I don’t notice it so much.