Hi I’m Tracey. I work as a Practice Nurse. I had a small stroke/TIA on Monday. I woke with a strange feeling in my right arm and leg. I went to work as we were short staffed as usual. But ended up at my own GP and was sent for an MRI. I felt totally fine by then apart from blurred vision. The consultant rang me a couple of hours later to say I had had a small stroke. I feel devastated. I’m 53 years old and don’t feel ready for this. Any advice on how to process all of this would be appreciated. I’m usually the one who covers for everyone else being off sick! Work has been ridiculously busy recently and I had got to the stage where if I got through a day without being in tears at least once, I classed it as a good day. I was doing 10 hour days without a proper break. Now I’m in the position of being off I just feel so guilty about leaving my colleagues in the lurch.
Feel lost.
Hello @Tracey53. I’m sorry to hear why you are on this forum and how you feel lost. This is all new. You are not alone. Use this forum to gain knowledge and to feel in the company of others who are in a position to understand.
The transition from being what sounds like constantly rushed off your feet and having a purpose through work to now having to rest is really hard.
Be kind and patient with yourself. That’s my best advice. Come back to the forum when you need to, take good care, Julia x
@Tracey53 welcome to the forum although sorry to hear you’ve had a reason to be here.
Like you I was extremely busy before my stroke…a very busy full time job, volunteering for covid effort, parish Councillor etc. I was shocked when I had my stroke (age 49) like you. My advice is to take some time to absorb the news & also start to prioritise you. Your body has told you you need to slow down & you should listen to it. You should take plenty of time to rest as fatigue is often a side effect of stroke. It’s a lot to absorb & it changes your life in an instant. Use the time you now have to absorb what’s happened & then think about how you move forward. I haven’t gone back to work yet (10 months on). Hoping to go back soon but have made it very clear to my boss that my workload has to reduce & I’m no longer working 10 - 12 hr days when I should be working 8.
Keep popping back to the forum for advice & support.
Wishing you all the best in your recovery.
Ann xx
Hi Tracy sorry to hear your news hope all goes ok and you begin to recover soon as like you and many others i was shocked wen this happened to me in May this year i only visit the forum now and again at the moment but i know there are a lot of really nice people here who offer good support and advice stay strong
Fellow nurse here! Im 35 also had a mild stroke now off until January , left side minimally affected but left arm/hand seems worse.
Do not feel guilty at all, i am still coming to terms with the fact I’ve had a mild stroke. Very emotionally up and down recently (2 weeks post stroke) But we give all in our job we push and push and now we need to use that same train of thought, that feeling, that soemthing that makes us nurses to take care of ourselves and more importantly be taken care of x