I had a Stroke and Survived

The Stroke

In November 2010 my life changed!

I'd gone to bed at about my normal time and in the normal way, I'd had a measure, generous, of scotch and a cigarette. I didn't go straight off to sleep, it's been a long time since my entry into the arms of Morpheus has been rapid. However, eventually I give way and slumbered uneventfully. I did wake once during the night, trying to turn over but finding it incredibly difficult, it felt as if the duvet was made of lead and tucked in so tightly. The room was brightly illuminated as well though that did not register at the time. I quickly went back to sleep.

I woke the next morning and discovered to my surprise that it was actually well into the afternoon and there were several calls from Michelle slagging me off for being an idle slug for sleeping whilst she worked. I called her back and arranged as penance that I would meet her from work. It took me an age to dress myself but at this point I put it down to having slept for too long. Likewise the shamble round to her place of work seemed to be of no account. I was a little puzzled though when conversation with her work mates was a lot more gibberish than I usually managed though easily dealt with by not talking.

As we walked home she started asking me stange questions, some I found impossible to answer, others too silly to answer and the silly woman had tears in her eyes. When we got home she told me she thought I ought to see my doctor. I had no credit left on my phone and as I struggled to top it up she swore at me and dialled 999 and told them she thought I'd had a stroke! By this point I agreed with her.

The Hospital

The response to the emergency call was rapid, probably no more than a few minutes though by now I think I was going into shock and it could have been longer. The first paramedic, rapid response?, quickly decided that I probably had had a stroke and summoned the big ambulance. She asked me lots of silly questions and had me doing lots of silly things, many of which amused her so much that she had me repeat them for the full ambulance crew when they arrived. It was decided that I should go to the hospital and with that in mind I was transferred to the ambulance where the next twenty minutes or so were occupied by the form filling that makes up such a major part of the new results driven NHS. Eventually we were on our way to the hospital of my choice, my choice being the one being most accessible for buses.

I did notice that as time passed, maybe as I got more tired, maybe not, my speech was getting worse as was my mobility. I thought all the damage would be done at the time of the stroke, obviously not!

Any way, I was hospitalised! This involved plenty of waiting, but not as much as might be imagined and not all unproductive either, for example, I had a CAT scan whilst waiting to be admitted. Michelle had given over my care to the hospital and gone home and I had gone into that limbo land were time doesn't move continuously.

A Patient Patient

On the assessment ward I got what I think was my first brush with the reality of being a stoke patient, I wet myself! It shouldn't have happened, I had plenty of warning but I hadn't allowed for the lack of strength to enable me to get out of bed or summon help or anything else. No sooner had the thought occurred to me that I wanted a wee than it had happened! I think the day spent on the assessment ward was spent clutching a bottle.

Moved up to the stroke ward where suddenly I was being tested and examined like I was a new found species! I was most pleasantly surprised though, being taken for a scan and not having to wait for ages or for an xray where I was wheeled straight up to the x-ray machine without the usual wait.

The rock 'n' roll physiotherapists were .a delight and a tonic, as were most of the nurses and orderly's.

The Aftermath

I was discharged after nine days. My speech is still impaired though not particularly so if you don't know me. My bladder control is back to normal. I still drag my right leg, especially noticeable in the snow. About the most embarrassing after effect is the drooling. I still spend more of the day asleep than awake.

This hub is the longest bit of work I've managed since being sent home on the 2nd December, it is not complete, I need to go for a sleep already. I promise to revise it later.

There are a couple of plus points worth mentioning. I last smoked a cigarette on 22 November and have not been at all interested in smoking since, well maybe a bit interested, but not tempted. I was quite a heavy smoker. The other plus is that I no longer drink heavily either, rather than a bottle of spirits and many cans of beer to see me over Christmas I have a 500ml bottle of beer and the hope that I drink it all.

UPDATE

Well, still tired but I manage days without an afternoon nap now.

I didn't smoke at all until about the end of February, but I'm ashamed to say that I've started again, though not heavily and I only smoke at home. I'm planning to move later this year and hopefully that will break the connection completely.

Still minimalist intake of alcohol, though slightly increased, again,like smoking, I think it just old habits reintroducing themselves and a change of environment will break the habit.

Physically I don't have any real problems any more but my mind is still somewhat awry. I'm unable to concentrate for long and I'm still very emotional, bursting into tears at the slightest and most unlikely provocation! Fortunately mostly when I'm not in company.

2014

It has been a strange year. I'd grown more feeble and lacklustre as the year progressed. Walking had become an effort, even short walks would almost prostrate me. Cooking meals had become too much of an effort and I had resorted to ready meals, telling myself I was too busy to cook when the truth was I was just too tired to cook. My relationship with Bren was becoming strained as I never wanted to go anywhere or do anything.

In July I went for my annual check-up which involves emptying an arm or two of blood and subjecting it to arcane processes, then seeing my Doctor to be told everything is OK and to come back next year.

It didn't quite happen like that this time. "Don't worry but your kidneys are failing. We'll check again in a month to see if it's just a temporary thing". I asked if that accounted for my constant tiredness but was told in a roundabout way that I translated as "no, that's just because you are an old git". I left a little worried but quickly put my fears behind me.

Fast forward a week or ten days and I was at my chemist to collect my repeat prescription, I was told that it was ready but I couldn't have it until the pharmacist had spoken to me. Well of course I had to wait for the pharmacist to find the time to come and talk to me, time that I filled imagining that she was probably going to try to sell me some product or service so when she finally appeared and asked how long I had been taking 40 mg of Simvastatin and 10 mg of Amlodipine. We finally worked out that it had been for some time at which point she said that I should go and see my doctor as soon as possible. That combination of drugs at those doses have been found to cause muscle wasting and kidney failure in some people!

After talking to my doctor we concluded that as the statins were doing me little good and great harm I should just give them up at least until I had tried to control my cholesterol by other means. Actually discovered as well that my cholesterol level was not that high, they just like it to be a bit lower after a stroke.

So, I've six months to get my cholesterol levels down otherwise they'll prescribe me something else, oh and six months to see if the damage to my kidneys reverses.