Stroke update

You may (or may not!) remember that Sept 2013 I was very ill and needed an operation on my brain for a cerebellar bleed. I was discharged from hospital Jan 3rd 2014 and have been recovering at home ever since, albeit too slowly for my liking.

Today I had to attend a neurology clinic at Addenbrookes Hospital as an out-patient. They seem very pleased with my recovery, which is good news.  I may be driving again in the next few months. They have to write to the DVLA.

They are doing a further MRI scan June 30th to see if my remaining giddiness when walking/turning can be helped. In all, it was a good outcome - nothing dramatic to report. Giddiness should continue to improve given time - just be patient - as the brain learns to cope and rewires itself. I guess I was expecting to get instantly better whereas brain injuries go at their own pace! I am impatient to fully recover.

I am luckier than many. Apart from giddiness when walking/turning and profound tiredness a lot of the time (like M.E.) I have few other problems. Some are left with permanent limb paralysis or worse.  As far as I am aware my intellect is pretty intact and I have all my faculties intact. I really hope to avoid any further invasive surgery.

Walking around the block

Surprising that small things can mean so much.

One of my aims since having my stroke has been to walk about 400m around our close and windmill on my own. Well, today I did the "circuit" twice on my own without even grounding my stick.

The next aim is to walk further, such as to the Bank or Post Office on my own later this month.

A year ago I had no idea this (stroke) bombshell was going to hit me. In many ways I am lucky. With hard work and determination I have every hope of a (near) full recovery given time. I have just got to continue with exercises and continue to walk as much as I can. Already I am feeling a lot better than I was some months ago. I have to hope that I continue to improve.

My main issues remain balance when walking and a slight discomfort inside . Both are better than they were.  I still feel clumsy doing things too. Speech and swallow also need to be improved.

Feeing a bit better

This morning I woke feeling nearly normal, no sick feeling, no nausea, just "near normal", despite my stroke. Getting out of bed I still felt wobbly on my legs and I knew things were far from right, but I do feel positively better.  I'd now rate myself 50% of normal rather than 45%. I feel less tired too. I have avoided pills so far today and will continue this unless I go downhill.  Praise be!

For several days, before this morning I was beginning to feel I was sliding backwards on my journey of recovery. It is horrible feeling one is losing the battle.Today I feel strong again to carry on again on the battle to full health. Do not give up!

Living with a stroke

After 3.5 months in hospital I have now been home for 2 weeks. My walking is slowly improving, my swallow maybe a little better but the worst aspect is still feeling very giddy and unsteady when  moving.  Although I feel I am "on the mend" I must learn to take things a step at a time and not expect overnight miracles


UPDATE Jan 25th:  It is now 3 weeks since I have been home.The promised visits from the Community Stroke Team have NOT happened and I'm unable to contact them as their lines go unanswered or get disconnected. Do they even know about me? Yet again poor  NHS communication is the issue. They need to fix this fast.