This category is for topics relating to stroke in general. You can share topics and issues around stroke and your recovery.
I am just over a year on from my own stroke, I feel like I am constantly learning again about myself, I have not been to Crufts or my local dog show this year due to fatigue and knowing my health, am I the only one who seems to be constantly learning from this experience?
At the end of March this year (2023) I had my first TIA. My wife managed to get to the hospital in Maidstone in Kent in 2 hours 15 mins. I was rushed through A&E and in to the state of the art stroke unit. I had a Thrombolysis carried out. This was a Friday evening. Monday following evening I was back in my own bed. Most of my functions returned. 2 days late a second Tia and my wife called 999 I did not want to go back in to hospital (I will not go into a long boring medical conditions I have) just I spend my life in an electric wheelchair 24/7 /365 And have e no left leg or hip ⌠The Maidstone hospital over the past 5 years is my second home it seems. Anyway the Ambulance crew run all the tests and after about 2 hours they said it would be a wasted journey as everything was working as far as they were concerned. My voice arrive back by the 8 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. So I waited for the magic wand. it never arrived. I finally saw the consultant that admitted me in to the stroke unit after many weeks to be prescribed apixaban to thin my blood which was a risk to me given other medical condition. All the time the other medical issues were not on hold. In fact they continued and Tiaâs were a side issue in some ways.
I contacted the stroke association and signed up to 6 weeks of half hour phone calls from someone who had a stroke in the hope that this lady had the magic wand⌠no she did not have it. Those 6 weeks ended this week and I got a phone call from Northern Ireland discussing my needs and that took to this site again looking for the magic wand.
I found a word in my reading of many posts âfatigueâ and some things started to click in top place. I have an active mind even at 74, being a retired criminal lawyer. So I found it hard to find that I was falling a sleep at me desk⌠I told the doctor. our GP that took 7 weeks to get an appointment to see in the flesh. But I was there due to an infection in my right leg which was bad enough to go to A&E and end up in AEC = Ambulatory emergency care. A cannula fitted at 08:00 a packet of antibiotics passed in to me. Of home and back again at 8 p.m for another dose. In between I took antibiotics by mouth that ent on for a week. (did not clear up the issue and it is on going on still with another type of antibiotics I am on for this week. But it is about the 2 tiaâs I as feeling very low. My phone call each week did not really cover my feelings. I felt for the person and the dog shows. Having a helping dog called Bear. He was a baby bear when we collected him when he was 11 weeks old. Bear is now a few weeks over 7 years and his weight is 94 Kgs and he is tall enough to let his head on the work top. Good job he never steals. Bear is a long hair St Bernard. I use him to pull me up in bed to ge to the wheelchair. Well he did until ceiling track and electric hoist was installed last month in the bedroom and the wet room. Bear is not to keen on his dad moving about in the air above his head. I digress and apologise. But the tiaâs have changed my life I seem so tired these days. I still drive a wav (wheelchair accessible vehicle) it is a VW caddy that has the usual driver and passenger then another door where 3 seats are and behind that is a ramp and a wheelchair can be carried or Bear. I love to dive but I just feel it is to much effort these days, well since late March. Does it get any better? a year at 74 is one less I have left and I want to do a lot more. We have cruise all over the world and we still have places to see and this mini stroke is messing up my travel wishes. St Bernards live to about 8 years but we have been blessed with the past 5 we have had have lived for 10 to 11 years. We do no go away while they are about. (except my stays in the hospitals) They come first second and last to us. But even they do not have a magic wand. But what cuddles you get⌠and the slobber. You cannot be house proud having a St living with you. I just want to know were I get this magic wand - any ideas are very welcome. I have become very despondent over the past couple months⌠why me? My sister had a fall blown stoke 2 weeks before me, and still being fed with tubes and has only just come home with no left side use and no voice. I was lucky. Just a few issues with my left hand that stops me typing and so many mistakes to put right. I did not realise just how much my thumb and forefinger on the left hand were used for. Worse I dribble now and then. mainly at night when I sleep, But i often check when I am on the computer. I feel rather strange these days. Sorry to go on with so much I just need to get it out. My poor wife suffers it every day. 44 years we have been married and a few when we lived together before we tied the knot. I was lucky she loves big dogs and we had German Sheppards for years then we rescued our first St. Boy can they eat. Plus the number of treats he has every day. At one time we rescued two at the same time. But Bear we had from a pup and he was already 22kgs then. how I hate the his feeling of the tiaâs it is hard to explain. My Son and Daughter do not understand I can not explain the issue myself so how can I expect them to understand. Thanks for reading if you got to this point and if you have any answers I would love to hear them.
Hello @equinetim and @BobFage
Sorry youâve both had cause to join us all. Welcome to the best club in town - although the delayed and quiet welcome youâve had means youâll not yet have discovered that. 
(@CommunityAdmin Can you investigate as to why we didnât get indications of the activity in this thread in latest and why Bobâs contribution didnât show as a first post notice? Weâve obviously let down two new community members. They posted in a corner automated notifications seem to miss & so not seen the supportive community that is here that both of their posts show they need.
Iâm sure weâll all remedy the empathy side now but it will be good to find out how they slip through the technical net so that you can stitch the hole)
Bob I did read to the end. Bear sounds enormous!
Maybe you and Tim have something in common if Tim is commenting he hasnât been to crufts and you have the worldâs biggest dog?
There are a number of posts about how valuable our companions are 
Tim yes we are all constantly discovering new stuff. If you sample the categories and then the topics within them and then the post within those you will find much around this thing.
You both may benefit from looking at the welcome post that we put together which You can get to by tapping on this blue text
Bob you have no need to apologise for unburdening yourself here. We all have a host of overlapping needs - that are never static and so sometimes merge from the blue and constantly wax & wane.
the strength of this community is we accept all because we âget itâ as a visceral element of our own lived experience
I suspect my activity will show up in notifications that mean others will drop by to say hello.
Once again welcome from me
Ciao Simon
You mentioned a photograph of Bear would be nice, on is of him in the snow last year and his normal place in doors. He sleeps on a 3 seater chesterfield settee - bit of a job keeping the cover on it. He just walks on to the seat base. A big boy and I find my self talking to him. A dog thing! He is walked 3 times a week for an hour which is about the most he want to do. Everyone in the village knows him, often cars will stop and hold up traffic to take a photograph. Trouble is the hairs and the slobber. He is our 5th Saint Bernard. We rescued 3 and had 3 from puppies . Bear came to us as a puppy. So many need re homing, But it is a hard job and you cannot be house proud. They do not like too much exercise. Love lots of water and we are filling his water bowl up to 15 times a day.
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