It was ten years ago when I had a minor stroke. I was in the house and saw a weird spot in my vision, began to lose the ability to speak, and called my dad who turned up as I was laying at the point of unconscious on the sofa. It took ages for them to diagnose me, I think having pink hair they assumed I'd taken drugs or something. I lost feeling in my right side, and face dropped. I ended up not being able to speak at all and when I finally did I didn't make sense. The numbness and dropped leg and face turned into constant pain, from the toes to the hair roots.
Finally they diagnosed I had had a stroke and that it was due to a hole in my heart the size of a 50 piece, between the chambers that allowed a clot through to my brain. I had surgery to close it and gebapantin to relieve the pain, which if anyone's had did it make you really forgetful also? Had massive fatigue etc Anyway, my speech came back, (sometimes the wrong word still comes out completely out of context which can be both amusing and frustrating) I read allowed and tried playing the piano etc eventually all went back to pretty much normal about 4/5 years after the stroke. I know exactly how lucky I am to be able to say that.
But, I was wondering if anyone else's old symptoms come back when they are ill? When I get a virus etc my right side hurts, my face drops again. It's like the work my brain does to keep my body working as before, fails as it fights off sickness. I can't find anything about this and was wondering if others have this too? If you do, are there ways to counter it?
It is lovely to read your story and see how much progress you’ve made. My husband had a Stroke just two years ago but I can always tell when he’s done too much. His whole body sags, his face drops, he finds it difficult to pull himself out of the chair and then he drags his left leg.
We had a hair arising experience in January when he got a water infection. Unfortunately, we were staying in a hotel and at first I thought he was exhausted from the long train journey from Durham to Devon so encouraged him to rest. When he couldn’t get off the bed, I had to heave him upright but then he couldn’t move his legs. His brain had stopped working! He thought he was having another Stroke! Luckily, our son arrived just in time and pulled/dragged him to the bathroom. We soon sought medical help and got him antibiotics.
As you say, the visible signs clearly show that the brain is shouting ‘whoa! Rest! One thing at a time!’ I think the only way to counter it is to listen to your body and rest, rest and rest some more.
I had a stroke in October 2017 and Pfo closure in November 2018. Recently I had a virus and kept feeling dizzy and struggled to walk as my weaker right leg kept dragging. Like you I wasn't diagnosed originally and felt scared when this happened again thinking it was another stroke. Went to A&E and waiting follow up mri, the symptoms have eased again. I do feel that when tired or when a virus hits the brain can't manage or tells my body to rest by affecting the weaker right hand side. Would be good to hear other comments.