Here goes… are you sitting comfortably? on the 30th June 2023 I had woke in the night with chronic pins and needles down my left side but no other symptoms. I thought I’d slept funny so went back to bed. After a few hours of not sleeping I stood in the bathroom looking in the mirror pulling funny faces and doing things with my arms thinking at least I’ve not had a stroke. I still couldn’t sleep so came downstairs and called 111. After talking to the call handler and then waiting a few hours for the doc to call back I called work to tell them I’ll be off sick the next day (one day before my camper holiday to Skye started). My advice was from the on call doc was to call my GP when they opened. So, after waiting 3½ hours I called my GP, then waited another 2 hours for a call back appointment. He advised me to call a taxi and go to A&E. After 14 hours in the A&E waiting room (from 11am Friday morning), with very brief escapes to see a nurse, have some bloods taken and have a CT scan I got grumpy as I’d been there so long and was eventually taken into majors and then told I was being admitted as I’d had a stroke… over the weekend I almost got discharged twice as I’d apparently not had a stroke and then ended up with an emergency MRI that I had 2 days later. 6 days after admission the Dr I’d been under on the surgical ward I was on told me that my results weren’t in from the MRI but he and the consultant had been to look at my scan and I had “not” had a stroke and I could go home, oh I was so happy!! But that was short lived as within 5 mins he came running back in to tell me my results were back and I’d had a Right Thalamic Stroke… my life stopped. I was a HGV driver til that point and now I’m unemployed!! I saw the stroke Dr for about 4 mins before he received a page to go elsewhere that morning and then was discharged later that day with some meds and nothing else… skip to today… I’m in work which is great, but on nights learning how to be a supervisor (as nobody else wanted the job) my meds have swapped and changed many times and I’m on first name terms with the receptionist at my GPs surgery but I’ve got horrible Neuropathic pain that doesn’t ever go away and the pain in my joints is awful. The Pregabalin that I’m taking is now being upped which makes me feel like I’m drunk (oh for a drink) and I’m not sure what the other drugs I’m on really do. I’ve now got Quinine for night cramps and muscle spasms but don’t know if it’s doing anything and I’ve gone from being able to walk normally with pins and needles to everything hurts and going down the stairs is a nightmare… well that’s me I suppose, I keep getting told I’m lucky and I’m still above the ground which is a bonus but for a stroke I’d never heard about it seems to me to be the illness that keeps giving… I’m 56 by the way… stay safe everyone and thanks for reading 
You’re young, at 56… I had a serious stroke 1 year ago, I was 58, now 59.
I have night spasms, and a bad day every other day. Quinine I have not tried (yet) other than some tonic water. Very little helps, though I think it’s starting to ease up towards the end of the day. It’s very much a matter of finding your own solutions. I have some stretches which I devised ; they help partially. Yes, we’re still above ground, which makes things harder than the alternative, but for those around us is more reassuring. I hope you find some answers and keep us posted on what you find helps. Good luck, ciao, Roland
Hello @jay.langdon
Welcome to the forum, although I’m sorry you’ve had caused to join us .
Your story rings true of the experience a very many of us here have had with confusion in the medical staff, not matching the FAST test, often accused of being drunk or on drugs, not being given thrumbleises in a timely fashion etc etc It’s not a new story to us here .
The information you wern’t also given there’s also a typical gap. In a small way we’ve started filling that gap in Welcome - what we wish we'd heard at the start - tap the blue text to follow the link. It will tell you how to search the forum. There are many posts on post stroke pain and all sorts of other recognisable elements of your journey listed in your post.
My best wishes for your new life. There is much to celebrate, and much potential but it is unlikely to be what you were anticipating pre-stroke
Caio
Simon
Ps - your wife is obviously wise because posting has started your link to the people who can truly understand empathise and advise and give you space to rant & explode if you need the space to do that where it is understood 
@jay.langdon hi & welcome to the forum. Sorry you’ve had a stroke. Seems you had a bit of a run around initially but hopefully you are now on the right treatment etc.
Losing your licence after a stroke is an added blow & even worse if you drive for a living. Hopefully you can get it back in time.
I hope they get your neuropathic pain under control soon as that must be debilitating for you.
Best wishes
Ann
Welcome to the forum @jay.langdon, your wife is very wise, you should always listen to her 
If you receive Stroke Association bumf on discharge from hospital, have you had a look on the My Stroke Guide website, from there you can find what face to face stroke groups there are in your locality Support in your area | Stroke Association (just click on the blue text) Just key in your post code in that link and hopefully it should bring up what’s available within your area.
Yes I was 58 now 59 and still going.
Not able to get back to work yet but I’ll not stop trying
I have had a long day today, which most anyone here can tell you is rough on a stroke survivor. That is my excuse for not having much useful to share with you at the moment. I do want to say hello and welcome you. I wish it we were meeting under better circumstances. My own strokes have been just over 2 years ago (at age 56 as well). Keep hope as things actually do get better, one way or another. Most every issue has returned to normal or somewhere near at this point for me. The things that have not, I am getting somewhat used to or finding ways to work around it. I hope your pain is alleviated very soon, and that you will find some helpful information, comraderie, and comfort here. I particularly enjoy Zoom meetings here. I hope you will join us for one soon.
@DeAnn
Will you make it to Thursdays zoom cafe? 1pm UK time - I know it’s somewhat early for you.
I don’t know if @pinch will make it, @pando is a maybe, dunno about @Moonie66, 0r @Joejoe37 I’ll email Paul, etc who aren’t on the forum
I can make it.
Regards
Joe
@sass Also wanted to make you aware that the Thursday afternoon is happening (see above posts). I hope as time is passing post stroke life is improving
Simon
Thu 1 pm I think I can make it, Simon
What’s the link to get to the meeting ?
ciao, Roland
Thanks Simon, I thought it had changed to fortnightly on a Thursday morning? I can’t make this Thursday unfortunately but hopefully see you on the following Thursday morning zoom cafe? I had a much better week, slowly slowly getting my head round it all, started doing jigsaws which Im LOVING 
. Hope you are good think you might have had a trip away 
Sarah
Welcome 
Im a newbie too, had my stroke in July and still getting my head round it, this forum has been super helpful and the zoom cafes are great. I have taken Magnesium for years to stop night cramps, I find it very effective but not sure if you can take that with your other medications? Anyway thought I’d mention it as it has helped me.
Sarah
Hi Sarah
Yes we (Lea & I) had a road trip ( she had to do the driving). We had two hotels to review for the hotels of the year - Scotland awards. Lea is the food/ fine dinning judge.
Unfortunately I was on the B84 something or other with no internet signal at the time of Thursday morning cafe last week. I do intend to go to the morning ones in future :). I don’t intend to stop hosting the afternoon one - although maybe I’ll run it weekly now?
The internal meeting had said the afternoon cafe was a discussion still to be had, but it appears the opportunity to announce it while I wasn’t there… Politics who need it…
I hope you have a great time at wherever you are either enjoyable or useful or comforting or whatever and I’ll give you a reminder before the next again cafe. Since I wasn’t of the morning cafe I don’t know whether Karen has insisted that you have to have your email address on their list. A ‘price’ that I have never tried to exact from anyone- and to and the fact that I push to improve reach of the cafes such as ignoring a “Scottish only boundary” has marked me as too much of a rebel for Karen’s ability to tolerate… You might detect I’m slightly emotional by I know this is a forum where I’m allowed my post stroke emotions
Ciao
Hi @pando it’s the link we use before and is in the cafes post
Which will always show the correct date and time of the next meeting
So it’s not a bad idea to bookmark it
And for convenience it’s https://bit.ly/StrokeThuCafes
Of course anybody else who wants to come is also extremely welcome
Great I look forward to it
Be good to catch up and I’m not sure that you’ve met some of the folk who might be coming along so that will be good too
Well, funnily enough I was a bit befuddled in the conversation, I didn’t really feel like I had much to contribute about things going forward, as it seemed a fait a complit ( not sure Ive spelt that right) and I wondered if I had stumbled into a work meeting lol. Really pleased you will still be hosting the Thursday 1pm and I think weekly is a great idea, for me its the only time I have felt amongst people who get it, its certainly a different world we now live in. When Im sufficiently with it I would like to be a force for good, but right now baby steps for me. 
Yes. Count me in. I miss you all.
You are a beautiful person. I can tell it already. I hope to meet you on a Zoom very soon.