33 – Can you Prevent a Stroke?

Please note: This is Ep.33

Please go here for Ep.32

Or here to begin at Episode 1

(As everything I write is true, names have been changed to protect identities.) 

33

Can you Prevent a Stroke?

2001

April 11th:

I’ve already turned out of the gates and onto the road. I have one baby in the back of the car and one in my belly. My husband is to my left. I know something is wrong, I have to protect them and stop the car, but I’m confused.

I press the brake. There’s a sharp bend behind me and there’s nowhere to park safely, so I pull the car over up onto the kerb.

I look down at the AT gear stick. Letters are staring back at me. P R N D. The car is in D. I know I need to do something but I’m not sure what. I push the gear to P. Maybe this is it. I’m not sure. I stare at it, trying to figure out if it’s right.

Then there’s the brake. I dare not take my foot off in case I’ve done it wrong. I look at the gear stick again and back at my foot. I go back and forth again and again. It just doesn’t seem right.

Maanav is already at my door. He opens it and tells me to switch seats with him. He seems to think I’ve done it right so I take my foot off the brake.

The car has stopped. We are fine. We are safe. Oh, thank God.

I climb into the passenger seat. My face feels like I’ve just been to the dentist. I open the sun visor and look at it in the compact mirror. I expect to see my lips droop as they would after a shot of anaesthetic, but they look fine. They’re still numb and tingling though, just as my left arm is. I try and shake it out. Maybe I’ve irritated a nerve or something.

Maanav is on the phone with Mother Esther. She says I need to see the doctor.

I turn to Jai. He’s looking back at me, trying to understand what’s going on.

I don’t want him to be alarmed so I try and talk to him calmly and sing some nursery rhymes. I try Baa Baa Black Sheep. It’s one I’ve sung hundreds of times in my life, and yet, for the life of me, right now, I can’t remember the words.

Jai sings, “Yes, Sir. Yes, Sir, three bags full,” and giggles. He thinks it’s funny that I’m saying the wrong words. He thinks Mummy is being a silly billy on purpose.

I try singing the alphabet; Jai is way ahead of me again, “L M N O P Q…”

It doesn’t sound right to me. I try and sing it. What on Earth? I can’t remember the alphabet? 

Maanav has called NHS Direct and we’re waiting for a call-back from the doctor.

The numbness and tingling are subsiding. It must have been a nerve. It’s better now I’ve shaken it out.

It’s almost Jai’s lunchtime and I don’t want him to feel hungry, so I tell Maanav I’m feeling better and we should carry on to lunch and eat something quickly while waiting for the doctor to call.

The restaurant is lively and loud with young children and families. I’m standing at the counter now with the menu in my hand. I look down at it and back at the server. I know what I want to order, but just like before, I can’t get the words out.

I feel confused again. I try again. No luck.

I can sense the impatience in the server’s demeanour. There is a queue of hungry kids and parents behind me. I feel like the world is caving in around me. Everyone’s voices sound louder, my heart beats louder too, and my palms are sweaty.

I quickly point at some things on the children’s menu.

“Pizza, chips and a vegeburger, yes?” the server asks with some relief on her face.

I simply nod at her. That’ll do.

Thankfully, Maanav waves at me from the table where he and Jai are sat. It’s the NHS helpline and they’re asking for my GP’s name and address. I head back to the table. No prizes for guessing, I can’t remember my doctor’s name.

I make sure Jai has eaten well; we drop him home and head to the hospital where they put me through some tests, including scanning my carotid arteries.

It’s a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA), they tell me, also called a mini-stroke. It’s likely to be caused by the change in the constitution of my blood during the pregnancy. It’s not entirely uncommon to happen towards the end of a pregnancy or in the few months after giving birth.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a temporary period of symptoms similar to those of a stroke. A TIA usually lasts only a few minutes and doesn’t cause permanent damage.

Often called a mini-stroke, a TIA may be a warning. About 1 in 3 people who have a TIA will eventually have a stroke, with about half occurring within a year after the TIA.

A TIA can serve as both a warning of a future stroke and an opportunity to prevent it.

Symptoms

Transient ischemic attacks usually last a few minutes. Most signs and symptoms disappear within an hour, though rarely symptoms may last up to 24 hours. The signs and symptoms of a TIA resemble those found early in a stroke and may include sudden onset of:

Weakness, numbness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg, typically on one side of the body

Slurred or garbled speech or difficulty understanding others

Blindness in one or both eyes or double vision

Vertigo or loss of balance or coordination

You may have more than one TIA, and the recurrent signs and symptoms may be similar or different depending on which area of the brain is involved.

When to see a doctor

Since TIAs most often occur hours or days before a stroke, seeking medical attention immediately following a possible TIA is essential. Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect you’ve had a TIA. Prompt evaluation and identification of potentially treatable conditions may help you prevent a stroke.

For more information: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/transient-ischemic-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20355679

They give me a blood thinner and keep me in for the rest of the day for observation.

It’s evening. Luckily, I seem to be fine now. I can recall all the things I couldn’t before. I’m happiest to remember Baa Baa Black Sheep and the alphabet. And Jai is too 🙂

Please go here to continue to Ep. 34