MY HEALTH EXPERIENCE:It takes a long time for the brain to heal after a stroke, writes IGNATIUS GANNON
I HAD a stroke when I was 53. At the time, I was fit and healthy. I didn’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, so the doctors couldn’t tell me why it happened.
I had worked as a contractor in the haulage business for years, so I suppose I had done a lot of lifting of heavy goods. I worked for myself which meant that I worked seven days a week sometimes. Before that, I had worked in a factory for 20 years, starting out as a helper on a truck and working my way up to management level.
I was in hospital for six months in total – the first three-and-a-half months at Tallaght hospital and then 10 weeks in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire.
After that early stage of recovery, I went back to the National Rehabilitation Hospital for 11 months of retraining. I had to learn everything from scratch.
For the first year or so after my stroke, I was devastated. I couldn’t do anything at all. I was very withdrawn. My sleep patterns were very erratic and it was only when I got back home that I started to sleep properly again.
At home, I wouldn’t answer the door or the phone. In some ways, I think I was away with the fairies for that year – in a twilight zone. Now, I realise that it takes a long time for the brain to heal.
Since my stroke, I don’t have any feeling down the right side of my body. I was in a wheelchair at first but, over time, I built back up the motor function in my right leg so I could walk with a zimmer frame, then a tripod and now I use only a walking stick.
I still don’t have any sensation whatsoever in my right hand, but I use it as much as I can. I was right-handed, but I have learned to write with my left hand.
The hardest thing of all for me has been the tension in the muscles I have down my right side. I can’t direct this side of my body, yet it pulls me all the time.
I get terrible tension headaches. I tried different things – tablets, acupuncture, reiki, even botox injections but nothing has worked.
My short-term memory is very poor since the stroke and I’ve double vision, but I’ve learned ways to cope. I write everything down so I don’t forget things and I use little tricks to help my memory.
I have a good visual memory which helps and I rely a lot on my long-term memory so, for instance, I remember your name because I think of my neighbour of 20 years whose name is also Sylvia.
While I was at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, I met and talked to lots of people who had suffered from brain injuries – either following an accident or a stroke.
It’s overwhelming for many people. I was the oldest person there, so I became a kind of father figure for many of them.
I did a one-year counselling course at An Cosán in Tallaght which helped me a lot. When I get anxious, I put these thoughts into the back of my mind and just get on with it.
I was fairly confident before my stroke and I lost that, but there was still a spark which was waiting to be reignited.
I’d say it is paramount for people to let go of anger, venom and the “why me?” feelings after a stroke and move on with their lives.
While I was at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, I did everything I was asked. I was very motivated to learn as much as I could. I did drama, computer and art classes there and I continued to paint for some time. I’ve even sold some of my paintings. I’d say that painting gave me back my soul and became a springboard for achieving in other ways.
Now, I’m hoping to start up art classes again in Tallaght for people who’ve had a brain injury or their carers. Eventually, I’d like to get back to painting more, but I’m too busy at the moment.
Gradually, I put my life back together. A lot of people who’ve had a stroke rely on public transport, but three years after my stroke I learned to drive again.
Around that time, I also got involved with BRI, the support group for people with brain injuries (briireland.ie). Now, I work every weekday morning in Tallaght on a Community Employment Scheme for BRI. I organise talks, classes and meetings. I talk to people on the phone about the services we offer and I make contact with the media.
I also facilitate a support group meeting for people with brain injuries in Tallaght Library on the first Thursday of every month.
Really, I’d say that it was my wife who gave me back my life. She stuck with me through it all. She never gave up and loved me through all the difficult times. I couldn’t praise her enough. My children, my brothers, sisters and friends were all very supportive too and still are.
No money could ever compensate you for having a stroke, but I’d say that I am a better person for it and I live a fulfilling life.
In conversation with Sylvia Thompson
