I am very happily married to an amazing man and we have two teenage boys. Our family life revolves around football – the boys play, we all watch, and my husband coaches. I used to go to the gym five times a week, sometimes more. I also worked part time and had an active social life.
Without warning, I had a brain aneurysm in late July 2020 and a stroke in early August 2020. After the aneurysm, I recovered very quickly. I was up and about, doing laps of the ward and chatting to staff and fellow patients. I had a non-saccular aneurysm, so the neurology team kept me in hospital for an extra five days. Two days before I was due to be discharged, I had a stroke. I lost the abilityto speak and could not use my right side. Fortunately, I was fit and reasonably young, so I regained the use of my right leg after a couple of days. My right arm and hand took a lot longer, and I am still working on my fine motor skills. My speech is still improving.
After I was discharged from hospital, I slowly started to go back to my ‘pre-stroke’ life. I started slowly with housework and cooking meals for the family. I went back to the gym, at first doing modified workouts approved by my rehabilitation physiotherapist. When I received clearance from the neurosurgeon, I started my regular classes. I did my Rehabilitation in the Home (RITH) exercises, went to my outpatient classes, and did occupational therapy and speech pathology homework. I also passed my driving test, went to the footy and recently went back to work.
My sense of humour, my competitiveness, my determination, and a positive outlook helped me immensely. And the support of the rehabilitation staff was amazing! The inpatient and outpatient staff all want you to succeed as much as you can in your recovery, so make the most of the skills and knowledge they can provide.