I’d like to say THANK YOU!
A couple weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night really thirsty but couldn’t move my left side to reach for my water. I thought I was just still half asleep, but then the bed seemed to be swallowing me up, I was telling myself to move, reach, sit up, but I couldn’t. I had no idea I had had a stroke, the heaviness and numbness subsided, I got up and checked myself over – I put it down to a weird sleep/waking/walking kind of thing. My heart was racing, but I was upright and could talk. Weird! But I went back to bed.
Nine hours later, on my way to town from Cudgee, I started having a second stroke in the car. My left side became heavy and I couldn’t move my arm properly, it was like jelly, my tongue started to go numb and drop, I couldn’t talk properly it was like a lisp but worse, the left side of my mouth drooped. I pulled over at the Blue Whale and Adam, who I was on the phone with, being nearby on Ragland Parade came and took me straight to Emergency at SWHC.
The CT scans were clear. The MRI showed two clots in the Putamen. The Neurology Consultant in Melbourne said “it’s like you’ve driven a car into a light post at 200km per hour and walked away with barely a scratch”. The putamen, near the base of the brain stem, is interconnected with many other structures, and works in conjunction with them to influence many types of motor behaviours. These include motor planning, learning, and execution, motor preparation, specifying amplitudes of movement, and movement sequences. There are studies that link the putamen with Parkinson’s Disease. (WIKI).
Besides being a little clumsy on my left foot and slightly tongue tied speaking under pressure there doesn’t seem to be any drastic changes and things will improve. I can’t remember what I did the other day but that was normal before!
Lew shared his stroke experience with me and I am so fortunate that I didn’t go through what he, Di and the kids went through! We are lucky to still have you, Lew, and your recovery has been amazing, long, and ongoing.
My strokes have rocked me a bit, but I’m trying not to overthink it, yet taking this opportunity to focus on what matters. I’ve felt exhausted but it’s getting better, accepting help for personal stuff isn’t really something I’ve done easily before, however I’ve felt very supported and like you’ve had my back.
I know nobody in this club wants to be singled out … genuinely, thank you, your efforts individually and collectively have genuinely helped me. The small things, the yummy things, the time, the amazing project to help at the shed, messages, offers, understanding, coffee, deliveries, pick-ups and drop-offs, all the things you’ve done to help me get back on my feet and be a mate has made a difference these past two and a half weeks. I.O.U a few favours when those times come.
I’m halfway out of the most critical time of another stroke. I’ve got a line-up of tests this week, hopefully we can work out why this happened and avoid more.
You have reminded me what being a Rotarian is - to help each other to get stuff done for who needs it. This club also embodies the ANZAC Spirit which values are endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, and mateship.
James
