I had a stroke in outback WA
January 11, 2019
By Steve Reid
It was October 2015 and I hadn’t had a great run with my health.
I work for a mining company in outback WA and I had just taken seven weeks off work to recover from a burst appendix and a subsequent infection.
As you can imagine, I was itching to get up and about again. It had been a very long seven weeks and I was sick of taking it easy.
But the night before I returned to the mine, my health took another turn.
I was sitting at home with my brother and I felt numbness and tingling in my right hand. After an hour or so I stood up from the couch and felt so dizzy I almost fell over. I had an extreme headache, so took myself to bed. I thought I must have been coming down with a cold.
When I got up the next morning, the headache remained and the numbness now stretched down the whole right side of my body. Still I persisted and took myself to work.
It didn’t take long before I realised my condition was not improving and I needed to see a doctor. My sister kindly picked me up and took me to my GP who discovered an irregular heart beat and very high blood pressure. The doctor believed I was having a stroke and called ahead to tell the hospital I was on my way.
This news was a complete shock. I now found myself in a hospital bed, frightened and attached to medical machines. Tests were taken and about two hours later a doctor came in with my results. He confirmed I had suffered a stroke.
There was no time to waste. I was a long way from neurosurgeons, so the Royal Flying Doctor Service took me from Kalgoorlie to Perth for treatment. Before I flew out I remember my sister saying how much she loved me. It was so hard to see her in so much distress.
In the coming days, I was put through a series of tests at the hospital to determine the impact of my stroke on my foot, toes, right leg, right arm, right hand, fingers and face. My driving licence was suspended for two months. I got to know every nook and cranny in the grounds of that hospital.
I was released early from the hospital in Perth and moved into the care of a cardiologist and my local hospital. Sadly, my best mate passed away on the same day as my stroke. I wanted to be back in Kalgoorlie to attend his funeral.
I faced many issues as a result of my stroke. Water felt at least 10 percent hotter and 10 percent colder making it difficult to regulate, my hand writing returned to a kindergarten level, I couldn’t mow my lawn because of the vibration of the mower, cooking and house work were difficult, fatigue hit hard and wearing clothes annoyed me to the point I couldn’t wait to get home and rip them off!
It’s been a tough journey, but I have made progress. I’m now two and half years post-stroke and I have been cleared by my Cardiologist. I can now mow the lawns and feeling is slowly returning to my right side. Only last week I discovered I could jog slowly.
I still have difficulties with numbness in my right hand and often drop things. Some tasks are difficult at work and home because it is my dominant hand. The pain in my right side has eased, but it alerts me when I push myself to much. My short term memory has been affected.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me in my recovery, especially my sister, her husband and my son who have been amazing. While I was determined to do things by myself, they brought me into line at the times when I should have asked for help. I am thankful for that. My friends and work mates have also been great.
I have made a good recovery and I am back at work. I know how lucky I am. People find it difficult to believe I have had a stroke, but I want the community to understand every stroke is different. Please remember to have a regular check up with your GP and understand the F.A.S.T signs of stroke. It could save a life – possibly your own.
It was October 2015 and I hadn’t had a great run with my health.
I work for a mining company in outback WA and I had just taken seven weeks off work to recover from a burst appendix and a subsequent infection.
As you can imagine, I was itching to get up and about again. It had been a very long seven weeks and I was sick of taking it easy.
But the night before I returned to the mine, my health took another turn.
I was sitting at home with my brother and I felt numbness and tingling in my right hand. After an hour or so I stood up from the couch and felt so dizzy I almost fell over. I had an extreme headache, so took myself to bed. I thought I must have been coming down with a cold.
When I got up the next morning, the headache remained and the numbness now stretched down the whole right side of my body. Still I persisted and took myself to work.
It didn’t take long before I realised my condition was not improving and I needed to see a doctor. My sister kindly picked me up and took me to my GP who discovered an irregular heart beat and very high blood pressure. The doctor believed I was having a stroke and called ahead to tell the hospital I was on my way.
This news was a complete shock. I now found myself in a hospital bed, frightened and attached to medical machines. Tests were taken and about two hours later a doctor came in with my results. He confirmed I had suffered a stroke.
There was no time to waste. I was a long way from neurosurgeons, so the Royal Flying Doctor Service took me from Kalgoorlie to Perth for treatment. Before I flew out I remember my sister saying how much she loved me. It was so hard to see her in so much distress.
In the coming days, I was put through a series of tests at the hospital to determine the impact of my stroke on my foot, toes, right leg, right arm, right hand, fingers and face. My driving licence was suspended for two months. I got to know every nook and cranny in the grounds of that hospital.
I was released early from the hospital in Perth and moved into the care of a cardiologist and my local hospital. Sadly, my best mate passed away on the same day as my stroke. I wanted to be back in Kalgoorlie to attend his funeral.
I faced many issues as a result of my stroke. Water felt at least 10 percent hotter and 10 percent colder making it difficult to regulate, my hand writing returned to a kindergarten level, I couldn’t mow my lawn because of the vibration of the mower, cooking and house work were difficult, fatigue hit hard and wearing clothes annoyed me to the point I couldn’t wait to get home and rip them off!
It’s been a tough journey, but I have made progress. I’m now two and half years post-stroke and I have been cleared by my Cardiologist. I can now mow the lawns and feeling is slowly returning to my right side. Only last week I discovered I could jog slowly.
I still have difficulties with numbness in my right hand and often drop things. Some tasks are difficult at work and home because it is my dominant hand. The pain in my right side has eased, but it alerts me when I push myself to much. My short term memory has been affected.
I want to thank everyone who has supported me in my recovery, especially my sister, her husband and my son who have been amazing. While I was determined to do things by myself, they brought me into line at the times when I should have asked for help. I am thankful for that. My friends and work mates have also been great.
I have made a good recovery and I am back at work. I know how lucky I am. People find it difficult to believe I have had a stroke, but I want the community to understand every stroke is different. Please remember to have a regular check up with your GP and understand the F.A.S.T signs of stroke. It could save a life – possibly your own.
