Duncan is Striding 4 Stroke
I had a stroke in July 2016. It came without warning and although I was aware of the FAST campaign to help recognise stroke symptoms, I was unaware what was happening to me at the time. Without the quick thinking of my wife I'm not sure I would have made it. I wanted to do something to raise awareness and help my own recovery but also help the 20 million people who have strokes every year.
My stroke was caused by a dissection of the right ICA (carotid artery). This resulted in right MCA and right occipital stroke. Immediately on admission to the ED Department on 9/7/16, I received a CT scan which showed the artery was completely blocked and deemed unsafe for intervention.
I was then put on hemicranectomy protocol for 72 hours - this meant hourly observations for 3 days and nights. My treating team were worried about my brain swelling, because of my age there is not a lot of room for the brain to go. If my brain swelled too much more they would have had to perform emergency surgery to remove part of my skull to relieve the pressure. My treating doctors didn't want to have to do this as they thought it would make the stroke symptoms worse. Thankfully, it didn't come to that, but it was a torrid time for my wife and family. I had an MRI on 14/7/16 which showed there were no more bleeds but that the mid-line of my brain had shifted by 6mm. I had another CT scan on 25/7/16 which showed this mid-line shift had gone.
How did you find out about the Stroke Foundation?
My wife, Emma, found out about Stroke Foundation during her research for help after my stroke.
What treatment did you receive when you were in hospital?
I spent the first two weeks at Charlies where I started to receive physio. At first it was learning to stand again but after a few days I was walking with a physio supporting me from behind. Then I was transferred to the rehab unit at Fiona Stanley which is a fantastic facility. I received daily physio to help me improve the weakness of my left side and OT who taught me strategies to deal with my left side inattention and hemianopia. They have such patience! After 6 weeks there I was discharged and there after received ‘Rehab in the Home’.
Why are you fundraising?
I'm fundraising mostly so I can raise awareness and educate people about strokes specifically identification of the symptoms. It is also a great incentive for myself to put in the effort to match the donations made by family and friends around the world.
Are you using Stride4stroke as a motivator for rehab?
Absolutely. We live close to the beach so getting up and going for my daily walk knowing that it's doing some good for others as well will be a great motivator. It will also be an excellent forum to provide updates on my progress to those supporting me in my rehabilitation. Reading the stories of other stroke survivors has been great motivation too, it makes me realise that I'm not alone in this struggle to getting better.