I assumed my stroke was just a bad headache

By AJ

At 41, who really thinks they’re having a stroke? I assumed it was just a bad headache. How wrong I was.

After five days of battling a relentless headache, I finally gave in and went to the local hospital. They ran all the standard stroke assessments when I arrived, and I passed them without any issues. To me, it was just a severe headache. But my sister and partner noticed things I didn’t. My words were getting jumbled, I’d start speaking mid-thought, and I couldn’t understand why no one seemed to follow what I was saying.

My sister, who’s a sonographer, suspected it might be a TIA. But the symptoms hadn’t passed - they’d lingered for five days.

It all started on a Saturday morning. I woke up with a pounding headache, took Panadol and Nurofen, but got no relief. By lunchtime I was wiped out on the couch. That night we went to a family dinner, and I struggled to follow the conversation. I couldn’t even manage to place our food order on my phone or enter the credit card details properly - something I usually do with ease. I chalked it all up to the headache.

Sunday, I felt no better. We made the six-hour drive home to Brisbane from Agnes Waters. The headache was still raging, and despite the meds, I felt exhausted the whole way. I drove the entire distance.

Come Monday, the headache persisted. I had a phone consultation with my GP, but I couldn’t explain what was happening. My words wouldn’t come out right. He suggested stress and told me to take the day off.

Tuesday was my first attempt at working from home. Total fail. I could read emails but couldn’t make sense of how to respond or what to do next. Still, I resisted going to the hospital. I had a promise to keep; I’d told a retiring colleague I’d help him set up his new phone on Wednesday. I told my partner I’d go to work in the morning, then head to the hospital in the afternoon.

Wednesday came. I fumbled through the meeting, barely functioning. And finally, the hospital.

I truly believed everything I was experiencing was just from the headache. I wasn’t ready for what came next.

After the CT scan, the doctor came over with the news: I’d had an ischemic stroke caused by an internal carotid artery dissection. Typically, that kind of injury results from some form of neck trauma, but in my case, the cause was unclear. A complete mystery.

That’s when the hard part of the journey began. I didn’t truly understand the extent of the damage until the speech and occupational therapists came in for their assessments. They asked what seemed like simple, everyday questions - questions I just couldn’t answer. It was a sobering moment. What would life look like after this? I had no idea.

I took some comfort in knowing I’d managed to take care of myself during those five days before hospital; cooking, managing around the house, even working in small ways. But I was also a team leader in a fast-paced government department, juggling constant technical challenges and a heavy workload. Then came the moment with the speech therapist; I couldn’t even list items starting with the letter “F.” That hit hard. How could I possibly do my job again?

The answer? With persistence, retraining, and a determination to bounce back.

Life doesn’t look the same as it did a year ago for me, and I face daily struggles that people don’t see. Fatigue is a daily hurdle, and sometimes my mind just blanks. But I’m back at work part time. I can still do my job, even if it takes a bit more time and sometimes a longer lunch break to reset. Progress may be slower, but it’s steady. I’m getting there.

Looking back, I knew something wasn’t right. This headache was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, it was on a whole different level. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of this, it’s to trust your body. When something feels off, don’t ignore it - get it checked.

If I had sought help earlier, my recovery might have been a little easier. With strokes, every minute matters. Time really is critical.