Stroke was a foreign word to me before I had one

By Lisa Wicks. 

I was 40 years old when my life was thrown upside down. 
 
The flu struck me badly. It was heading into the fourth week. After coughing most of the night, I took the day off work. 
 
I was sitting up in bed to avoid having another coughing fit, when out of the blue my lips went numb, and I couldn’t lift my right arm. 

Thinking it was likely the symptoms of a virus, I stayed in bed and slept until late afternoon. 
 
The following day, I returned to work and by chance had a doctor's appointment for something unrelated. As I was about to leave, my doctor asked me if there was anything else.  

I was going to say no, but changed my mind, and described the symptoms that I had experienced the day before. After some physical tests and questions my doctor urged me to go directly to emergency. Her words being “It is possible you may have suffered a stroke?” 
 
I had so much on that day, but followed her advice. The hospital was only a short distance away, so I walked. I thought my doctor was overreacting.

Stroke was a foreign word to me. I had absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of the disease. 

The emergency department was full of people, and a couple of times I got up to leave, but decided to wait it out. 

When I was seen, a number of tests were done, which unfortunately revealed that I had experienced a number of TIAs, and a stroke. The stroke unit was full, so I had to wait in a general ward for two days before I was admitted. It was well past the window for treatment, and there were limited options for me. 

No rehabilitation was mentioned. I had a week’s rest at home, then resumed my full-time job.  

To me this was normal, but debilitating fatigue very quickly set in. 
 
Working in a management position, in a stressful environment, certainly made life extremely challenging. In the morning I would be asleep within minutes on the bus to work. Then, every lunch hour would be spent sleeping in the tearoom. 

I assumed I could push through. Having limited information about the effects of stroke, I thought the symptoms would be temporary. How wrong could I be? 

A few months later, my job had come to a sudden halt. The company was closing several locations, including Hobart. At first, I was devastated, but it made me realise how the stress and pressure had affected me.  

Being made redundant was really the best option for my health. 
 
I was offered a job in administration, with the Brain Injury Association of Tasmania (BIAT) in the same building as the Stroke Foundation. 
 
I began to receive advice and resources, and I am finally beginning to understand what had happened to me. This makes me emotional; I was relieved that I finally had the information that I desperately needed, and furious that it was more luck than good planning that I got this support. 

A meeting was organised to chat with a stroke team member. To be welcomed by a vibrant, bubbly, caring person felt like such a relief. It was a raw, emotional moment for us both, as she was also a survivor of stroke. 
 
I was astounded with her honesty and story - I’m extremely grateful we now have a friendship which I treasure. I feel so lucky that we crossed paths 💚. This experience has shown me how important peer relationships are. It’s great that Stroke Foundation has staff with lived experience. 
 
Talking to BAIT and Stroke Foundation is where I began to understand that the stroke was a traumatic brain injury, and that what I was experiencing was a result of my brain being damaged. I feel let down by the health system that I didn’t even have a basic idea of what had happened to me. 

I was completely floored in a conversation to be told I had sustained a brain injury.

This news is still surreal to this day.

I was told that I would need to give myself time to recover – I now understand that recovery is life-long. The fatigue I live with reminds me of this every day.  

I enjoyed my role at BIAT. I was learning about brain injuries, raising awareness and having contact with other people dealing with similar challenges. Then COVID hit and my position was no longer required. - I was gutted.  
 
My world got very small, and my goals changed. My life now is to get out of bed, manage appointments and battle overwhelming depression and fatigue.  

Sadly, I have lost friendships. It does hurt. Suffering an ‘invisible illness’ is beyond frustrating.  

I am grateful for those that have supported me. Trying to understand that I am no longer the old ‘Lisa’, that I am different both inside and out. That’s something I still cannot accept. 

So, where to from here?  

I want to raise awareness of the signs of a stroke. I believe if I had known the signs, and received the right rehabilitation and support, my life would be very different.  
 
I don’t want other women to have their lives upended in the prime of their life. I don’t want other women in their early forties to lose the structure, routine, social interaction and financial security - which I no longer have. 

Stroke is scary, but life after stroke is very scary too. 
 
If my experience resonates with you, join me in getting behind Stroke Foundation to advocate funding for F.A.S.T. signs of stroke, the StrokeConnect Stroke Navigator and for a stroke ambulance in every state.  

If I can help one other person to avoid ending up experiencing this harrowing journey - I will do what I can.

Lisa 💚 

P.S. Recently I found out that I have Functional Neurological Disorder - ‘FND’. I landed in hospital with symptoms that I thought were a second stroke. But I got the “all clear”.