Makar Brian’s stroke inspires his latest poem
Paisley’s official poet has picked up his pen again and written a poem about his experience of having a stroke.
Tannahill makar Brian Whittingham, 69, suffered a stroke in June and is now on the road to recovery.
His speech and movement were affected by the devastating brain condition, but he remains as mentally bright as ever.
He recalled how the condition changed him.
“There was emotionalism, when, for no reason, you would cry or laugh at something hysterically,” he said.
“Your emotions don’t know the rules and do their own thing.”
In a witty poem, he has written about his stroke and its consequences.
In ‘Slowness Has Become My New Best Friend’, he writes: “My stroke-brain/has forgotten how best/ to send messages to my hands/ in a timeous fashion. It appears/there is a delaying element/as slowness has become my new best friend.”
Writing in his Renfrewshire Council blog, Brian, who lived for many years in Renfrew, writes of the dangers of not acting quickly enough on the possible symptoms of stroke, as he did himself.
“Let me tell you that if you are suspicious that anyone near you is having a stroke because they can’t lift their arm, or their smile is lopsided, or if their legs feel drunk, or if anything looks like the acronym FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time), then time is important because the first hours can be the difference between medics being able to minimise damage, or not.
“Don’t be like me and go to your bed to sleep it off then the next morning, get a bus to the A&E to get checked out.
“Immediately, when you see any of these symptoms, call 999 for an ambulance.
“The A&E should have a triage system that allows immediate checking out and may save you untold misery.
“Even a lesser severe stroke may result in your, speech, swallowing, walking, emotions, independence, balance, world, etc, being turned inside out, making life a challenge like you’ve never encountered before.”
The Tannahill Makar writes poems about important events in Renfrewshire.