My health story
I had a stroke at 38
With Christmas fast approaching, like most people I have a long list of things I need to get done for the big day – from ordering the turkey to getting some extra last-minute gifts for my daughter Emma. I relish each chore, because four years ago I suffered a stroke, and each day I feel lucky just to be here.
Working as a head teacher in a primary school, I was used to picking up coughs and colds. So when I got bronchitis in February 2013 I didn’t think much of it. Only, two weeks later, I still felt run-down. And strange things started happening.
One Saturday I picked up a pen, but I couldn’t feel it in my hand. And when I went to drive to the shops, I struggled to clip my seatbelt in. My brain felt foggy somehow.
I told myself I was just tired. But the following day I got pins and needles in my arm and started to feel sick. ‘Maybe you should get some rest?’ said my husband Stephen, then 39.
Instead I went to work, and as I stood in class and lifted the marker to the whiteboard, I just couldn’t write in a straight line. For a moment I couldn’t even remember how to spell ‘and’.
Growing more worried, I called Stephen. ‘I’m going to the GP,’ I told him.
Only, when I got there, my doctor referred me to Royal Derby Hospital for tests. Stephen and Emma, then nine, raced to be by my side and after an MRI scan, there was news.
‘I’m afraid you’ve had a stroke,’ said the doctor. I remember staring at him, stunned. I was only 38 – how was that possible? All I knew about strokes was that they could affect your face and your speech – but I was talking without any problems, and my face was fine.
‘A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off,’ the doctor explained. ‘Symptoms depend on the part of your brain affected.’
But that still didn’t explain why I’d had one in the first place. I thought strokes only happened to older people. ‘Weight and lifestyle can play a part,’ said the doctor. I felt awful. Like anyone with a busy job, I was often stressed at work and, at almost 18st and a size 20, I knew I could take better care of myself. So I vowed to get healthy for my family.
Three months later, I started back at work part-time, and even felt well enough to join Slimming World. I began swimming and concentrated on cooking from scratch, and soon the pounds fell away. But by October 2013 I started feeling unwell again and I decided to resign from my job to focus on my health.
Becoming a fulltime mum was the best decision. These days, I’m a new woman. I’ve lost 4st and am a size 12. I’ve even set up my own tutoring business, which fits around my new life. Emma, now 14, and I have started running together – and have even completed a 5k for the Stroke Association. For so many people, a stroke can be the worst thing that’s ever happened, but I hope my story shows it doesn’t have to be. You just need to focus on the positives – it changed me for the better. ✱ Visit stroke.org.uk for more info
‘i couldn’t write in a straight line’