Pam's story

Nine years ago, when I was 66, I had a stroke. If the stroke happened three days later when I was due to have hip surgery, I wouldn’t be here.

I cannot remember the first two to three years. I can recall incidents such as learning to say ’S’ at speech therapy or relearning to walk in a straight line.

My balance is improving all the time, but my walk is affected so I use a walker when I’m out. I have my twin sister to thank. She came from the USA, (where she has lived 40 years) and slept on the floor beside my bed for three days before being offered a La-Z-Boy chair!

I was in hospital for a week to treat the bleed on the left side of my brain. Sent in the morning and later that evening, I had a pulmonary blockage in my heart! So, we spent the next seven weeks in hospital trying to find correct treatment for blockage and the bleed. Wonderful nurses and treatment, I am told. However, while in hospital my twin sister had symptoms of a stroke herself. After being checked thoroughly, she was told she had had an extreme panic attack!

I have ongoing neuropathy pain 24/7 down my entire right side from the toes to fingertips! Some days the pain is about 8 or 9 out of 10. Other days 4 is about average. Now, I swim three times a week, get on my Exercycle for one hour every other day. Before I broke four separate bones in my (stroke side) right foot (7 September 2024) I was regularly swimming 60-100 laps. My foot is taking forever to heal because blood flow to that foot is severely affected. I have regular massages which really help.

However, I do feel helpless sometimes. I get annoyed because I used to walk for an hour a day, I used to dance. I miss all that and I start feeling sorry for myself. But that gets me nowhere. I have to be busy; exercising, knitting, sewing, watching a bit of television and knitting. The pain feels less when I am busy. I don’t think about it because I’m thinking about what I’m doing. I’ve realised, for me, it’s my mental attitude.

I had my 75th birthday on 14th October and I am so blessed to be here writing all this down for the first time. I have ten grandchildren and one great grandchild. I live with my lovely daughter now and I’m very grateful for my family and friends.

Thank you and best to everyone.