Helen’s story

What happened?

“I had a day off work. I did some shopping and went to the hairdressers, had dinner, watched a movie and went to bed. A stress free day! I woke up in the morning and realised I could not see clearly out of my right eye. I had no other symptoms or issues except that. I had no idea this was a form of stroke and went into work thinking it would pass or I might have to see my optician at the worst. I told my colleagues at work and they encouraged me to visit the ED. I can’t say I would do anything differently as my stroke happened while I was asleep.”

Biggest challenge

“My biggest challenge is that I do not like being in large crowds anymore. I don’t like that my peripheral vision has gone and that people can appear beside me quite suddenly now. This gives me a jump that I'm not expecting making me feel disorientated or anxious.

Overcoming it - I had some counselling and talked about these feelings. Accepting what happened to me and that time will help in getting used to my “new normal” as I call it. 

I now do breathing exercises when I feel anxious among a large gathering or if I am in a large shopping centre or a street. I have told my friends and family what bothers me and they look out for me in large spaces.”

Living well

I’ve educated myself on why strokes happen. I was unhealthy with high cholesterol and not a great diet. I had some bad habits, like smoking. I stopped immediately after the stroke. I actively take part in looking after myself with my doctor.

I’ve a better understanding of healthier eating habits and avoiding high fat foods. I exercise regularly. I check my blood pressure once a week just in case there is a significant change I should let the doctor know about. My health is in a better place now and part of that is taking medications to look after my cholesterol levels.

Stroke advice

Take your time and don’t rush things. Let friends and family know what happened to you. Not many people know what stroke is or how it can be recognised. Join the Irish Heart Foundation Facebook page. There are so many people on it who have been through the same thing. The page has lots of advice, stories and information about stroke.

StrokeLINK service

It was good to have the advice of the healthcare staff. It was good to know someone was a phone call away if you needed to ask something.

Related pages