Interview 21

Age at interview: 83

Brief Outline:

She had a stroke due to a clot aged 82 which caused left weakness. Medication bendroflumethiazide, ramapril (blood pressure), aspirin (antiplatelet).

Background:

Is a widow and has no children. She does Voluntary work. Ethnic background/nationality' White/English.

More about me...

This woman had her stroke due to a clot at the age of 82 she is now 83. She originally attended her GP complaining of dizziness and loss of balance. Her GP checked her blood pressure and it did not seem to be a cause for concern. Later that evening her condition worsened and she went to bed. She spoke to a duty doctor over the weekend but it was not until the Monday that she saw a doctor and was diagnosed with a slight stroke. Her own doctor was very apologetic but explained that it is sometimes difficult to diagnose a slight stroke. She now takes bendroflumethiazide and ramaprilb to reduce blood pressure and aspirin to prevent another clot.

She did not go into hospital after her stroke but did attend a stroke clinic although this was primarily to have some tests and to discuss the possibility of her taking part in some research. She did not want to take part because of the distance she would need to travel.

Following the stroke she had some weakness in her left leg which makes walking difficult. She also finds she tires easily. At the time she was not offered any physiotherapy which she was a bit frustrated about. She eventually found out about physiotherapy when attending an NHS osteopath for another condition and has been given some exercises. She is not sure if they are making much difference but keeps up with her practice. 

She is a very active volunteer for a number of local organisations including the church and has been very motivated to recover and keep up her activities. Her friends at the church have been a great support.
 

Don't worry and try and carry on as normal as possible and think positively.

[Laughter] Tell them not to worry [laughter]. Yeah. Try and carry, carry on as, as normal as possible. I think this is what you've got to do. You've got to have a bit of, a bit of strong willpower and not sort of just sit down and mope about it. You've got to carry on with life as normal as you, you're permitted to do, as normal as possible and think positively, which I do. I do [laughter]. 

Her GP apologised that he had not picked up that her balance problems were the start of her stroke.

It was last June. I hadn't been feeling very well and I felt my balance was a bit stupid, I felt almost as if I'd been drunk walking sometimes [laughter]. Anyhow, I went up, I went to see my doctor and he did all the tests, you know, blood pressure, etc, etc. He said, 'No, you are fine' you know, 'Go ahead, you're absolutely fine' and I think he thought I was just worrying about nothing you see.

As I say, I hadn't been , I hadn't been feeling well , when I eventually went back up to my GP he said, 'I'm terribly sorry, I didn't catch, I didn't, I didn't spot it' and he said, 'Sometimes you don't, you know, it's not, you can't sort of diagnose it' but I think he was quite, he felt quite guilty because [laughter], you know, that same evening, after he'd seen me in the afternoon , but I wouldn't have anything against him, you know , it's just one of those unfortunate things I think. And if he had spotted it, he couldn't have done anything about it. It was going to happen and it happened [laughter].

Lives alone but feels her friends have been very supportive and have given her lifts everywhere.

You said that you sort of suspected it might be a stroke. What made you '?

I did because of my balance and that, you know, and especially when I collapsed and my left leg wouldn't work properly, I immediately thought, 'Oh a stroke' and I said to the person who came on the Monday when she told me, I said, 'Well'' she said, 'Is that what you thought it was?', I said, 'Yes. Yes. That's what I thought it was.'

So when they actually confirmed it, how did you feel?

Well, I suppose I was a bit nervous and apprehensive but I always think what will be, will be, you know, and I must, I must admit the church family, they're such a terrific support to me, they really have been. I don't know what I should have done without them, you know, living on my own, being on my own, but in fact, I've got to start walking a bit now, I'm taking lifts everywhere. This won't do, you know, I must get some exercise, which I am doing. I think, I do think very positively and I try, I try really hard because, you know, a lot of people say, 'You've done very well', you know, I really do try, you know. I don't just sit down and mope about it, I really try. I think, you know, I think it's obvious, to be, to be truthful, in the back of your mind, you know, you've had one stroke, I know you may not get another but on the other hand, you sort of, it's in the back of your mind that you may, which is, I think it's natural, to be quite honest.