Interview 31

Age at interview: 59

Brief Outline: This man had two TIAs (aged 56) and a stroke (aged 57) due to clots. The stroke caused temporary paralysis on his left. Medication' perindopril, bendroflumethiazide (blood pressure), atorvastatin (cholesterol), aspirin, delayed release dipyridamole (antiplatelet).

Background: Is divorced with no children and he is a retired dustman/ retained fire-fighter. Ethnic background/nationality' White/Scottish.

More about me...

This man had two transient ischaemic attacks followed by a stroke at the age of 57. He is now 59. The strokes were due to blood clots preventing the flow of blood to the brain. Although he was fit from working as a dustman he had been a smoker and feels that he had drunk more alcohol than he should have. He did not give up smoking until after his stroke. Since the stroke he has also reduced his alcohol intake and now only drinks on special occasions and has improved his diet. He also takes perindopril and bendroflumethiazide to reduce his blood pressure, atorvastatin to reduce cholesterol and aspirin and (delayed release dipyridamole) to prevent further clots.

The stroke caused weakness in his left arm and leg. He has been able to walk and use his arm again and has been very motivated to get back to walking so that he can continue to look after his dog. Since he returned home from hospital he has set himself increasing walking goals. Having the company of his dog and the support of family has been very important to him as he lives alone.

Had been a heavy drinker and a smoker and thinks that this caused his stroke.

Thinking about the cause of your stroke, what do you think was the cause of your stroke?

Well, I personally I think I was, because I used to be an awful drinker and I think drink and smoking was the main cause. 

And how do you feel about that now? You know, now it's all happened?

Well, I don't drink now except maybe every 3 months, 2 or 3 months I'll maybe have a bottle of red wine. And use the whole lot that, that night, drink the bottle and finish it that night, and that's it. I'll not touch it again for about another 3 months. And the smoking, I don't smoke at all now. And yet I was smoking 60 to 80 a day before I took this stroke. 

His brother told him that he should have phoned the doctor as soon as he felt unwell because more...

Well, I woke up about 3 o'clock in the morning to go to the toilet, which is just through the door up the stairs and I felt' dizzy, giddy and I wondered what was wrong' then I sort of, sort of looked about me and realised there was something wrong. And I went, 'Right, the best thing I can do is get and lie down' so I just went back to my bed and apparently that's the worst thing you could do because you're supposed to contact the doctor within 2 hours and they've got a better chance of managing to do some more for you that way.

And when you went into the hospital, or first your brother arrived?

Yeah.

Did he know what was happening?

Well, he'd an, he'd an idea I had a stroke, because that's what I said to my brother, that was at 9 o'clock in the morning and he gave me a row because of that. He said, 'You should have phoned the doctor within 2 hours'.

Set himself goals for walking the dog and gradually increased the distance. Having a dog has...

You talked earlier about sort of building up the distance that you took the dog for a walk. Can you tell me about that again?

Yeah. Well, to start with, I took him, well, from here to the bottom of the brae and back would be maybe about 100 yards and I was struggling with that. Then I just gradually increased it because I took him out down to the shop, along to the next road and back up that way. And I took him that way for about a week, then I took him the other way, the opposite way, when I went to the bottom, went down to the shop, and went the opposite way and I just gradually increased the, the distance I went with him until I'm, until I was going further, even further, just kept increasing the distance all the time and then the dog got kind of worse, so he's got as bad as I was now, so I've slowed down the walks. I'm still taking him plenty walks but just shorter ones. 

Do you think Hamish has been important in, in helping you recover?

Yeah. An awful lot.

What's important about having, having the dog?

The fact that I know he's got to get out and I don't let a dog out on its own because it, to me, it's not right to let a dog out on its own. If you've got a dog, you're, you're responsible for it, therefore you should care for it and that means taking it out and going out with it. Therefore, I mean, I've got to go out with him which has encouraged me to get up and go. Whereas if I didn't have him, I wouldn't go out near so much and I wouldn't go near so far.