Portrait: Terry
My name is Terry and in December of 2020 I had a stroke due to complications with COVID-19. It was diagnosed as an acute ischemic right middle cerebral artery stroke, and was described to me as “you had 5 mini-strokes at one time.”
Three days prior, I was in the same hospital with the alpha variant of COVID-19. Fortunately for me, my symptoms were mild and my lung X-ray was clear, so I was sent home. I was walking my dog when my vision went crossed out of nowhere. I made it home and got a ride to the hospital. My vision was better by the time I got to the ER waiting room. I felt normal, then the stroke hit and I felt like I was “fading.”
Getting a diagnosis and early recovery
A helpful stranger also waiting in the ER ran to get help after I asked. After the nurse came and was wheeling me to the front to check my vitals, I noticed that I couldn’t open my left hand, and the left side of my mouth felt weak. I told the nurse that I thought I had a stroke. They responded that they’ll check my vitals and see. I repeatedly told both nurses that I had a stroke, but they said “your vitals look good” and parked me in the wheelchair back in the COVID-19 section.
I sat there parked in the wheelchair for an hour and a half. After being taken back, the first ER nurse and doctor still didn’t think I’d had a stroke. Then a neurologist came in, asked me a few questions, felt my hand, and told me “You definitely had a stroke.”
I tell this to share the lesson I learned, to always advocate for yourself. You know your body. You know how you feel. Even trained people can make a mistake.
I was running 5k every few days, in the gym almost every day. I was very healthy. Plus, this was during the time of the Alpha variant of COVID-19, and they were busy trying to save lives, much less understand just exactly what it could do to the body, like just how much it can thicken your blood and what problems that can cause.
I spent five days in the hospital, including the ICU and MICU, and got out of the hospital a couple of days before Christmas. My initial recovery seemed quick. By the time I got out of the hospital, I could speak and walk decently enough. It took many more weeks for me to gain decent fine motor skills in my left hand, to be able to zip up my hoodie or open something like a candy wrapper. I have been very blessed to have the support of my family, including my mom and my brothers, which includes my twin brother with whom I moved in with. I have worked closely with neurologists, a cardiologist, and my general physician to make sure I am following the best path to maximize my recovery.
Adjusting to life after stroke
Following the stroke, some of the most difficult symptoms have been what feels like inexplicable fatigue, a feeling of being mentally overwhelmed with what used to be simple things and fear of having another stroke, as my stroke was not immediately identified despite being in the hospital at the time. There was an obvious difference in how my left and right eyes handled stimulation. I would often feel over-stimulated by this discrepancy, and for a month or so I wore an eye patch on my non-affected eye in order to try and regulate the stimulation. Mental processing also became over-stimulated, causing me to need to lie down and be in a dark and quiet space to calm down.
Fitness has now become a major hobby of mine. I am still working on getting that 5k run in, but currently work out nearly every day, including work on stabilization. Online stroke support groups have been very helpful, helping me feel less alone while also being very humbling in seeing the strength others have to overcome much tougher experiences.
With time and therapy, I got past my goal of “getting back to being who I was,” and now instead focus on the new person I am and will continue to become.
My advice to other survivors
My advice includes reaching out to others. Reach out for help, mentally and physically. I didn’t even understand how I was feeling until I found a counselor with whom to talk through my thoughts. Keep pushing forward. Progress sometimes feels like a jump, a run, a walk, a crawl, or like clawing my way forward. Just when I feel that I have reached my ceiling, I find myself realizing a small yet significant physical feat, or I find myself able to remember something or have some other mental process click like it used to. Always remember that you are loved and you are not alone. NEVER GIVE UP.