Day one

This is my story about life after a stroke and how it occurred.
Before my stroke  I was a very active person. I played golf every weekend, I had a Jack Russell that kept me on my toes. I live on a small holding keeping chickens and rare breed sheep.
I trained as a joiner I have always worked in the joinery business. My other interests include Motor sports, Landrovers, DIY and mechanics.

On the 9th February 2013 my life changed completely.

It was a Saturday morning and as usual I had got up and fed the sheep, let the chickens out and was waiting for my wife Liz so we could go shopping, we always did the supermarket shop early to get it over and done with. Liz was moaning because she was tired after a busy week at work!  We set off with me driving and had got about half way to town when my hand suddenly ceased up and fell off the steering wheel, I thought this was very strange and Liz was telling me to pull over but I drove to the supermarket car park.  When we got there my arm had stiffened and I couldn't straighten my hand.

As it was a Saturday our doctors surgery wasn't open so Liz rang 111 to ask for advice. 

The 111 call was answered by an operator who insisted on asking all the questions on his computer screen, this went on for quite sometime so eventually Liz calmly but firmly told the operator that if he didn't either put her onto his supervisor or a nurse she was going to disconnect the call and dial 999. This did the trick and a nurse came on the phone, but she started going through the same questions!

Eventually she said she wanted me to go to the hospital and she could either send an ambulance or Liz could drive me to A&E.   Liz said she would drive - we had wasted enough time already.

I can't remember the journey to Darlington A&E but Liz tells me I was very aggressive and was shouting at her to use 6th gear (she has forgiven me) The last thing I can actually remember is walking through the doors of the hospital and after that I can't remember anything that happened for the next 4 weeks.

Liz's words:

When we arrived at A&E Chris was very quickly called into see an emergency doctor, he said he would go in alone thinking it would be fairly quick and we could get on with all the things we had planned to do that day.  Although a great deal had had happened it was still only 9.15am The car park ticket shows what time we had arrived at Darlington.

I sat in the waiting room for about 40 minutes and was getting rather worried, so decided to find someone to ask what was happening, as I stood up I saw Chris being wheeled past on a trolley, so I stopped the doctor and demanded to know what was going on!  They took both Chris and I back into a room and she told me they suspected Chris had had a stroke, she said she had just been putting a cannula in his arm when he collapsed, so they were taking him for a CT scan.  I went with the Chris and a porter to the CT scanner and was asked to wait outside the room, when they emerged it was obvious Chris had detoriated so the porter took him straight down to the emergency department and called for the Charge nurse.  I was told Chris had had a stroke and that it was an Intracranial Hemorrhage this meant he would be sent to an acute hospital very rapidly, there was then some discussion as to whether it would be the University Hospital at Durham or James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.

In the meantime they wanted to know from me what medication he was taking  (Chris had already had a TIA in December). I didn't know and hadn't a list of his medication - we had only been going shopping.  I was told to ring our doctors for the list - in shock by this time I rang the number for the surgery but it was a Saturday and transfers - yes you've guessed it to 111 - the questions started again! I said thanks but no thanks and disconnected!

By this time my brother Tony had arrived which was wonderful as we both needed his support.  Chris was still able to speak at this time and chatted to my brother. It was decided to transfer Chris to Durham and I went in the ambulance with him whilst my brother followed behind.  

Our son John met us at Durham and as Chris was put into a private room we were able to spend all day with him.  By this time his speech had detoriated, he had no movement in his right arm or right leg and was sleeping most of the time.  His blood pressure was sky high.

I returned to Darlington with Tony to pick up our car and go home to organise the sheep, chickens and poor dog who thought we were only going shopping.

John stayed with his Dad and said he was impressed as he had been able to eat his evening meal using left hand.