The Recovery

How I Recovered

I was 37 years old at the time and happy; I was visiting my parent in Lagos over the weekend and my elder brother also came around with his children. At about noon, I was playing with my nieces and their dad when suddenly, my brother noticed that my voice was no longer audible while I thought I was still speaking clearly and he raised the alarm. I was asked me to take some water which I did, and after some time I felt better. I did not know what was happening to me, neither did have an idea what was coming next but that was the beginning of the?

I had planned to return to my own house which was in another state the next day, a Monday. I woke up the next morning and I discovered that I had lost my voice and completely this time. Not knowing what to do, I tried standing from the low bed I slept on, and noticed that my right hand was not functioning properly. I could still walk, but with little pain in my right leg and the right side of the body had completely been knocked out and was already malfunctioning. I managed to get myself to my sister's room and tried to explain to her but no meaningful word was coming out my mouth but somehow, I managed to gesticulate the situation and she immediately reached out and took me to a family friend and pharmacist who immediately took us to his office in his car and administered some first aid treatment. All I could do was cry as he suggested that I should be taken to the hospital immediately because he was suspecting it might be a stroke.

Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to hear the part where he said it might be a stroke but I heard him and practically dived into another bout of crying. It was impossible to travel in my condition so my travelling was canceled and the next day, I was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja Lagos, Nigeria and after initial diagnosis, the suspicion was confirmed and I was immediately moved into the emergency unit where treatment commenced immediately. More scans and test to ascertain the extent of the stroke, and confirm the right treatments or options, and I ended up spending weeks in intensive care at the emergency ward and on the danger list. I was removed from the danger after two weeks and moved to the general ward. After another week and some days later, I was discharged and registered as an outdoor patient for follow up treatments, scans and tests to ensure I returned to full health.

What Is a Stroke?

When the brain tissue does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, it can result in a stroke. A stroke occurs as a result of diminished or interrupted blood supply to the brain. Brain cells soon start to die if they are not given enough nourishment and oxygen. Early detection and prompt action can reduce associated risk and damage to the brain. Depending on the area of the brain that is affected, stroke survivors usually have weakness on one or both sides of the body, causing trouble with movement, thinking, or speaking.

What Causes a Stroke?

1. Ischemic strokes – which are the most common type of stroke caused by inadequate blood supply to the brain tissues. This type of stroke happens when blood vessels become too small or are blocked by clots, making it difficult for blood to flow through them. Blood cells in the part of the brain affected by an ischemic stroke start to die because of a lack of oxygen. Transient ischemic attacks, which are comparable to ischemic strokes but less severe and unrelated to permanent damage, are referred to as "ministrokes”.

2. Hemorrhagic stroke – which are the severe types of strokes happens when a blood vessel ruptures and spills blood into the brain, harming it. Numerous disorders alter the blood vessels and can lead to hemorrhagic strokes.

Cause of Stroke in My Case.

After many tests, scans and diagnosis, it was discovered that my ischemic stroke was caused by high cholesterol. I was shocked because at that time I was frail, weighing only about 44kg, a low BMI for my height of 5 feet 3 inches indicating that I was grossly underweight. The doctor explained that cholesterol level not about weight, but that the major contributors are the content of my meals and my lifestyle.

My Journey to Recovery from Stroke.

Immediately I was discharged, I was referred to a dietitian and a physiologist. I booked appointments with both physicians and started implementing their recommendations immediately. A huge change in my diet, followed by series of therapy sessions. About a month later, I started talking again with a broken speech pattern and in another week, I regained the use of my right hand. Over the space of a year, I could write and talk again without my voice breaking and today, almost years after the incident, can I say I have fully recovered.

The right side of my body is still not as strong as the left side. I still feel pains on the right side from time to time, and hormonal changes affect, malaria; headache etc. always begins from the right side of my body. I am still an outdoor patient at the general hospital. My doctors have continued and will continue to monitor my health to ensure that there won't be a re-occurrence of an episode of stroke.

I never new there more

My whole system almost shut down it is true that we are what we eat, it took me this experience to understand that. My whole body was gradually shutting down, pharmaceutical drugs could only do little but it help stabilized me. I took myself into serious reading and research, i knew to survive requires serious effort. The first thing i did was to go To God in prayer so that i will know the next decision to make. God answered me. I discovered some site meet lot of people online that share there experience with me, I was able to come to a conclusion and I recovered gradually. This were my situations and how I recovered.