02/08/2023
Just to put everyone in the picture, I had just finished a contract on Monday afternoon in Exeter and walking across the car park to the van, my left arm suddenly went limp.
I never thought anything of it until I had the 65 mile drive to Bath and was convinced I had a trapped nerve in my shoulder.
Checked in at the hotel and realized I couldn't sign my name properly (it was like a childs scrawl)
As the evening went on I was really struggling to even lift a pint glass but when I did, was missing my mouth by a good few inches.
Went to my room at 10:30 but couldn't take my clothes off and my left leg and arm would not work.
Knowing what Trish went through, I thought the worst and told her I think I have had a stroke.
I thoughts the worst and called 999 straight away to be told an ambulance had already been called for me.
The 3 paramedics who attended were phenomenal. They stayed with me until I had scans and was under care.
The outcome is as follows:
I had a mini stroke at the end of the job in Exeter.
I had a full stroke in the hotel.
I already had a bad leg due to a previous injury and ended up with a clot and DVT in the leg.
I ended up with 2 clots in my brain which were quite deep in the brain thankfully as I have only lost the strength down my left hand side.
My speech, brain and senses are all still intact.
I would like to personally thank every person at Bath RUH who has been part of my journey and how efficient they have been in diagnosing what happened to me on a shoestring budget.
I would also like to thank Ashton and his 2 female colleagues who were the paramedics on call that evening.
Personally I would like to trace them and thank them. (Ashton used to work in London as a paramedic and they were on shift at 11pm on Monday 1st August)
The upshot of this is that I am back home and recuperating due to the fast actions of all involved including my wife.
If you think there is something strange and wrong going on in your body, don't hesitate to dial 999 and ask for help. We aren't invincible.
