BUSY mum-of-two Jennifer Terrey was enjoying a relaxing day playing her children at home, when she began to feel dizzy and faint.
With no reason to suspect any major health problems, she put her symptoms down to a drop in blood pressure from sitting on the floor.
But she was wrong – when she went upstairs to fetch nappies, she fell, and then found her right hand wouldn’t grip anything.
Over the next few hours, her condition deteriorated, and when the emergency services arrived, she was told she’d had a stroke.
Seven years on, aged 37, she still has symptoms.
“I was a busy mum of two and I had just gone back to work after being on maternity leave,” said Jennifer.
“I’d been sitting on the floor and thought my blood pressure had dropped because of the position I was in.
“Then I fell when I went upstairs and was confused why I’d fallen – I thought I was gone for a few minutes but my eldest son said I’d been upstairs a while.”
It was at this point that a friend arrived, realised something was wrong and called 999.
The first responder decided Jennifer had had a mini-stroke and contacted her GP’s surgery to get a referral to an outpatient clinic.
But after he left she experienced more symptoms.
“I was sitting on the sofa and felt very tired then I started to get zig-zags appearing in my eyes,” she said.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”How to check your pulse, for risk of stroke” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6363234749112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“I told my husband this and he said I did not look well so called another ambulance. This time paramedics arrived.
“They were asking me questions and I could not answer, one of which was my past medical history.
“I went completely blank so I tried to get my medical ID up on my phone but could not figure out how to do it, although I had just done it and taught my in-laws how to do it on their phone.”
The paramedics decided Jennifer needed to go to the hospital. During the journey, her condition worsened and the sirens were turned on.
“I remember commenting to my husband in the ambulance that someone must have been very poorly as I heard sirens,” she said.
“He replied to me that I was the poorly one – this is something we giggle about due to how blasé I was, but I think this is because of the area the stroke affected.
[quote credit=”Jennifer Terrey”]I remember asking my husband when I will next find something funny again as I felt ‘emotionally numb’ post-stroke[/quote]“When I arrived at the hospital, I felt very nauseous and my speech had started to be affected again and while trying to talk, the words were not coming out.
“I remember trying to ask if I could go to work the next day but all that was coming out was ‘work, work, work’.”
Jennifer, from Eastleigh, Hampshire had an MRI and was told she’d had a stroke that affected her left frontal lobe.
“All I could reply to her after the news was ‘ok’,” she recalled.
“I also remember she asked if we had any questions, but I felt completely blank and said no.
“I think this was a mixture of shock and stroke symptoms. I was then transferred to their stroke unit to be cared for.”
She had a series of tests and then began speech and language therapy, but was able to go home after a couple of days.
Seven years on
Nearly seven years on Jennifer still has some symptoms, which are frustrating but manageable.
She said: “I am now much more self-aware and ensure that I do not push myself too hard to relieve the symptoms I get if I do push myself too much.
“I call this the ‘new me’.
“I was initially unaware of the seriousness of the stroke but left frontal lobe damage causes issues with movement, language, decision making, emotional regulation, and personality.
“It took a while to sink in what had happened, realise the seriousness, and deal with the trauma of it.
“I remember asking my husband when I will next find something funny again as I felt ‘emotionally numb’ post-stroke.”
Jennifer said she had excellent care and that her colleagues were amazing.
“Even nearly seven years later, they are so kind and caring,” she said.
She’s also hugely grateful to her family, including her parents and in-laws, and friends.
Jennifer had been planning to do a nursing degree before the stroke in 2018, but she had to put this on hold while she recovered.
In March 2021, she was fit enough to start a degree apprenticeship with BPP University, offered in partnership with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
“I always wanted to be a nurse from a young age,” she explained.
“My grandma had a stroke when I was 12 and I was able to watch the nurses give care to her and it was something I admired.”
Jennifer also wants to raise awareness of the signs of a stroke and to encourage others to take on apprenticeships later in life.
“I want everyone to know that a stroke can happen to anyone, so be aware of the signs,” she said.
“Although I feel incredibly lucky that I have managed the recovery that I have, this experience has been one of the hardest challenges that I have faced. It made me more determined to achieve my degree.
“When I had the stroke, there was so much guilt. I felt guilty that I had the stroke and couldn’t be the mum I wanted to be due to how tired I was. I felt guilty that I was not at work and sometimes felt useless.
“However, I have come ‘out of the other side’ proud of what I have achieved and thankful that I have been able to achieve these.
“Doing an apprenticeship opens so many doors, and I’d encourage anyone at any age or level who may be considering one to just take the plunge. You might just end up surprising yourself!”
For more information on nursing apprenticeships, visit www.bpp.com.