My Story...

Hi my name is Julie and this is my story.

On June 9th 2000, I gave birth to my fourth child a lovely little boy named Julian on the Friday and I was well and healthy.

On the Tuesday morning I was to be discharged, but I was feeling a bit ill as I had produced a migraine and it had caused me much pain, so I had some pain killers, and took my baby home to meet the rest of his family.

All was great until Thursday, when I returned back to the hospital, with another migraine they put me onto a drip, and all came good.

I went home and had something to eat, went to bed and was awoken by my baby crying as I tried to get up to pick my new born son up I could not move, all I remember was my mum asking me what was wrong. I could not answer her, then all I remember is the ambulance officers talking to me but I was unable to respond.

I was taken to the hospital by ambulance along with my week old baby who was being breast-fed. I had a cat scan at the hospital which revealed that I had a stroke caused by a blot clot on the right side of my brain. I was paralysed on my left side. I could not walk had trouble talking and could not pick up my newborn son. My son and myself were sent to Townsville where I could get treatment, he was taken off the breast as the drugs would have effected him otherwise. This was on the Friday the 16th of June which just happened to be my 29th birthday.

So I will never forget it, I was treated for the clot and had extensive physio, had a bad infection from the catheter they had put in and then I got mastitis from not feeding my son. I was having injections in my legs to dissolve the clot, and I was having blood taken every 6 hours from my feet as the veins in my arms had collapsed.

It was a struggle for me, I had to learn how to dress my self and how to bath my baby all over again, I had to deal with the mood swings and all I wanted to do was to look after my kids.

So everything sorted itself out I carried on with my life, I did start to drink a bit but I guess that was my way out, vowing from week to week that I would stop drinking but I guess I enjoyed it. Then on the 14th of May 2003, I drove my kids to school and came home where my defacto partner was. I had taken a seat outside and I remember telling my youngest son to get dad, I just didn't feel right and when he came to me I met him at the door and just fell into his arms and I apparently had a seizure.

I was admitted to hospital for 1 week ago as they could do tests I had a lumbar puncture, something I would not wish on my worst enemy, they tested it and I had an EEG and it showed that I had epilepsy. I became very scared and I did not want to leave the hospital, it was like I was in a nightmare.

I was released from hospital and went home. I was very nervous, as I could not remember anything.

I was home 3 days and I had another seizure, so I went to the hospital again by ambulance, in casualty I was feeling very ill did not recognise anyone. They gave me an injection to stop the nausea, and I had another seizure. My medication was not at the right levels.

So it was all OK but my partner then left me without any reason why, so that was another blow.

It is April 2005 and in May I will have been seizure free for 2 years, touchwood. Hopefully I will get my licence back too!

So that is my story. Everyday is a struggle, people just don't realise how hard it is to keep 4 children under control and everything running when you have a brain injury.

But then if it wasn't for my kids I would have given up, they are my world, and I love them for that.

Thank you Julie