Whilst out on a run on the 6th I suffered a brain aneurysm resulting in me having a stroke. I wont bore you with the details but a brain op and 3 coils being put into my brain I’m on the long road to recovery. Im now led in my hospital bed wondering how I’m going to get my life back. Has anyone been through anything similar ? I hope to be discharged tomorrow but will be off work for a few months and hope to be back in the saddle as soon as possible. Sny advice would be greatly appreciated.

First off that’s powerful mate, what caused it? 2 of my mates have had heart attacks at young ages and ride as hard as they did before. They both said the surgeons gave them the confidence NOT to do anything different , easier said than done I expect….I hope you get better soon mate and always try to think of the positives..

Friend of mine 34 suffered a stroke in December 2012. We started off with very gentle rides canal etc. And just gradually built the mileage back up.

All I can say is take your time ride when you feel like it and stop when you have had enough.

He still hasn’t (had own business) returned to work yet hopes to this year.

Keep positive and it will come.

Take care Rich 😀

A good friend of mine had a heart attack in November and then a stroke in the hospital in December. Aged 45. So I am really interested in others outcome. Such as timescale on recovery etc. He is now on Warfarin and has an ICD fitted. He is quite unwell, but focussing on riding again. We did a very gentle local flatish ride a couple of weeks ago, to get him on 2 wheels and shows how his strength has gone, sadly. I still hang in that we can do LeJog.

i wish you a speedy recovery sir.

I had a pulmonary embolism on Dec 17th. The pain is still too much for me to ride. The consultant I’ve spoken to is quite happy for me to get back to cycling once the warfarin has reduced the clot to a size where it’s not causing pain

I’m 38, completed the fod half marathon, all of the mudrunner races and the goshawlk challenge last year, so I keep myself fit. Somehow I burst a blood vessel on my brain, which trigger the stroke. I’m told I’m very lucky. The emergency response was very good, as was the diagnosis. They can only say it was genetics as it mostly happens to unfit women over 50 that smoke. I don’t smoke, drink, do drugs, keep fit and I eat healthy… go figure ! I hope to be able to get the wheels spinning on the tt within weeks, but to full fitness who knows ?

I’m not a doctor, but do have a friend who had two strokes in his early 30’s..
You’ve just got to build it up from zero, start with gentle walks, then work your way up.
Gentle bike ride round the park, then a few lanes..
The other option is a turbo trainer and a HRM, at least that way you can see what is going on…?
It’ll be a long road, but you’ll get there.
My mate is now in his late 40’s and does farm work/fabrication/other physical stuff for work.
Good luck.

Mrs INVG writes:
I deal with these things every day. First of all – you sound like you have done really well and I suspect you will eventually get back to doing your usual things BUT give yourself time to heal!! It can take 6 months to get over these things. You will feel really tired for much longer than you think. Your memory coordination balance and ability to deal with complex multitasking may well be affected so be careful on the roads to start with. Start very slowly and gently maybe on a bike in the gym. Most importantly ASK your neurosurgeon or your rehab doctor for advice. Everyone is different. All bleeds are slightly different. It is important you get the “OK” from your docs before doing anything too strenuous.

Keep the faith! I was in a bad place when I got diagnosed with a health issue and was told I could/would lose a lung. But kept positive as much as I could and luckily for me I kept it,realise now how much I would miss what I do now. Listen to your health professionals I did not and have set myself back a couple of months,all the best!

Rich

Best of luck with the recovery Mike. Don’t worry about rushing back to full fitness, you’ve got many years ahead to still mash it up. As Mrs INVG says, really take your time with recovery, you still have nigh on 20 years of quality biking left, 6 months is nothing in the grand scheme.

This may or may not all be relevant to you but there’s some good info here.

Keep at it!

Mat 🙂

I had a bleed that needed clipping a couple of weeks after a drunken football heading incident, luckily it has not been a problem since (1980) I do get very cold hands tho now esp LHS I think Mrs INVG sums it up perfectly, take your time, I was off work for 3 months and told not to drive in that time. Long Time back but I do remember being knackered most of the time. Take Care.
John g

I had a stroke when I was 14 due to a blood clot, the initial episode is a bit of a blur to tell you the truth.
I was very lucky they managed to clear it with drugs and went on to make a full recovery but was told afterwards I was very close to being wheeled into the operating theatre.

I was subsequently left with minor brain damage according to the MRI scanner but not that I would notice.
Count your blessings and take every day at a time as with every day that passes you will get better and it will be another day further in the past.

When it happened it was the worst pain I have ever suffered by a long way and I genuinely thought my number was up. But now I don’t even give it a thought (except when I get the occasional headache).

All my best wishes for a full and fast recovery,
I am sure you will get there.

I had a small stroke (luckily) about 5 years ago at 54,GP was happy for me to start riding again,but advised me to wear a HRM,and keep my pulse below 125 until I’d been riding 3 months.I used a n exercise bike for the first month to build upsome cardio fitness,and have had no probs since.Good luck and get well soon,you will ride again.

I did not have a stroke but I was quite seriously ill in August. When I started to recover I used to do 5-10mins on the rollers in the kitchen (at walking pace).

I slowly built it up over a period of weeks and eventually made it out for a short road ride.

I was shocked at how weak I had become and my legs had turned to matchsticks.

I am getting back to full fitness now though.

Don’t rush anything and listen to the docs.

Good luck with your recovery.

OP, I’m sorry to hear about your aneurysm. I had a subarachnoid haemorrhage mid-way through a ride on the Garburn Pass back in October, thankfully we were right on the road by Kentmere so getting back and into the superb care of the NHS was easy. I didn’t need coiling as it was non-aneurysmal, all things considered, I’m lucky and it was a “minor” event compared to yours by the sounds of it.

The main thing I experienced aftewards was getting tired really easily. Very strange for me as I’m a fairly fit & active sort. Listen to your body and don’t try to push things too soon. Plenty of rest. I had a few headaches during my recovery and I was hyper-sensitive to any pains or sensations. A few weeks after I was allowed back to work (6 weeks after discharge for me) I started cycling again, probably doing a bit too much TBH. I was off the bike for nearly 3months with my only exercise being gentle walking. As mentioned by others, it’s a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things.

I also found my headaches got worse if I wasn’t keeping hydrated so I have a bottle to hand all the time now. I also try to drink before and after rides just to keep topped up. Do what your consultants/OT’s say (I’m sure you would anyway) and stay positive. I used my down time to plan bike upgrades!! 😀

All the best with your recovery!

Hi, I’d actually forgot I’d posted here so thought I’d update. Not back to work yet but should be in a week or 2. Recovery has been hard at times, a lot to do with that there doesn’t seam to be anything visually wrong with me. But managed my first xc last saturday, just a local loop of 6.5 miles with my brother. I was loving it, and was truely blessed with some great weather. And did a bit of road yesterday 17.5 miles avoiding as many hills as I could. I’ve still got a long way to go but I’m getting there. I have some limitations, some conscious some sub-conscious, and some memory issues.
Thanks for all your kind words.
Mike.

Good news, glad you are getting better and
best wishes for your continued recovery.

Trooper trooper

Try posting your q on mtb. Review, they have a huge crowd of followers, maybe post on “rider down”

Cheers Jesper Welling

Well, it’s almost a year ago now. I’m back at work full time now. Found recovery hard at times, I’ve put on just over a stone, I’m slower than I used to be, stamina has taken a knock along with my fitness and endurance. I’m not as motivated as I used to be but hope that improves with the weather. I feel I’ve been very lucky and can thank my family, friends and my cycling club buddies (Bigfootmbc) for their support. My recovery is not quite over, but I’m confident I will make a full recovery. 🙂
All the best,
Mike.

That’s ace, all the best mate, and take care.