And her premonition is correct, because after an initial introduction, the physiotherapist sends Zoë back to the doctor. “The physio knew it was something neurological and that he couldn’t help me.” Nevertheless, the GP sends Zoë to the physiotherapist again with the explanation that she has a hernia.
To research
After a three-month process, the physiotherapist asks how Zoë feels. When he finds out that she is not improving, he refers her to another GP within the same practice. Here she is finally taken seriously after months. “My leg still felt dull and there was not always feeling in it. I could walk. When I told the doctor that, he immediately knew that something was wrong. I was urgently referred to the hospital. That was a huge relief for me, because I was finally one step further.”
After meeting the neurologist, Zoë can immediately go to the hospital for an MRI scan, from which she receives the results two days later. She receives the nerve-wracking call when she is about to go to her internship. “They told me to rush to the hospital. I tried to avoid that at first, because I didn’t want to just leave my internship. But they soon indicated that it was important and that I really had to go to the hospital now. That made me panic. I immediately called my parents and left.”
Hilal (31) is learning to live with the consequences of a cerebral infarction: ‘They thought it was a migraine’ Also read
Salvation
During the tense ride to the hospital, all kinds of thoughts run through Zoë’s head. For example, she is convinced that she has a brain tumor because of her symptoms. That is not the case, says the neurologist in a conversation with Zoë. “They told me they had found three scars on my head, but without explanation. Then I really thought I had cancer, but later it turned out that I had had three cerebral infarctions.”
For Zoë, this conversation is the final straw. All the stress she has felt in recent months comes out at once. “I became furious with the neurologist and didn’t understand why she hadn’t said that right away. Now I had been panicking all this time.”
Treatments
Now that Zoë finally has clarity, she feels calmer. But this is short-lived, because her life is soon turned upside down by treatments and examinations. MRI scans, blood tests and heart monitors become a priority and her school life increasingly fades into the background. “I was also no longer able to go to my internship and I felt very bad about that.”
During this period, things are not going well for Zoë. Sometimes she goes into a scan crying. Furthermore, she feels a lot of fear and incomprehension for her situation. “Fortunately I was able to talk about it very well with my doctors. They held my hand when I found a scan scary. My life only consisted of hospital visits and I found that very difficult.”
Liona (24) suffered a cerebral infarction at the age of 23: ‘I thought I had a huge hangover’ Also read
Neurologist
Although Zoë enjoys talking to her doctors, she has a less good relationship with her neurologist. “She didn’t seem to understand me and was also quite mean. According to her, I had to look for a rehabilitation center myself and I had to pay for it myself. She also addressed me as ‘ma’am’ and ‘you’, which made the bond even more awkward and distant.”
Because Zoë does not feel comfortable with her neurologist, she is appointed a new one. “She did everything for me. I enjoyed talking to her and she found a rehabilitation center for me and registered me for it.”
Rehabilitate
Because Zoë has always exercised a lot, she experiences little difficulty during rehabilitation. What she does have difficulty with is the turn her life has suddenly taken. “When I started rehabilitation, I was not allowed to go to school and I could no longer play sports. I thought that was unfair, because I only recuperated twice a week. The other days I was at home. In the center I sat among people aged forty-five and eighty-five. That was a lonely period.”
And now?
Zoë has now completed her rehabilitation and is doing a lot better. This way she can go back to school and she has started her internship again. However, the thought of the past continues to haunt her mind and she keeps reminding herself of the fact that it could be over at any moment. “I could still have a cerebral infarction. I am always aware that it could suddenly be over. That’s why I think it’s important never to go to sleep with an argument and to end everything on a good note every day.”
Furthermore, the doctors still cannot clearly tell what the cause of her infarctions are. “The doctors blame everything. For example, they said that it could be due to the pill, but also due to my hormones or the migraines that I suffer from,” says Zoe. To gain more clarity, she will be further examined in a specialized hospital for young people with strokes.
Anne (26) had three strokes and Locked-in syndrome: ‘Busy about grieving who I was’ Also read
2023-12-19 15:57:58
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