55-year-old Pauline Price was working on the COVID ward at Sunderland Royal Hospital when she noticed she was feeling unwell.
Following the correct protocol, she quickly got tested and found out she had contracted the virus, resulting in her taking three weeks off work and losing her sense of smell and taste.
In the midst of the pandemic, Pauline returned to work, stepping up to help her fellow NHS workers who were already stressed and tired because of the huge workload necessitated by the pandemic.
After returning, her condition did not improve. She continued to get severe headaches and on one specific day began to feel very nauseous.
She attempted to grip her phone and noticed her right arm wasn’t working and then subsequently collapsed.
Luckily a friend found her and after she was admitted to hospital, Pauline found out she had a blood clot in the back of her brain which had led to a stroke.
“I was absolutely devastated,” Pauline said. “I was really scared because I live on my own.
“Never in my life was I expecting this, I was really numb and I just could not believe it as I was only 54 and healthy.
“Now I forget things as the stroke has left me with memory problems and I’m on blood thinners for the rest of my life.
“After it I just couldn’t get up, I was exhausted and I felt like an 80 year old.”
Furthermore she had to learn to walk again and still suffers from severe fatigue.
Doctors told her that they could not conclusively say that her stroke was linked to her contracting COVID-19.
However, having seen much of the news recently about the connection between the conditions, Pauline was convinced.
Although most of her mobility has now been restored, she said the physical effects of the stroke were only half of the problem.
She spoke about the lack of support she received after she was discharged from hospital.
“People similar to me are just getting left by themselves, they are suffering in silence,” she says.
“The doctors didn’t really say anything to me, I’ve just been left to get on with it.
“When I came out of hospital after two and a half weeks they said they would have appointments ready for me, but it was only two phone appointments and that was it.”
Pauline thinks it is crucial awareness of the potential links are highlighted, saying that research is vital for doing this.
The Stroke Association is one organisation that is doing this, having recently launched its second study looking at the long term effects on patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19 and later suffer a stroke.
This comes after the group’s initial study which was the world’s largest when it came to looking at this connection.
Pauline was also full of praise for this charity, saying the help she had received from them has been ‘absolutely marvellous.’
Other organisations have also been looking into this link with studies from America already proving that stroke is a risk factor for COVID-19.
The virus has also been linked to other neurological conditions such as dementia and depression according to scientists from the University of Oxford.
“Research has to be highlighted more,” Pauline said. “People need to know that charities like the Stroke Association need money for research. Everyone knows someone that’s affected by stroke.”
