I suffered my stroke on the 25th January 2018 at about 10pm. There are two types of stroke, Ischemic and Hemorrhagic. Mine was a Ischemic stroke and the night of my stroke ended like this. I had earlier that night finished a HIIT class (High Intensity Interval Training) which involves alternating short periods of intense or explosive anaerobic exercise with brief recovery periods until the point of exhaustion. Well I can tell you, at the end of the class and for the rest of the evening I was very very exhausted.
During my three nights in hospital and over the subsequent weeks, months and years I had numerous visits to my local hospitals and GP surgery. I also had visits from the local stroke team who came to check on my well being. I had an NHS physio come visit me, I was put in contact with the Stroke Association and the Different Strokes Charity. I had pamphlets and leaflets galore to read and forms to fill in.
I was grateful for all the initial fuss which was was designed to check on my progress and my rehabilitation. But in truth, I didnt really need it, I am sure that there were far more deserving stroke survivors than me. My hospital visits though were different. These were designed to help determine the cause of my stroke.
Pretty soon after my stroke, although Im not quite sure when, I remember Dr. Harkness saying to me that there is a possibility that my stroke could have been exercise induced. This put the fear of good into me. But this theory needed testing, so I was advised to take the Bruce Protocol Test.
The Bruce protocol is a standardized diagnostic test used in the evaluation of cardiac function and physical fitness. It was developed by American cardiologist Robert A. Bruce. I remember the test pretty well. It was my favourite test by far. I was stripped to the waist, wearing only pair of shorts and my trusty Asics running shoes. My chest was wired up to a bunch of electrodes and maybe a blood pressure monitor on my arm, i dont quite recall exactly. I also have a memory of something in my mouth, monitoring my breathing. But again, Im not totally sure. In my head I looked like Ivan Drago from Rocky IV. I was put on the treadmill and the speed was slowly increased by the medical staff in attendance. Maybe even the gradient, but I cannot be too sure. I was loving it and happy to be these best and fittest patient they have ever seen. And I was pretty good, they told me I ran as far and as fast as they have ever seen. I could have done more, a lot more but I had this nagging fear in the back of my mind that my stroke was exercise induced and so, i decided to slow down and call it a day. I had done enough and provided enough data to help the doctors conclude that exercise was perhaps not directly the cause of my stroke.