‘I’m lucky, I didn’t think I could have a stroke at 23’
AMY HAS SHOCK DIAGNOSIS AFTER ‘DIZZY SPELL’
A YOUNG civil engineer was stunned when she discovered a ‘dizzy spell’ and headaches in college meant that she had actually suffered a stroke.
Amy McSweeney was just 23 years old when she had a stroke, which medics say was caused by a combination of an undiagnosed autoimmune condition and two undetected holes in her heart.
The now 25 year old, who is on blood thinners for life, is urging anyone who feels unwell to see a GP, no matter what age they are.
“Medics told me that the test showed I had either a bleed on the brain, a tumour or a stroke but I was very young for a stroke.
“I was admitted to hospital on a Friday and a few days later I was told I had suffered a stroke. I just couldn’t believe it.
“I was only 23 years old. You often hear strokes affecting people much older.
“More tests determined that I was born with two holes in my heart and an autoimmune disease called antiphospholipid syndrome .
“It was a perfect storm.
“The autoimmune disease creates blood clots and my heart couldn’t stop them.
“I had also been on the contraceptive pill for seven years, which adds to the risks of clots and I had experienced them during my monthly menstrual cycle.
“It took months to diagnose the autoimmune disease because I had to have a number of blood tests carried out at intervals. “
“I always had a really high heart rate but I just thought that was normal in some people, I never assumed anything else could be wrong.
“I had heart surgery in that September in Dublin’s Mater Hospital to close the holes in my heart as well. “Thankfully I survived it all. The stroke affected the part of my brain that controls balance and vision and nausea so there is some damage there..
“I still can get a little unstable at times but I’m on medication and blood thinners to help.
“I have siblings but medics say both conditions that I have aren’t generic so they don’t have to be tested for them.
“Unfortunately it all means that I’ll have trouble having children in the future but we will deal with that down the line.
“I’m very lucky that I’m able to continue to work as a civil engineer full-time,” added Amy who recently graduated from college in level eight Architectural Technology.
Work
“I’m the only female engineer in the company I work for and in fairness, they made sure I was OK and passed all the tests and the medication I’m on means that I won’t be going around falling into poles,” she laughed.
“Everyone on site looks after me and treats me like an equal so I love working as a site engineer.
“I’m lucky. I didn’t think I could have a stroke at 23 years old and I put off going to the GP for a week after it.
“Not everyone will be that lucky so I’d urge everyone if they feel unwell
at all to get checked out.”