Three months ago, Local Land Services veterinarian Andrew Biddle was watching a home rugby match at Ross Street rugby field in Inverell when he had a stroke 'out of the blue'.
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"There was nothing that I saw as a warning or that subsequently I realised was a sign," Mr Biddle said.
"There was nothing going on that I ignored because I had a heart attack in my 40's and since then I've been reasonably conscious of my health."
Mr Biddle was coming out of the toilet at half time when he felt 'heavy' and had trouble walking, luckily for him an experienced nurse was in the crowd and immediately recognised the signs and called an ambulance.
"It wasn't a 'here have a glass of water and we'll see how you are in a little while' situation," Mr Biddle said.
"The nurse recognised the fact that my left leg and left arm weren't working very well and although I could speak, I had to really work hard to get the words right and get them out."
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Mr Biddle was taken straight to Armidale Hospital where he spent three days before being transferred to Newcastle for surgery. Getting back at work after only two months and having spent only two weeks in hospital was because someone recognised the signs of stroke and acted fast he said.
"As soon as I got to Armidale they did tests to see if it was a clot or a bleed and I was given the clot buster thrombolytic drug within four hours," Mr Biddle said.
"I got the right medication in the right period of time. It is better to go to hospital and be told you aren't having a stroke than not worry about it and miss the opportunity to act early to get the best outcome you can."
The Stroke Foundation wants at least one person in every household to know the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke and understand they need to call 000 at the first sign - no matter how long it lasts. Face - Check their face. Has their mouth drooped? Arms - Can they lift both arms? Speech - Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you? Time - Time is critical.
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Vanessa Arundale
Everyone has a story to tell and I like to help them do it.
Everyone has a story to tell and I like to help them do it.
