Health & Lifestyle

I was 33 and woke up from a deep sleep with a horrific headache. I waited for it to pass… but what happened to my eyes the next day changed my life forever

Sarah Miles was 33-years-old and six months postpartum when she felt a headache come on in the middle of the night.

It was bad – it woke her up from a deep sleep and she felt like pins and needles were pressing into every inch of her skull.

The young mum-of-four eventually drifted off back to sleep – but she told FEMAIL she was terrified when she woke up a few hours later to find her peripheral vision was completely gone. 

‘I don’t usually get headaches, and if I do, I never take anything for them. I just wait for the storm to pass,’ she recalled. 

‘But this was different. It didn’t feel right, I was in a lot more pain than usual. A thousand needles were pricking all over my skull.’

Sarah admitted she never realised she may have been having a stroke. She originally refused to believe it when doctors confirmed her condition. 

Sarah Miles, 33, was six months postpartum when she felt a gnawing headache come on

Sarah Miles, 33, was six months postpartum when she felt a gnawing headache come on

The young mum-of-four was barely getting used to the Victoria COVID lockdowns when her health took a turn for the worse

The young mum-of-four was barely getting used to the Victoria COVID lockdowns when her health took a turn for the worse

‘My peripheral (vision) was empty. It was black – I couldn’t see anything. But I just brushed it off and thought it was because I was tired. 

‘I had a new baby, there were lots of crazy things going on at the time.

‘I rubbed my eyes because I thought they’d go back to normal – but I went to my husband when that didn’t happen. 

‘He was working from home and started looking things up on Google, which said I might be having a stroke. I remember laughing at that, despite everything,’ she said.

She had no other symptoms aside from the headache and the difficulties with her vision.

The doctor thought she might’ve had a migraine and referred her to an optometrist. 

‘He did all the usual tests on me, which seemed fine, but everything changed after the visual field test.

‘It’s not looking good,’ the doctor had told Sarah. ‘It’s likely that you’re having a stroke.’

She was shocked that her husband’s frantic Googling that she was having a stroke actually proved to be true.

Sarah was shocked that her husband's frantic Googling actually proved to be true: she had a blood clot that could've been fatal

Sarah was shocked that her husband’s frantic Googling actually proved to be true: she had a blood clot that could’ve been fatal

Sarah quickly arranged for her mum to look after her children and went to the hospital where she remained for four nights, during which doctors performed endless tests to investigate the cause of the clot.

On the last day, it was revealed that the clot formed in an artery at the back of her neck. It had travelled to her occipital lobe and caused loss of vision.

Sarah had dealt with high blood pressure for years at that point, a condition that exacerbated the clot.

‘I was grateful I didn’t need surgery,’ she said. ‘The doctors were confident the medicine would dissolve the clot … but those initial days were torture.

‘I had a six-month-old baby at home, and three other kids to worry about. My eldest was barely 11. It was terrifying! One minute I was fine, and the next I was holed up in the hospital getting and MRI and CT scan.

‘I couldn’t have visitors so I was all alone. Because my vision had disappeared, it was difficult for me to move about. I had to stay in bed the whole time, I was only allowed to get up and go to the toilet.’

While the mum-of-four had previously taken charge of most family events like birthdays and Christmas, she had to take a step back to avoid extra strain on her healing

While the mum-of-four had previously taken charge of most family events like birthdays and Christmas, she had to take a step back to avoid extra strain on her healing

Sarah went on, ‘I was only 33. I had young kids, I was a stay at home mum. What would happen to them? Moving forward, was I going to be in the picture?

‘Will I ever be able to drive again? Will I have my independence back?

‘I had so many questions and no answers. Nothing has ever been as heart wrenching and hopeless.’

Sarah’s only experience with strokes was that they left people paralysed and bedridden. She feared the same happening to her.

‘I was worried I wouldn’t be able to feed myself, that I wouldn’t be able to talk, that I’d keep having strokes until one of them killed me.’

She didn’t receive much reassurance from the medical team at that point, as no one wanted to provide her with false hope.

Extraordinary recovery 

When Sarah got home from the hospital, she put her recovery on hold and dove back into being a full-time mum.

‘There was so much to sort out – I had to figure out how to get my kids to school because I couldn’t drive, we were in the middle of the second Victorian lockdown, there was just so much going on with the little ones.

‘It’s difficult to put yourself first when you have four children relying on you. But I think I welcomed the work because I was still in denial.

‘I couldn’t believe that I was just discharged and I was at home – I was sure a doctor had missed something. It couldn’t just be life as normal once again, with the exception of a few pills to pop everyday.’

Sarah was on medication for a year, and went back to the hospital every four months for an MRI

Sarah was on medication for a year, and went back to the hospital every four months for an MRI

Every headache and eye twitch made her worry.

‘I was at risk of having another stroke because of my first one, so I was always on edge. I think I spent 12 months trying not to let it consume me. I was always worried.

‘But I tried to move on a bit after the first year, and tell myself what whatever happens, will happen. I need to live my life and cope with the loss.’

Sarah was on medication for a year, and went back to the hospital every four months for an MRI.

‘I never got all of my peripheral vision back,’ Sarah, now 37, shared. ‘The doctors told me that healing will happen between the first couple of weeks – and after that, things are more permanent.

‘I have a permanent blind spot on my right side which is a challenge to navigate.

‘Even going to the supermarket is exhausting. I can’t see, so people kept coming up behind me and startling me. I have to be extra mindful of running into people or tripping over, I have to turn my head around all the way to check for obstacles.

‘There are other lasting affects of the stroke – tiredness, brain fog, sensory overload. Loud noises and big crowds trigger me, as do bright lights.’

Sarah's children were a bright light among the darkness and helped with her recovery

Sarah’s children were a bright light among the darkness and helped with her recovery 

Sarah also suffers from cognitive fatigue due to the brain fog, and revealed that it takes a lot to remind herself that she wasn’t stupid for forgetting words and phrases.

‘I had lost myself in a way, and I had to relearn a lot of things. I just didn’t have the same capacity anymore as my brain was healing, which was difficult to come to terms with.’

While the mum-of-four had previously taken charge of most family events like birthdays and Christmas, she had to take a step back to avoid extra strain on her healing.

‘It really showed me who really cared about me and who just wanted me to be convenient.’

However, Sarah’s children were a bright light among the darkness.

‘My boys are very independent, we never bubble wrapped them while they were growing up. They knew what had happened to me, and tried their best to help while I was recovering.

‘They knew my medication times and would bring me my pills, they never made any trouble and always listened because they wanted to make it easier for me.

‘I am so grateful for my husband and children, they really helped me through such a difficult period of my life.’

Sarah now feels like she has a new lease on life

Sarah now feels like she has a new lease on life

Sarah now feels like she has a new lease on life.

She reevaluated everything in her life and strived to always put her best foot forward – beginning with seizing every opportunity that came her way.

Sarah always wanted to play football but could never make the time, until after she recovered from her stroke.

She stepped outside her comfort zone and joined a community team, going on to play several matches and winning an award for her effort.

‘I probably wouldn’t be as fit and healthy as I am now, I wouldn’t be playing football, if I hadn’t had a stroke at 33.

‘I look after myself so much more, and I certainly don’t brush anything off. If something doesn’t feel right, I’ll go and see about it straight away.’


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