Belfast woman thought her stroke symptoms were the menopause

It started in January 2022, when Maria’s marathon training was well under way.

But she was falling regularly and her knees were cut and bruised.

Everything was pointing towards reaching “that stage in life” but the dizziness, involuntary eye movements – especially at the computer screen – and problems with balance were symptoms she knew were not normal.

“There were no particular red flags as I was running regularly, I wasn’t carrying any extra weight,” she said.

“I ate healthily but I knew something was wrong, and I contacted my GP.”

Maria said they discussed menopause and starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) but that treatment was delayed until other tests, including for vertigo, could be carried out.

Maria said in hindsight she was relieved HRT was not prescribed, as it may not have helped her condition.

Maria’s condition escalated 12 months later when she blacked out on holiday.

She said concern grew when she realised her symptoms were not unlike those experienced by her late father before he died from a brain tumour.

While an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan ruled out the possibility that Maria had a brain tumour, a neurologist diagnosed her as having suffered a small cerebellar stroke.

“Looking back over the course of 12 months there were lots of tiny incidents. The most significant was returning from a Bruce Springsteen concert and for a short time I had a sensation on one side of my face”, Maria recalled.

“It didn’t last and I didn’t do anything about it – I should have.”