Stroke Survivor Urges Awareness of Uncommon Symptoms After Experiencing Unique Reading Difficulty
A 63-year-old stroke survivor is highlighting the importance of recognising less common signs of the condition, after his own experience with a stroke where his sole symptom was the sudden inability to read. Gordon Robb, from Scotland, experienced a bleed on his brain but initially hesitated to seek emergency medical attention. This hesitation stemmed from the fact that he wasn’t exhibiting the more widely recognised stroke symptoms such as facial drooping, arm weakness, or speech difficulties.
Instead, Robb found that everyday written words – from emails and text messages to the display screen on a cash point – appeared as if they were written in a foreign language. While he had scheduled an appointment with his General Practitioner (GP), a concerned cousin insisted he visit the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department. It was at A&E that he was diagnosed with a haemorrhagic stroke. Medical experts note that experiencing difficulty recognising written words as the sole symptom, without other accompanying signs, affects fewer than one per cent of stroke patients at the time of their event.
Now, Mr Robb, who previously held a vice-president role at a biotech company, is participating in a new clinical trial funded by the British Heart Foundation. This trial, led by academics at the University of Edinburgh, aims to prevent future strokes in individuals who have already experienced a haemorrhagic stroke.
Understanding the Aspiring Study
The research is investigating whether the drugs clopidogrel and aspirin, both known for their ability to reduce the risk of blood clotting, can effectively prevent subsequent strokes, heart attacks, and premature deaths in this specific patient group. Mr Robb, a keen cyclist and runner from Bonnyrigg in Midlothian, is currently taking clopidogrel as part of this trial.
He recounted his stroke experience in September last year, noting that while his symptoms have been improving, his reading speed is still slower than before, and he occasionally struggles to find the right word during conversations.
A Unique Stroke Experience
“I am incredibly lucky, and quite honestly felt like a fraud in the stroke ward because I was no different to how I am normally, except that I suddenly could not read words,” Mr Robb shared. He acknowledged his awareness of the classic stroke indicators like facial weakness, inability to raise arms, or speech issues, but emphasised that he experienced none of these.
“It just shows the importance of paying attention to unusual symptoms, even if they aren’t ones you have heard of before,” he urged. “If I hadn’t gone to the hospital, and quickly received treatment, I could have been walking around with a ticking time-bomb in my head.”
Recalling the onset of his symptoms, Mr Robb described being in his garden and going inside for a cup of tea. Upon checking his emails on his phone, he was met with text that was incomprehensible. “I could see them clearly, and see who they were from, but the words meant nothing to me,” he explained. Initially, he attributed this to tiredness from staying up late the previous night. The situation became more apparent that evening when friends were messaging him about the Ryder Cup, and he was unable to read their messages, leading him to decide to go to bed early.
The following day, after being unable to decipher the instructions on a cash machine, he decided it was time to see his GP. However, his cousin, who had tragically lost her husband to a sudden stroke just three weeks prior, drove directly to his home and insisted he be taken to A&E. It was at the hospital that he received his diagnosis of a haemorrhagic stroke.
The Role of Research in Stroke Prevention
While in hospital, Mr Robb volunteered for the new trial, which is being led by Professor Rustam Al-Shahi Salman at the University of Edinburgh.
Professor Salman commented on the challenges in overcoming initial fears regarding the use of antiplatelet drugs after a haemorrhagic stroke. “It has been hard to overcome the instinctive fear that if people have had a haemorrhagic stroke, taking aspirin or a drug like it might cause more bleeding,” he stated. “So we were very relieved when our research showed such drugs to be safe after a haemorrhagic stroke.”
He further elaborated on the Aspiring study’s objectives: “The Aspiring study will gather further evidence to establish if aspirin and clopidogrel can help lower the risk of future strokes and heart attacks, and potentially save the lives of people like Gordon who have had a haemorrhagic stroke.” Professor Salman believes there is significant work still to be done to support individuals whose lives have been profoundly impacted by strokes and who may be anxious about their future.
Mr Robb expressed his feelings about participating in the trial: “Being involved in this trial provides some reassurance, that this drug may reduce my risk of another stroke. But it is also great to know that being involved could help improve treatment for people like me in the future, and relieve the pressure on the health system.” He feels fortunate to have avoided more severe long-term effects and to have had the opportunity to contribute to improving treatments.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, the British Heart Foundation’s clinical director, reinforced the message about recognising stroke symptoms. “Facial weakness, arm or leg weakness and speech problems are well-known signs you or your loved one may be having a stroke, but there are some lesser-known symptoms like being unable to recognise the written word,” she said.
She stressed the urgency of seeking medical help for any symptom that feels wrong, regardless of how unusual it may seem. “If you have a symptom that you feel is not right, however strange or unusual, it is really important to seek help. Every minute matters if you may be having a stroke or other medical emergency.” Dr Babu-Narayan acknowledged the common fear of recurrent strokes among survivors and their potential disabling effects. “We know stroke survivors often fear having another stroke and how disabling this could be. That is why the BHF is funding clinical trials like Aspiring, which will test whether prescribing antiplatelet drugs could protect more people.”
