Meet Tamsin, who answers your calls on StrokeLine 1800 787 653. StrokeLine is the National Stroke Foundation’s phone support for stroke survivors, carers and health Professionals.

How long have you been on StrokeLine?
For aprox 8 months.

What is your professional background?
I have a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Diploma in Neurosciences.  I have a variety of experience working in acute hospitals, rehabilitation, regional and metropolitan areas - including stroke care units.

What sorts of questions do you get on StrokeLine?
We get a variety of questions around prevention of stroke, stroke signs and symptoms, treatment of stroke, rehabilitation and recovery, services and supports.

Around 30 per cent of calls relate to prevention – questions about blood pressure, risk factors for stroke, signs of stroke, such as:
“‘do you have to have all the FAST signs of stroke for it to be a stroke?”.

Aprox 20-30 per cent of calls relate to treatment when in hospital:
“I attended Emergency and they sent me home once my symptoms of a transient ischaemic attack had resolved, they gave me a letter for my GP to get an Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) and carotid Doppler (ultrasound to test blood flow of arteries in the neck) – how urgent is it that I have these tests?”
“we are having a family meeting on Friday to talk about Dad’s discharge plan, what will be discussed?”

Aprox 50-60 of calls relate to recovery, such as:
“is there a stroke support group near me?”
“how do I find a physiotherapist?”
“my mum isn’t coping and dad is crying all the time. What can I do?”

How does it feel when you help people through StrokeLine?
It is very rewarding to try and help people navigate the medical and health system which can be very overwhelming.

Most memorable moment?
Tough question!  There are so many calls each day.  I do like it when people call back to thank me!  There are many sad and happy calls I find it hard to pick one.

When 50 year old Debi suffered her first “mini-stroke” in June 2010 she wasn’t sure just what was going on.

“I was driving the car when the left side of my body felt very tingly - very heavy and tired,” she says. “I thought I’d pinched a nerve… the movement was there, but it felt really dull and heavy.”

Debi was unsure what to do. “I wasn’t in any pain but I wasn’t feeling at all right.” What had started as a purely physical sensation became all-encompassing. Debi recalls an “out-ofbody” type experience and pulled over so her partner could drive. “That’s when the tremors in my hand started,” Debi says. “And I felt that my left hand and my left foot were swollen—I didn’t know what was going on.”

Looking back, she says, all the signs were there. Seeing a friend later that afternoon Debi remembers listening to her friend speaking but being unable to take in the words.The whole event lasted about two and a half hours and afterwards, Debi says she felt overwhelmed with tiredness.

A scan showed Debi had suffered a bleed in the brain which led to a transient ischaemic attack, or TIA. A TIA is sometimes called a “mini-stroke” and is often a warning that stroke may occur. The signs are the same as those of a stroke but they do not last as long.

While Debi has made immediate changes to her lifestyle to reduce her chances of a recurrence of a TIA or of a stroke, the emotional aspects of her experience have been more difficult to come to terms with. “I was devastated, suffered depression and I got angry and frustrated… all of a sudden I felt like everything had changed.”

A nurse told Debi about the National Stroke Foundation and StrokeLine—a free service that provides information and advice on stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, recovery and life after stroke.

The service is available to all callers who are affected by stroke and also provides information to health professionals. Through StrokeLine, Debi was able to get some support for the way she felt and she was also referred to the phone peer program where she linked up via telephone with another survivor.

“I felt like I had someone to help me put things in perspective again,” Debi says. “I can ring up when things get a bit too much and it really helps me stay focused.”

If you have a stroke story you would like to share please contact Ebru at:

eyaman@strokefoundation.com.au or call: 03 9670 1000

Did you know about this fantastic support service? It is free and confidential and you will talk with a qualified health professional.