Monty Don calls on gardeners to stop using peat
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Across the national lockdown Monty has made his name across the pond in the USA. His show Monty Don’s American Gardens aired in 2020 whilst clips of Gardeners’ World also made it on an American news channel. But it was waking up one morning in Britain when Monty started to feel strange. This bizarre feeling turned out to be a serious health condition that could have killed the 66-year-old.
During the night the star had suffered a stroke and had woken up not knowing “where [he] was coming or going”.
Talking about his ordeal to The Guardian he said: “I was so exhausted I did not know whether I was coming or going. I remember waking up feeling strange and dizzy.
“I said to my wife Sarah, ‘God, something funny is happening; I may be having a stroke.’
“We weren’t thinking: this is a disaster. I said, ‘Hang on, I can move my fingers.’ I remember thinking, ‘Oh, get a grip, you’re fine’.”
Convincing himself that he was okay, Monty powered through. He headed out to walk the grounds of his Herefordshire home but when his symptoms did not cease, panic once again set in.
“I turned to Sarah and said ‘Hold me because I think I’m dying and, if I am, I want to die in your arms’,” the presenter explained.
Later on tests and medical examinations revealed that Monty had suffered from an ischaemic attack – better known as a mini stroke.
The NHS explains that a mini stroke is caused by a temporary disruption in the blood supply to part of the brain.
This can then cause sudden symptoms that are similar to a stroke. Unlike a stroke, symptoms do not last as long and usually fully resolve after 24 hours.
In a bid to try and figure out what was wrong with himself Monty added: “I’d been feeling pretty rotten since Christmas, which I’d put down to exhaustion because I’d been working so hard, but this was completely different.
“It felt like there was a kind of chasm in my head, as if there was a section that wasn’t working. It was the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to speak if I tried, but then when I did try I found I could.
“My rational mind was saying ‘You can do this’, but my first reaction to anything, such as moving my arm, was ‘I can’t do this’.
“As I walked it felt as if I was tipping over, so I’d lean the other way and find myself tipping into a hedge instead.
“I cannot over-exaggerate how alarmed and unwell I felt. It was incredibly frightening because it was as if I had entered totally uncharted territory,” the presenter added.
Monty had a right to be worried as individuals who have had a mini stroke are more at risk of having a full life-threatening stroke in the near future.
The main symptoms of a TIA can be remembered with the word FAST:
- Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped.
- Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them raised because of weakness or numbness in one arm.
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all, despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them.
- Time – it’s time to call 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
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In the early stages of a mini stroke it is near impossible to distinguish if someone is having an ischaemic attack or stroke.
In addition, studies from emergency departments in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in the US have shown that 14 percent of individuals who suffer strokes, suffer strokes in their sleep – known as wake-up strokes.
Further research comparing wake-up strokes and strokes when you are awake has found that people with wake-up strokes were an average of 72 years old, compared to 70 for people who had strokes while awake.
If you suffer from a mini stroke it is crucial to seek medical advice where doctors are likely to suggest that you make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of stroke.
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