Co Down man Stephen Monaghan on having a life-changing stroke at 50 after neglecting to take his blood pressure medication

Stephen Monaghan, from Millisle, is speaking out about his experience as he wants to encourage others to get their blood pressure checked and highlight how important it is to take any medication as prescribed.

He said: “Two years ago I was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was admitted to hospital. A nurse was checking my blood pressure and said she would do it again as it was showing up as extremely high. The reading came back as 240 over 120. High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg, but I didn’t really know anything about the numbers at that time. I didn’t realise how dangerous my numbers were, and I had no symptoms or warning signs.

“I was put on medication, and it took a bit of work to get the dosage right, but it was managed for about a year. However, I then made the biggest mistake of my life and didn't take my medication for a couple of days. That led to me having a severe and life-changing stroke.”

Stephen is sharing his story in the run up to World Hypertension Day (May 17) in support of local health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s (NICHS) current blood pressure awareness campaign.

He recalled: “I was out with my son and some friends watching the Irish Bowls Final and that’s when the stroke struck. I had felt fine all day, we had just sat down to get something to eat, and I wanted to say, ‘What do you fancy?’ and the words just would not come out. I didn’t know what was happening. It was extremely frightening.

“My son and friends realised something serious was happening although at first, they thought I was having a heart attack. They phoned an ambulance, but ended up having to drive me to the Ulster Hospital because it was taking too long to come.”

Stephen added: “My son ran on into the hospital when we arrived and told the staff he thought I was having a stroke. The staff were brilliant, and I was brought straight in for treatment. I was being taken for a CT scan, and they were talking to me about thrombolysis, which is a medicine to get rid of blood clots in the brain, and were explaining the potential side effects. I still had no speech, but I was pointing to my arm, to tell them that I wanted the injection. It was a terrifying experience, but that injection saved my life.”

Stephen was kept in hospital for a few days but was determined to get home and start his recovery journey, which was a long and hard road as he explains.

“I had to learn to speak again and saw a speech therapist. It was very hard and frustrating at times, but I kept working at it. We all take things we do as second nature, like talking, for granted but when that is taken away from you it is devastating.

“My balance isn’t as good as before the stroke and I’ve had a few falls. My short-term memory is also shot.

“It can take me three times as long to do something now and it is very frustrating, but I don’t give up. I am self-employed and have a very motivated nature, and the medical professionals have agreed that has helped me be more determined in my recovery.”

Stephen added that the mental impact of the stroke has been “massive”.

“Thankfully I was put in touch with Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, and they have been a huge help in dealing with that.

“One of the charity’s care co-ordinators, Dawn, visited me in the early days after my stroke and I availed of NICHS’s Family Support service.

“I go to the Young Stroke Support group which is a godsend for me. The group has made such a difference to my life. I have made true friends who look out for me, and I do the same for them.”

Stephen added: “I’m only in my early fifties; I want to keep moving on with my life, I’m doing better as time goes on, but I’ll never be the same again. For example, before my stroke I did a lot of public speaking as president of my bowling club and now I couldn't think of anything worse.”

Talking about his support for NICHS’s current campaign Stephen said: “Thankfully, my blood pressure is under control now and I will always take my medication as prescribed. “I am supporting this campaign to highlight the dangers of unmedicated and undiagnosed high blood pressure. I would urge people to get their blood pressure checked as there will be a lot of potential ticking time bombs out there. There are often no symptoms and if you don’t check it, you won’t know if your blood pressure is high. If you can, get a machine for checking it at home. I have one and can keep an eye on my numbers easily.

“Also, to anyone on medication, please always take it as prescribed. Don’t take a chance, it’s not worth risking your life over.”

Fidelma Carter, head of Public Health at Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, said: “As part of our campaign, we are urging anyone who is on medication for high blood pressure to take it as prescribed by their doctor or health professional and to never stop taking it without talking to them and getting their approval. The risks are just too great. If you are on blood pressure medication, you should also go for an annual check to review your medication.”

She added: “There are a number of ways you can get your blood pressure checked. You can make an appointment with your GP or visit your local pharmacy which may operate a blood pressure monitoring service. You could also buy a blood pressure machine for home monitoring. Alternatively, you could attend the free pop-up blood pressure checks we will be delivering at selected stores of our corporate partner MACE during the campaign. The NICHS Health Promotion team will also be at Abbey Centre shopping centre on Friday, June 13 from 11am until 3pm providing pop-up blood pressure checks to shoppers. Our website and social media channels have all the details about the pop-up checks so please follow us online for more details as well as lots of resources and information about blood pressure.”

For further information and support about blood pressure, visit www.nichs.org.uk/highbloodpressure