A Month Before My Stroke, My Body Began to Warn Me. These Were the First Symptoms
A stroke never feels like something that will happen to you—until it does. Looking back, what haunts me most is not the day of the stroke itself, but the quiet, subtle warnings my body gave me in the weeks before. They were easy to dismiss, easy to explain away as stress, fatigue, or age. A month before my stroke, my body began to whisper that something was wrong. I didn’t listen. I wish I had.
This is not a story meant to scare you, but to inform you. Stroke often doesn’t arrive without notice. Many people experience early warning signs days or even weeks beforehand. Here are the first symptoms I felt—and what they may mean for others.
1. Unusual, Persistent Fatigue
I had never felt tired like that before. This wasn’t the normal end-of-day exhaustion. It was a deep, heavy fatigue that sleep didn’t fix. I would wake up already drained, as if my body had run a marathon overnight. Simple tasks felt overwhelming.
At the time, I blamed stress and poor sleep. But doctors later explained that reduced blood flow to the brain can cause unexplained fatigue weeks before a stroke. When your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen, your entire body suffers.
2. Sudden Dizziness and Loss of Balance
About three weeks before my stroke, I started feeling dizzy for no clear reason. Sometimes the room would spin slightly. Other times, I felt unsteady on my feet, as if the ground wasn’t quite solid beneath me.
I didn’t faint, so I ignored it. But balance problems and unexplained dizziness are classic early neurological warning signs. The brain regions responsible for coordination are especially sensitive to blood flow changes.
3. Brief Vision Problems
One morning, my vision blurred in one eye for a few minutes. Another day, I noticed flashes of light and difficulty focusing. These episodes were short-lived and painless, so I didn’t think much of them.
This symptom is known as amaurosis fugax, a temporary loss of vision caused by reduced blood supply to the eye or brain. It is one of the strongest warning signs of an impending stroke—and one of the most commonly ignored.
4. Headaches That Felt “Different”
I’ve had headaches before, but these were unusual. They came on suddenly and felt sharp, intense, and unfamiliar. Pain relievers barely helped. There was no clear trigger, no dehydration, no long screen time.
Not all strokes cause headaches, but a sudden change in headache pattern—especially in people with risk factors like high blood pressure—can be a red flag that blood vessels are under strain.
5. Trouble Finding Words
This symptom frightened me, but not enough to act. I knew what I wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out right. I stumbled over simple sentences or used the wrong words without realizing it at first.
Speech difficulties, even mild or temporary ones, suggest that the brain’s language centers may not be functioning properly. In many cases, this can signal a transient ischemic attack (TIA)—often called a “mini-stroke”—which is a major warning that a full stroke may follow.
6. Numbness and Tingling on One Side
A few weeks before the stroke, I noticed tingling in my hand and slight numbness on one side of my face. It would come and go, lasting only minutes.
Because it disappeared, I assumed it was nerve-related or circulation from sleeping awkwardly. In reality, one-sided numbness is one of the most telling early stroke symptoms, even when it’s temporary.
7. Sudden Mood and Personality Changes
This was the most subtle symptom of all. I became unusually anxious and irritable. Small problems felt overwhelming. I didn’t feel like myself, but I couldn’t explain why.
Changes in mood, judgment, or behavior can occur when parts of the brain responsible for emotional regulation are affected. These signs are often overlooked because they don’t seem “medical.”
The Day Everything Changed
When the stroke finally happened, it was fast and unmistakable—slurred speech, weakness on one side, and confusion. Only then did all the earlier symptoms make sense. I realized my body had been warning me all along.
A Message That Could Save a Life
If you experience sudden fatigue, dizziness, vision changes, speech difficulty, numbness, or unusual headaches, don’t wait. Even if symptoms come and go, seek medical help immediately. A TIA is a medical emergency and a chance to prevent a devastating stroke.
