A 19-year-old student scrawled a note telling colleagues ‘I can’t control anything!’ when he suffered a stroke while working in a coffee shop.
Barney Foster, from Burton, Staffordshire, wrote the plea to ask colleagues for help when he was suddenly unable to speak or swallow.
The former barista, who had been making coffee for a customer at the time, was rushed to A & E at Queen’s hospital in Burton-upon-Trent by his mother, but had a migraine diagnosed and was sent home.
However, later that day Barney endured the ‘worst headache ever’ and couldn’t keep his eyes open due to light sensitivity. His father rushed him back to the same hospital – where a stroke was diagnosed.
Barney, now 22, said he was prone to migraines and initially believed the pain was due to a bad headache.
Barney Foster, now 22, scrawled this note reading ‘I can’t control anything’ when he found he was unable to speak or swallow while serving a customer in a coffee shop
The former barista, from Burton in Staffordshire, was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with a migraine. However, later that evening he returned after suffering the ‘worst headache ever’ and was diagnosed with a stroke
When Barney arrived at Queen’s Hospital he had tests done, including on his blood sugars, and his hand-eye co-ordination was checked. The results led doctors to conclude it was a migraine.
Yet, despite being discharged earlier that day, Barney ended up in A&E again the same night.
Barney said: ‘I went home and I had the worst headache I’d ever felt – I was in excruciating pain.
‘I couldn’t even open my eyes because my sensitivity to light was so severe.
‘I looked back at the note and thought that maybe the migraine diagnosis didn’t seem right after all as I’ve never had to do anything like that before.
‘My dad then took me back to A&E in the middle of the night and the following morning a stroke consultant came to see me after expressing concerns I was unable to detect any temperature on the right side of my body.
Barney, pictured on the bed in hospital, had always suffered with migraines. His stroke was caused by a blood clot in a vessel deep inside his brain
The student spent three weeks in hospital recovering after the stroke was diagnosed
‘The consultant then sent me for a brain scan which discovered a clot on my brain and confirmed I’d actually had a stroke.
‘I was definitely the youngest person on the stroke ward for sure.’
Barney, who’s now a podiatrist, had suffered an ischaemic stroke which occurs when the blood supply to your brain is cut off or severely reduced.
This can happen when an artery or a small vessel deep inside your brain, is blocked by a blood clot or clump of fat – in Barney’s case, this was due to a blood clot.
After his diagnosis, Barney went on to spend three weeks in the hospital to recover.
Barney, left, pictured while he worked as a barista, is now training to be a podiatrist. And Barney is also pictured right on his university graduation day
Barney, pictured in hospital, said that after the stroke he suffered with memory problems – and could only remember five types of animals
He added: ‘As soon as they found it was a stroke, they started me on warfarin – a medication which stops your blood clotting as easily – which I’ll be taking daily for the rest of my life.
‘I had a team of occupational therapists who visited me at home for a while after I was good to go home, who helped me with the changes to my sensation as I had to be wary of the fact I couldn’t feel pain, temperature or light touch on my right side.
‘I struggled with my memory too after my stroke – for example they asked me to name as many animals as I could and I could only name five.’
Due to his memory difficulties, Barney had to postpone his first year university exams but luckily was able to resit them a few months later.
Three years on from the ordeal, Barney’s doing really well despite the stroke still having some slight affects on his day-to-day life.
Barney, right, pictured with his brother Joel at home in Burton, Staffordshire
Barney, centre, pictured with his brother Joel and sister Holly at the family home
Barney said: ‘All in all, I’ve been really well; especially compared to a lot of other stroke sufferers.
‘I still notice the effects in day to day life, with not being able to feel temperature or pain in my right side (especially my arm and hand), but like I say, some people die of strokes, or are left with their lives completely changed as well as the lives of their families.
‘With that in mind, I can’t thank the team from Queens Hospital enough as they did a heck of a job with my health and getting me the treatment I needed.’