If I thought THAT was a while…

The last post I wrote for this blog talked about a while away from the blog while organising the Online Diplomacy Championship.

As it turned out, I didn’t know what I was talking about.

Things happen. I have to say that this was the scariest one yet.

I had a stroke. Nobody expects a stroke. I certainly didn’t. And I got lucky with it, which sounds like a stupid statement, but I did.

You see, I recognised the signs… eventually. Initially I just thought I was developing a migraine. I don’t often get migraines but, every once in a while, one comes along. However, I also noticed that I was experiencing some numbness on my left side. So I got straight in contact with emergency services. They arrived quickly, and I got into hospital quickly, and that is the key with a stroke – the pace of treatment.

Months down the line – half a year – and, following rehab and recovery, my luck is showing itself again. I’ve not made a full recovery but almost. There’s some weakness in my left side, notably in my left hand, but I have almost full movement. And – for me – I’ve been able to learn to type again, after a fashion: I’m not as quick as I used to be. But that might be an improvement; I might actually avoid so many typos!

Strokes are scary. They usually happen quickly and you need to be able to recognise the features. The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK gives some guidance here; there’s perhaps more comprehensive information here from the American Stroke Association (ASA).

I’m not going to keep on about this but please find out about what strokes are, and how you can recognise one. It really could save someone’s life or quality of life.

Anyway, I’ve been given the go ahead to go back to work next week. And with that green light, I am coming back to Diplomacy. I’m writing again, on a new book: Diplomacy: Across the Whole Board (with thanks to the Great and Good ABC for his article using the same title for the inspiration). And I’ll be looking at what happened with the Online Diplomacy Championship too – which I dropped from organising in the first round, with no warning *sigh*.