Emotional Anger After Stroke: Trisha Winski’s Story of a Carotid Web, Aphasia, and Learning to Slow DownEmotional Anger After Stroke: Trisha Winski’s Story of a Carotid Web, Aphasia, and Learning to Slow Down
Recovery After Stroke
Trisha Winski shares how a rare carotid web led to a life-altering stroke at 46, bringing aphasia, anger and a need to slow down. She and host Bill Gasiamis talk openly about grief, family impact and the slow, ongoing work of neuroplasticity and recovery.
1:30:08•16 Mar 2026
Carotid Web, Aphasia and Rage: Trisha Winski on Slowing Down After Stroke
Episode Overview
- A stroke can occur even without classic risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking.
- Aphasia may not always be obvious to others, but it can cause deep frustration and requires patience and slower communication.
- Neuroplasticity means the brain can keep finding new pathways over time, so continued recovery is possible even years after stroke.
- Returning to work or normal routines too early can lead to emotional overwhelm and cognitive overload.
- Loved ones can be deeply traumatised by witnessing a stroke, and recognising their perspective can shift how recovery is viewed.
“You just have to be patient with yourself and be patient in general.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety, long-term health issues, and everything in between? This conversation on Recovery After Stroke follows Trisha Winski, who had a stroke at 46 despite having no typical risk factors, and it’s told with brutal honesty, dark humour, and a lot of heart.
Trisha shares how a rare carotid web turned a normal workday into a life-changing emergency, and how her ex-husband just happened to be sleeping on her sofa the night before and likely saved her life. She talks through the shock of collapsing in the bathroom, waking up in hospital with numbness and aphasia, and realising, much later, how traumatised her son and ex really were. As she puts it, "It makes me mad. Really mad.
Really, really mad that I have this stroke… I'm just mad. I don't know who I'm mad at." This episode sits right in that messy space many people in recovery will recognise: anger, frustration, and the constant "why me?" mixed with tiny wins and unexpected changes, like learning to cook or becoming fiercely protective of her energy.
Trisha explains how aphasia affects her speech, why she sometimes avoids hospital even when she suspects a TIA, and how she’s slowly learning to "do things very slow" and accept a different pace of life. Host Bill Gasiamis keeps the tone grounded and gentle, sharing his own experiences of surgery, numbness, and fatigue. Together they talk about neuroplasticity, the endless medical appointments, and the emotional toll on families as much as on survivors themselves.
If you're dealing with stroke recovery, chronic health issues, or trying to live alcohol-free while juggling anger and grief, this story offers company more than answers – and a reminder that healing often means learning to slow down and be kinder to yourself. Could hearing Trisha’s honesty help you be a little softer with your own recovery today?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.