ksmith

I am so happy for you to get out and be a part of society again :) Bless all your friend & family 

thanks Andy, it was an impulse Dollar Tree ( yes $1.00 BOX) because you only live once , even when I worked my hair color changed ( but not a purple hue like it is now) every so often.

Yes It is hard to break old habits. I know you of all people can do it. I fall a lot for a learned how to "roll" my walk in ROTC and I still do it and I am not able to keep my balance yet I still roll. ( the idea was when marching in formation, all the caps were in line and level) 

"I had a nasty fall in the aeroplane on the way home so I had some truly spectacular bruises for 2 weeks after I got home."

That sounds simply horrible. I hope that other than that you were OK?

awe thank you guys but I know all of you can/could do the same.. you're never alone.. If you request  assistance.. an attendant will meet you in front of plane or help you into seat and tzke you to next gate or baggage.. You guys kicked stroke's arse , either yourself or loved on, so you can do this xx

I am so glad you both are alright. I've seen so much genericity in New Jersey, as well as every state, with sending supplies and workers to help.

With William I can't imagine how you would have done it alone but thankfully, there are many there to have helped if need be. But again I'm so thankful you're safe

Ruth, I see you are from Houston.. I hope everything is okay for you.

yes Respite care is a wonderful thing for many families. I often saw , when I was working with hospice clients, many families high tail it out of the house when I got there for the insurance allotted a specific amount of time that nurses and aides had to be there even when it wouldn't take that long for the task we had to do. The families were so grateful to have that time to do what they wanted to do. Some insurances don't cover respite aides  when they aren't on hospice. That being said, there are organizations out there that do offer respite for a much lesser rate.  Word of mouth, locally, can also help you find someone to come sit and be with him while you can take a deep breath.  

I understand that he isn't happy being the way he is however you don't want to have a stroke or breakdown yourself. You must take care of you :)  

good for you as well Myjade 

When I went into the mountains when I went to Virginia, I was so dizzy for the changes in elevation. I hope that does not happen to you AND you have the best time seeing natures beauty 

I am so happy you finally feel whole again. :) it is so good to have your own piece of heaven 

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you

you are a genuine diamond :) 

 I can not even put myself in your shoes. See I was that way. I wanted to do it myself. I know not always safe but I wanted to do it

indeed to you both

holy cow. 120.. I started to sweat for you. I think choosing to wait was very wise.. melting is something I like to feel.. (dry heat my foot) hot is hot

1 hour ago, Jayallen said:

 Pam I need to ask you a huge favor you know we all care about you and we all do have our challenges but not everyone and everything that you encounter in a day is out to hurt you or cause you any harm or discomfort I would love to see you identify one positive thing in in your day and post it on your blog could you do that for me I'd really appreciate it have a blessed day I will always keep you in my prayers be blessed and be a blessing

Jay 

I appreciate you're asking for a positive however this is her POV on the experience. She has gone through so much and I know she knows looking for a positive is important but I believe she can blog about how she felt through this. Furthermore, I can not even begin to understand the feelings she has and how the slightest discomfort is excruciating.     

Cheers!! That was a great reminder of goodness out there

6 hours ago, HostSue said:

Picture all those negative things in a big box and you bending over the box and throwing them out one by one.  Then redecorate the box until it sparkles and take the good things n your life and fill the box with those things.  I find visualisation works for me, not all the time but a lot of the time.  Yes, you are a good person, a great asset on here and definitely worth it!

xxooxx yes 

Sue,

 What you are doing and still doing, out of the kindness of your heart, by far, is very selfless.  The fact that you are sharing your experiences that you had gone through is very helpful to so many others that are struck by stroke.  I know that staying here is something that you aren't required to do but the love and compassion you have for helping others puts you in a league of my utmost respect and admire. Enjoy everyday and I wish nothing but love and kindness in your life   

I like that!!!! Great job 

that speaks to so many. You have helped me to walk on a similar path and for that I'm very happy you share your knowledge 

that is shameful, in my opinion, to have to wait that long

(( Copy of post in Roman font ))      Some people would assume at times I share a lot of the traits as someone who is Bipolar for I tend to be riding on a roller coaster of emotions. I don’t have the extreme changes in my personality like deep lows that keep me in bed and I don’t want to assume I know those feelings but I know I’m not nor ever have been. My issues may appear like depression when in fact they are exhaustion. Mental exhaustion. On a regular-season basis I have days in which I wake up, meaning I open my eyes, around 7-9 am and I feel like I have 200lbs of weight keeping me down in bed. 
 
 
  I may be “awake” but my mind isn’t quite ready to conquer the day and I lay in bed watching Hulu or Netflix on my tablet. I’m not hungry or thirsty and can go until Noon or 1:00pm before I even have the energy to move. Yeah, I may get up to use the bathroom but that’s a far as I can go. I can’t even begin to tell you, how many people have accused me of having depression. “Get out of bed and just try” or “You should just go out more”. Yes I agree but I can’t even begin to explain I’m not depressed. I may be sad a times but in no way am I depressed so all the positivity needed to break that cycle won’t work on me. My brain in COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED. 
 
 I can’t imagine what someone with depression must be going through. I am not trying to equate my issues with what someone with true mental de-stress must feel all I can I talk about is my situation. Sure I was depressed or very upset in the beginning of my recovery. I always tries to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I found that easier for most of my past memories were lost so all I had to gauge my life as what it is now. SO I found myself not being able to do things so I knew I had to work hard to re gain as much as I can. Most people are burdened with the memories of their past life. I couldn’t imagine…. Really!
So please, just because I may not have the energy to get out of bed and do something doesn’t mean I don’t want be active or spend time with you. I don’t have the energy to adult.
 
I often relay a fantastic story I read called “The Spoon Theory” 
https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/
 
In part it explains how things you may do every day takes someone with a brain injury (this story was about Lupus) and incredible amount of energy to just function in daily life. I have no claim to this story but it is a great explanation of our levels of life that can change daily. I could wake up in the morning and by the afternoon, I may not be able to think straight or talk clearly. 
 
“I asked her to count her spoons. She asked why, and I explained that when you are healthy you expect to have a never-ending supply of “spoons”. But when you have to now plan your day, you need to know exactly how many “spoons” you are starting with. It doesn’t guarantee that you might not lose some along the way, but at least it helps to know where you are starting. She counted out 12 spoons. She laughed and said she wanted more. I said no, and I knew right away that this little game would work, when she looked disappointed, and we hadn’t even started yet. I’ve wanted more “spoons” for years and haven’t found a way yet to get more, why should she? I also told her to always be conscious of how many she had, and not to drop them because she can never forget she has Lupus. I asked her to list off the tasks of her day, including the most simple. As, she rattled off daily chores, or just fun things to do; I explained how each one would cost her a spoon. When she jumped right into getting ready for work as her first task of the morning, I cut her off and took away a spoon. I practically jumped down her throat. I said ” No! You don’t just get up. You have to crack open your eyes, and then realize you are late. You didn’t sleep well the night before. You have to crawl out of bed, and then you have to make your self something to eat before you can do anything else, because if you don’t, you can’t take your medicine, and if you don’t take your medicine you might as well give up all your spoons for today and tomorrow too.” I quickly took away a spoon and she realized she hasn’t even gotten dressed yet. Showering cost her spoon, just for washing her hair and shaving her legs. Reaching high and low that early in the morning could actually cost more than one spoon, but I figured I would give her a break; I didn’t want to scare her right away. Getting dressed was worth another spoon. I stopped her and broke down every task to show her how every little detail needs to be thought about. You cannot simply just throw clothes on when you are sick. I explained that I have to see what clothes I can physically put on, if my hands hurt that day buttons are out of the question. If I have bruises that day, I need to wear long sleeves, and if I have a fever I need a sweater to stay warm and so on. If my hair is falling out I need to spend more time to look presentable, and then you need to factor in another 5 minutes for feeling badly that it took you 2 hours to do all this.”