CallmeRachel

Bravo ! Bravo ! Bravo ! Next goal, DANCING. Best wishes, Rachel

JeannieBean -- Okay, it's going to hurt and it's going to hurt for a while BUT you're a tough cookie, YOU WILL survive this! Declare your footsie a french fry and TELL IT TO HEAL! Rachel

We all know that stroke and seizure are often paired, but there is an association between dementia and seizures also. Click on this to read about it: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12964886 Rachel

All of the emotions you have expressed in your post, all of the emotions you say you are experiencing sound right and good, NORMAL! I think you are doing fine! Rachel

Nope, no, you're not over-analyzing it or acting weird. And TRUST ME ON THIS ONE, YOU CANNOT "RELAX AND TRUST THAT EVERYTHING WILL JUST BE OKAY." It is better to give everyone a heads-up about your post-stroke issues than have them be accidentally, unnecessarily puzzled, hurt or offended. Tell them the truth always. They love you, they can handle the truth. Rachel

That is the very best news. Congratulations. Rachel

Your life doesn't sound "lonely and quiet" at all. It sounds like you are leading a normal, noisy life. The things you describe are normal, stroke or no stroke. Bravo to you for living a full, good life. Rachel

It might help to reframe your de-cluttering into an act of giving. Surely there is a thrift store or church charity store near you which would welcome your donations. Think about the happiness you can create by donating -- Think of the smiles you can make by sharing things you no longer use or need! Rachel

Dave, I think the important thing to remember is that your recovery is OUTSIDE OF THEIR THINKING PATTERN; It is not at all what they are trained to expect. OR DEAL WITH. THEREFORE: You will surprise them. You will rattle their presumptions. PLEASE CONTINUE TO DO SO. Your cheerleader, Rachel

Terrific Lenny! I read it twice in fact: "...once she takes my fingers of of the ball my fingers does not curl up like they use to now my hand remains open so don"t give up on your arm or your fingers it will come with alot of work..." Bravo! Rachel

True, both of you have black n' blue marks and new aches, but as I read what happened I couldn't help but smile a little In a strange way, forgive me I do not intend to offend, but it was kind of romantic and loving and a bit of silly-fun. Rachel

I am typing this fast, forgive the blur of it: For a person who recently had a stroke and has lost "20%" of his brain, you are quite smart, fluid and surely write better than people who haven't had a stroke, You included in your About Me profile, this line: "He said I was smiling when I woke up." I am smiling too about how well you are doing. I expect grand things from you. You should too. Rachel

Dean, Dean, thinkingmachine, Quoting you, "...my upper body fell into the flower garden..." That seemed good, right and poetic to me. Go forth, brave man and fall into more flower gardens! Far better than sitting like a lump and moldering. Rachel

You wrote: "I got it in my head this morning that I've got to do something for me." Do it. Rachel

As the great poet said, “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” Rachel

The statement: humans act like many of these animals at times, some, most of the time..." and several other statements in this post are very odd... Humans are warm-blooded vertebrae, mammals. Raccoons are mammals, bats are mammals, whales are mammals, Humans, you and I, are mammals. Humans are advanced mammals. But humans are not better than other mammals in the animal world, arguably, they are often the most miss-behaved because they enslave other species for fun, for profit, for amusement, for decoration, for an array of the most selfish, frivolous reasons. Yes, some humans come to the aid of their fellow animals, but too, too few. Rachel

I agree with Debbie. You need more answers and input from the therapists etc. Your positive, CAN-DO attitude and HEART OF GOLD may be blinding you to the realities of having Ray home now. If he falls, can you lift him up, all by yourself? Rachel

I read your post several times, each time carefully, and find myself very concerned, like Debbie, about how you are positioning yourself. You wrote: "I have great hope that he'll eventually step up and fight for us but I'm so tired of crying myself to sleep at night wondering if I'll forever be alone. I'm tired of the unanswered phone calls and questions. I plan on having several long talks with him during my visit and I hope I can help him see my side. If not I don't know that to do." Forgive me for this blunt, honest reaction -- I don't think you have yet fully grasped what has happened to him, I don't think you have imagined what it is like to be a stroke survivor, all of his fears, all of his challenges, his confusion, his struggles, his pain, his loss, his sadness. You are impatient that he is not tending to your needs. How on earth can he do that? He recently suffered a stroke. My deepest apologies if I am quite wrong, but you seem to be asking a person in the throes of a difficult stroke recovery to solve your problems... Rachel