heathber

That's a fascinating question Fred, I'll do some research and see what I find.

-Heather

I'm in the process of setting up some surgery for myself and the surgeon is setting it up so I can  go to the hospital rehab ward for a few days after the surgery and standard recovery stay.  So that once they are sure that the pain etc.is under control, when I would normally be sent home I'll move down the corridor in the hospital where they'll help me with ADL training(dressing, shower etc.) walking and balance to prepare me for going home alone in a cast.  Does such a system exist where you are?

Pam, your blog title gave me such hope for you, but even if it's not all the way better it has improved some so that is good news.  Having a real blanket does make a difference to how well you sleep and hopefuilly better sleep will give you more energy to deal with the pain.  So long as you are doing what you can you are progressing.

Hang in there

-Heather

Thanks everyone, I'm alternating between fear and anticipation.  There's just so much to be organised and now I can't do anything until after Easter.  Fingers crossed I can get the neurological stuff sorted out in the next 4 weeks so we don't have to postpone.  I've got a months holiday booked for the end of August.  And if the Surgery doesn't happen in May there won't be enough time to do the rehab I'll need after the cast comes off.

Sounds like its time to take a scalpel and check for green wood under the bark.  If you've still got live wood prune hard, water and hope.  Otherwise time for a new tree.

Perfectly put Sandy.  Your normal mat not be the same as other peoples or the same as your normal before stroke but you've got to the comfortable place so enjoy it.  People also talk about acceptance as if it's a nasty word and means giving up.  Acceptance is like your normal.  It's not that I don't want more and or that I'm not working for more but my normal is what it is now and I can live with that so in that sense I've accepted my stroke and what it did to my life.

-Heather

Good job well done, enjoy your victory!!

Fingers crossed you find a better match of doctor.  Although it would be hard being a doctor unable to help someone.  Who teaches them that being like that is better than saying "I don't know"  It sounds like your issue was too hard for her but she didn't want to admit that.

So good to hear.  I hope it works for a long time.

Sounds great Pam all the best for the new pain relief.

Another Online resource from here in Australia.https://enableme.org.au/resources

Our National Stroke Foundation have a Carers and survivors guide that they hand out in hospitals.  The PDF version can be downloaded from here. https://strokefoundation.com.au/what-we-do/support-programs/my-stroke-journey

Oh Pam Hugs, I hope it gets sorted out for you soon. Pain is the worst and people don't seem to get how much it can affect you both emotionally and physically.

Early on after my stroke I had lots of problems with scanning and going to the correct place on the page when getting to the edge of the text at the margin was really bad for me.  I'd skip down 2 or more lines so large chunks of text would be "missing" and the sentences didn't make sense.  It was very discouraging. The OT got me to use a piece of paper over the book so that the line I was reading was just above the paper and the text I hadn't read yet was covered.  Then when I got to the end of the line I'd move the paper down  1 line and that gave my eyes an easy way to scan to the right place.  It was a bit slow for he first week. But after that I found I didn't need to do it anymore.

Like all things post stroke it can be relearned or overcome.  I'd be lost without books.

-Heather

Good find on the shoes it does seem to work that way when it comes to finding out what you can get.  I hope the pain meds get sorted out soon.  Sounds like overall things are going really well at the moment.

yes under the circumstances a glass of red was compulsory, but you knew what the result would be, so don't kick yourself.  At least my family doesn't quibble now when I insist that live shows and concerts have to be in the afternoon not evening.  As if I go in the evening they tend to be a very expensive nap.

Life goes on and you have to keep moving forward so if you can laugh at it do so. It makes it just that bit easier.  Hope your birthday was fun.

Change is not the end.  Yes it's now different, but take the time to learn about the person you now are, and you'll find you can be at peace with this.  You'll find a lot of the person you were before your stroke is still there.  Grieve for what's gone in the short term but also remember it's not "you can''t" it's "you can't yet"

What's ahead of you is much hard work but it will also have its rewards.  Even if what you get is not exactly what you asked for.  There will be highs and lows but that's what life is.  Learn to be now not then and life will feel better.

You can do this

-Heather

Nicely put Jay :hug: thanks for being here

Maybe I'm crazy but I can't really see the bad news in this.  You now know where you stand and so long as you expect it to be slow and hard work anything more you get from this point is a bonus.  If this is the first time the Drs have had to guts to tell you this then I'm sorry to hear that.  I don't get why they hate telling us this truth.  just remember though that improvement stops when you stop working for it.  It was once I reached that conclusion that I have been able to get back to living as the person I am now, which includes lots of hard work on the stuff I'm not giving up on yet as well as lots of fun stuff.

Take it and run with it. Life is for living

-Heather

Sounds fun.  Do we know where we're going?

It is very easy to fall into that trap especially when the initial break came from the other party (I'm assuming that bit, sorry If I'm wrong).  Try to give yourself and him some space.  You need to find a new pattern for living and to learn that you can not only live but be happy away from him.

Good luck with it

Love

-Heather

Fred you can't just turn off your love for her even when you both know she stuffed up.  I do hope for both your sakes that she manages better this time.  But having been in the big house for 5 years she's got a lot of adjustment and learning to do, so reality is she's going to stuff up things like bills occasionally, she'll be completely out of practice at some of that stuff.  So watch out that she doesn't pull you down, but meeting her halfway helps both of you.  So go for it

Love

-Heather

Absolutely Jay, A stroke is a stroke and it can be tiny but in a vital spot, would that be classed as "mild" ( not to the person involved it isn't). 

Those pulses must be related to the engine rattle in the car that only happens when the mechanic isn't there to hear it.

I do like that Bruce decided to send his feet on vacation rather than have them be dead.

If someone could work out how to give us a crash course on managing the system as soon as we got ill it would make so much difference. I've just recently discovered that there was a way to get extra therapy from my health insurance, so I'm a bit *beep* at missing 4 years of help I could have used. But I can't change the past so I'm using it now and moving forward.

Asha that sort of discharge from care is part of why i have such a team. When the system said go away i went and found a personal training gym and taught them how to help me. I also have a great private neuro physio who supervises and educates them as well as treating me. It was him who got me in touch with the new rehab once I wanted to do stuff he felt less able to deal with.

While acceptance is good and necessary don't give up on the physical side too quickly either.

Heather