Willis

10 hours ago, GeorgeLesley said:

Willis, I went thru and still have such thoughts. Years ago as my improvements came and I was able to resume more of what I did before my stroke, I also felt guilty and was fearful of making someone ask “why him and not me”. That concern nearly drove me off this forum but encouragement for some readers back then kept me on. My blogs have become much less frequent and less about stroke recovery/issues, but on most I still try to mention some medical stuff, which is easy to do as I get older!

 

keep up the great recovery and enjoy life as best we can.

Thanks! I have to remember I'm hoping with most comments and blogs to spread some hope.✌️

On 9/30/2019 at 8:00 PM, Madade said:

This is very inspiring  and good reading.

Madade I appreciate your comment for sure! I'm often torn between posting somethings or not. I think it can be a fine line at times of whether something might make someone happy or sad and I never want to hurt anyone in anyway. ✌️

2 hours ago, heathber said:

yes the first couple of times you do something the connection and pathway tends to be very weak. it has to be reinforced multiple times before it "sticks"  but knowing you did it once makes it easier to keep trying, and all of a sudden you can. mind you you still need to keep practicing or it goes away again.

😁

On 9/30/2019 at 8:00 PM, Madade said:

This is very inspiring  and good reading.

✌️

Ok so it's too much to expect to sleep like a tired teenage boy after football practice every night. My hourly total is still good just not always continuous and uninterrupted. It did make me think about something I have come to understand as I convalesce. Often I think we see some nice progress and think to ourselves....ah well I've got that back now. Not so fast it was good but might not stay just yet but has been done and will be coming back again. 

20 hours ago, Willis said:

Lots and lots of sleep the last few days. I'm loving that. Somewhere between 11 and 12 hour a night all together. Not necessarily uninterupted but deep and not awake for long periods usually. This happens when my left side is making some progress and I can feel it coming back when I'm lying quietly. However slow  it might be I am healing! ONWARD! Time to head upstairs and do some lifting before a shower and dinner. A blessed week to all.

What I don't get is with all the sleeping I would expect to be getting weaker but that's not the case. It has been hard for me to accept the extreme amount of sleep and rest my brain and body have wanted the last 4 1/2 years. I have tried to set in my head what the sufficient amount is and when enough is enough. Stroke victims can't do that. That doesn't work for us. It is so important to be in touch with ourselves and give our damaged selves whatever they want if we are able to. I listen to what my body and brain desire and give it to them.

Lots and lots of sleep the last few days. I'm loving that. Somewhere between 11 and 12 hour a night all together. Not necessarily uninterupted but deep and not awake for long periods usually. This happens when my left side is making some progress and I can feel it coming back when I'm lying quietly. However slow  it might be I am healing! ONWARD! Time to head upstairs and do some lifting before a shower and dinner. A blessed week to all.

It's Interesting to me how as energy very slowly returns and the fatigue is less debilitating at times how I have caught myself thinking "Wow I'm back". Only a day or 2 later wondering where it went and what happened. I'm learning. 😎 

Way to go with the working out . We have some similarities with our left sides. I can grab and hold something with my left and lately have carried things like cups of coffee to another room and set it down normally. I have a cabled weight machine here that I try to make sure I use every other day. I do butterflies, bench presses, leg lifts and front an back pull downs. I also do some deep squats while holding on to the weight machine for balance and some assistance. It might take me anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to do. That is not long and I tell myself there is no excuse to not at least do that. It's not a whole lot but for someone pushing 70 I think it's good. Congrats on becoming a volunteer. That will be rewarding. Onward my friend!

Great read Heather, thanks! You have a gift I feel for putting those facts and thoughts into words. I will never stop trying unless something happens to stop me. In the warm month here I have an acre of grass approximately to keep cut. Can't fall down on the job there! I do like riding on my zero turn mower as I become pretty mobil again and can get around the property and visit with the neighbors. My 14 year old part boarder collie Ellis is my other motivator. My wife April is up at 5:00 AM for work and gone by 7:00 AM. She feeds him but usually she can't get the old guy to go out and do his business. So around 9:00 AM when I'm lying there waking up he comes in the room, stretches down on his 2 front legs and gives my the "let's get moving here" look with puppy eyes. Yes you are so right the simple things are so complex at times. When April came home from work the other day and asked me how my day was I was telling her ok but one of the tough things is how the simplest tasks of life can be so difficult at times. She knows though that I accept these challenges with open arms. Interesting point you have brought up about sequencing muscles. My left hand and arm although still numb have become a little more useful. I try to go back to using a fork or spoon with it when possible. It blew me away when I first started trying. I had no idea how many muscles were involved in the simple act of lifting a fork or spoon and turning my wrist to get the food in my mouth. Literally all the way up the arm past the elbow to my shoulder and even across my back all requires group muscle cooperation. Yes, the fast reactions. I do drive but not great distances and just like into town and stuff to get a haircut or to an appointment but that uses up all my driving spoons for the day usually. Here's to many things becoming normal again before we pass. Thank you for the insightful chat Heather!   

Awesome Heather! Now what have I noticed is after I have new progress like that my leg kind of goes away again for awhile and won't necessarily be that strong the next day. It seems like it is saying "ok I gave you some action here and there will be more for you but I'm tired again now after that and need to go back in recovery mode again for awhile."  There is no limit to what could possibly be in the future for us! I've told family and friends if I could live to be 120 or so I could even be 100% again. Ha-ha

I mentioned this because when I had a good "I'm getting better and I feel so strong" day. I was disappointed when  that achievement might not be there the next day. I finally understood that it is progress and it was an achievement but like everything else it is going to take time, much time. Onward Heather!

I have 2 Red Delicious and a Sparta Apple tree that have extreme differences in production year to year. I have been studying how to get a better product. Also 2 cherry trees but the birds and bugs seem to get to those before I ever do. I'm finally going to get to Hawaii myself this winter for the 1st time.

Wow Heather good stuff! Absolutely will be looking for pictures of the "big quilt" and any of your craftwork. I'm trying to picture it. It sounds cool. My sister-in- law quilts and has made us one. It is difficult for a "normal" person. Good for you. I'm hoping you can use this as your happy place and put no pressure on yourself understanding you're not the same gal you were back then. Yeah those little tricks we invent to get by. I have said to many that this journey has been fascinating in many ways when I see how the brain and body refuse to be left behind and insist on not being left out. Onward! 

Thanks for that report GeorgeLesley. I have only recently been visiting here frequently and had not seen it. That is the kind of story I was hoping to read. Right pretty or not mission accomplished. At 74 you may have been getting close to your last carry even if you never had a stroke. I know at 69 and almost 5 years post stroke that sometimes I have to tell myself I'm close to 70 and some of this fatigue is the normal part of aging. Hope if you're continuing with your love of canoeing you will always have some one to help.

Thank you GreenQueen! That was my purpose of the blog. Hoping to hear what others are doing that they never thought they would be able to post stroke so others might have hope of what may lie ahead for them. Another "biggie" for this lefty was when I could once again flip the butter knife back and forth while spreading peanut butter on toast.

Very good! We know any advancement can be uplifting and is good. Yes I also do a bit of wall leaning on the stairs at times. I have thought of trying no hands but not on a long flight of stairs. I have gone up and down the 3 steps to my deck no hands and even carrying something! Very slowly of course and making sure my left foot is coming along for the.... I don't want to say "trip" lol. The day to day living need played into my decision to put riding the recumbent bike every other day on hold. At least until the snow flies. There is too much to do around here and the bike was using up all my spoons. Please tell me is it heathber? or Heather? I see you addressed as Heather. Onward!

When I 1st came home from rehab I was unable to come down stairs forward. I would have to put a death grip on the handrail with my right hand (the good one) and slowly back down the steps top to the bottom. I can now very carefully walk down forward as long as I have the handrail. Coming down forward puts the rail on my left side so I must use the "bad limb." As long as I take a step at a time and go slow I can do this now!

Thank you! Ha-ha new and improved. I like that. It is a bit like being a child and learning for the 1st time how to do things. It does help ones spirits to make some sort of progress. No doubt I will never lose the numbness on my entire left side but I am able to see change for the better. I know I am very lucky. Hopefully over time Ray will master this and continue to progress. God Bless the caregivers. We are nowhere without you.

Yes it makes us think in ways we never had to when it comes to getting things done.I've gotten pretty creative at times. Oh yeah and laugh at ourselves sometimes too. What about something you can now do but not before? I remember them giving those laces to one of the people I was in rehab with. I never could figure out why I wasn't given any. I guess (as I well know) they know what they are doing.

Hello ASHA! Thanks for venting. I also am almost always an upbeat person. Truth be known, too upbeat for a lot of people. I don't take life serious enough for many but don't care and will not and would not change for all the money in the world. I will say a stroke will get your attention and make you a little more serious. At least at 1st. lol I really don't know how someone is able to work after having a stroke. That must be very hard. I was 64 and had been retired 5 years when I stroked out. I'm damaged but make it work. No problems ever swallowing and (to the disappointment of some I'm sure ha-ha) talked fine after not a very long time. I was a mailman at a major university in Detroit for 40 years. It was not a real demanding job but just the same I can't imagine going back post stroke. It sounds like you have a great support team like myself. We're blessed with that for sure. I think you will progress nicely. Onward!

Sounds a lot like me doing something unless that something at the time is riding on my mower cutting grass. I've got many places to sit around here, garage, shed, basement. I take care of about an acre of my 2 1/2. That's part of my therapy.  When I've used up my 5 or 10 minutes of energy or whatever doing something I can sit. 3 aluminum folding chairs, 2 canvas lawn chairs and just anything else I can sit on and  take a load off if need be. Good luck with that back issue. That's extra unfair to have to deal with that on top of all else thrown at us. Hang in there Onehandcan stay strong and get this behind you.

I'm 32 mounts post hemorrhagic and this gives me even more hope as a surviver. We don't do this without caregivers like you.