jriva

Stroke Caregiver - female
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Blog Entries posted by jriva

  1. jriva

    Wayward Husband

    By jriva,

    I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since Don's stroke. It happened in May of 2000 and we're already gearing up to have another 'Thank God I'm Alive' party like we did on his 5th anniversary out. Wall washing is in progress. The guest list is on Don's mind and yesterday we made a trip to a party store specializing in bulk food to scope out prices. We'll invite about 60 people. After the store, we went to a local bookstore where my wheelchair bound, aphasic husband was so being so silly I was afraid he'd get us kicked out. If you want to read about the bookstore trip check out my blog entry at: Wayward Husband
     
  2. jriva
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    I'm just returning from a two week pity party. You know the kind where you don't think you can handle one more metaphorical---or real, for that matter---hangnail. Giving myself a sharp "get over yourself, everyone has problems" usually keeps pity parties off my property---I'm generally an upbeat kind of person---but not this time. This time, four out-of-place vertebrae were playing sadistic games with the nerves running down my leg and they threw open the front door inviting the pity party pack to camp out in the living room. Woo is me! The cry fest started and the tears were only interrupted with occasional outbursts of succulent statements like.... Click here to read the rest.
     
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  3. jriva

    Are you Reliant?

    By jriva,

    If you want to feel old really fast get a new digital camera. At least the one I just got is making me feel that way. It came with not one but TWO user guides and some of the pages have such small print that I have to use a magnifying glass just to read them. Worse than that, the camera has a mode dial with tiny icons on it and without my handy-dandy magnifying glass I'd never know those little suckers are suppose to represent things like: portraits, night shots, indoors, landscapes, movies and a bunch of letters I've yet to decipher. It even has an icon for aquariums. Aquariums! Who needs that? What I want to see is an icon for starting my coffeemaker in the mornings. To read the rest of blog this entry click here.
     
    Since my last update here at Strokenet, Levi had his first birthday and he's blogged about all his first year accomplishments and goals for the future. Click here to see how much he's grown.
     
    Even angel Cooper came back for a visit. link here.
     
    Things stroke-wise and caregiver-wise have not changed much since my last update. Don is still being Don, the wheelchair bound stroke survivor with the vocabulary of a one year old. And I'm still being Jean, the woman of the house who would rather play on the computer than do housework. We still get out every other day to run errands and go to Don's favorite restaurant. It's a little mama/papa place where the waitresses don't mind how many times he tells them they are 'cute' or how many times he wants a hug. Yes, impulse control is still a challenge in his catalog of stroke deficits. LOL All in all, we're in a good place. Don's stroke is a part of our lives but it's not our lives i.e. we're not living the stroke day in and day out. Those of you who have found acceptance and moved on will understand exactly what I mean.
     
    Jean
     
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  4. jriva

    Back but Probably Forgotten

    By jriva,

    It must be old home week around here. It looks like I'm not the only long-lost member catching up their blog. We've had a busy fall since I last updated my blog over at Bloggers. My newest entry is about our woos in spending eleven months dealing with Medicare over Don's wheelchair replacement and about us potentially becoming one of the latest victims of the Wall Street crisis. Read "Old and Obsolete" here.
     
    For pet lovers, our dogs have been prolific in sharing their unique views in their blog of living in a post-stroke world with Don and me. Levi has been a joy with his spirit, energy and kisses that are given in a way only a puppy with a long, wet schnauzer beard could do. I swear he washes his beard off in his water dish then comes directly from the bowl for smooching time. To read Levi, click here. My favor story of Cooper's can be found at: Devil Cats. For some very funny dog photos Levi shares his favors here.
     
    I think of this place from time to time but don't read here much anymore. I can't say why it doesn't hold my interest anymore but it doesn't really matter because we're doing fine in the "real world" now and that feels good.
     
    Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving week and hope you all find what you need to be happy and healthy.
     
    Jean
  5. jriva

    Disabled Heart....

    By jriva,

    It's easy for me to forget that my husband is disabled. Despite the wheelchair and his language disorders, in many ways Don is the same man I've known since 1970----good-natured, compassionate, kind, smart, and out-going. It's the out-going part that gets him in trouble once in a great while. Click here to read the rest of what happened today.
     
    Jean
  6. jriva

    Mid-Summer Update

    By jriva,

    We went out for pizza with old friends last night which was both a happy and sad time. Happy because it's always great to see old friends but sad because it accentuated yet another growing post stroke problem..... Click here to read the rest of this blog entry.
     
    I haven't been blogging much for myself but the dogs have been really active, even won several bloggers' awards in the process. You can read up on their adventures here.
     
    I recently got a job offer writing articles that evolved out of that article I wrote last month for the contest with a $5,000 prize. I didn't win but someone happened to see my entry, liked my writing style and contacted me. The money offered isn't bad but I haven't decided, yet, if I want to get involved writing on a someone else's schedule.
     
    Until next time....
     
    Jean
  8. jriva
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    Yesterday Don and I had a half hour 'conversation' about something he really wanted to tell me but the only words he could get out during the entire time were: feet, baker, dad, and gone. Click here to read the full 'aphasia and apraxia challenge' blog entry.
     
    Another recent entry, Summer in Caregiverville, can be found here.
     
    On another note, my 'Levi and Cooper Chronicles' blog has been keeping me very busy and that has earned me a nomination for an 'Awesome Blog of the Month' award in a community of 850 dog blogs. Click here if you want to check it out. It's not just about the dogs. Don's stroke and caregiving have a way of making their presence known in some of the entries.
     
    Until next time,
     
     
    Jean
  9. jriva
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    1st Speech & Aquatic Therapy Sessions
     
    Speech: I've always kidded that Don is a guinea pig for the student speech pathologists at the college where he goes for speech therapy. This semester that will be more fact than fiction---or maybe I should change that to, "He'll be a lab rat for the whole department." It was disappointing to find out that Don will.....
     
    Click Here! to read the rest of this entry. See the September 20th entry titled, "Disappointing Week."
     
    Jean
     
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  10. jriva
    No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Don, me and the new puppy are poking along as usual, trying to establish and keep to a schedule for summer. To read my full entry about routines in Caregiverville, click here.
     
    Even though I haven't blogged often myself this past month, the dogs have been very active in their blog. You can catch their view of our lives in Caregiverville here.
     
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  11. jriva

    Show Us Your Best

    By jriva,

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    Being a caregiver is a label I neither like nor dislike. It just is what it is, although early on in the process of becoming one it felt like..... Click here to read the full blog entry.
     
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  12. jriva
    Don's eighth anniversary out from his massive stroke is coming up. To read about our plans and my thoughts on the big day, click here.
     
    Levi and Cooper have been blogging and giving away the family secrets a lot lately. You can check them out here.
  16. jriva

    Training at the YMCA

    By jriva,

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    Don and I have been really busy lately....mostly because we're training at the YMCA now. Trust me, it's not easy keeping a stroke survivor with impulse control issues on task with all the young mothers working out in the mornings at the Y.
     
    Also there's been a tad bit of progress in the language disorders department. To read more, click here.
     
    Cooper's been blogging a lot lately though. You can catch him by clicking here.
     
    Jean
  17. jriva
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    This past week I've written a couple of blogs entries. The first is about caregivers looking back to pre-stroke days and the second one is about giving back what we've been given. Plus the dog has really been on a writing streak. "He's" written several entries since my last trip to Strokenet's blog community including one on how he acts as a service dog to my wheelchair bound husband. The little snot has more subscribers than I do. I'm half jealous.
     
    CRAZY GLUE ON MY SHOES --- Some times I hate listening to music. It makes me cry too often. I mean, who wouldn
  18. jriva

    Immortality

    By jriva,

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    When do we, as caregivers, face our care recipient's mortalities? Are we all immortal? Click here to read this topic at my other blog.
     
    Jean
     
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  19. jriva
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    I've been busy since I last updated my blog here. The usual caregiver and housewife stuff fills up a lot of time, of course. But I've also become pretty active at a couple of writers sites that I was asked to join after I won that $1,000 award. They have led to me writing and submitting a half dozen humor articles to print sources. I don't know what will come of them, but at least it keeps my mind occupied beyond the mundane game of trying to find the nest were the dust bunnies have been breeding.
     
    If you're interested, click here to go to my Planet Aphasia blog
     
    March 7th blog entry: Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks Miracles in aphasia land. Don accomplished something he hasn't been able to do since his stroke May 21, 2000!
     
    March 1st blog entry: Plumbing 101: Aphasia Style What happens when a stroke survivor with aphasia is trying to teach his caregiver/wife about plumbing? Find out in this blog entry.
     
    February 29th blog entry: Excellence in Teaching My husband, the movie star in a soon to be released textbook video being made about aphasia and apraxia.
     
    February 22, blog entry: Third Friday Musing about life and a link back to one of my favorite articles about aphasia.
     
     
    Click here to read The Cooper Chronicles Cooper, for those who don't know it is our dog-kid and he's really been spilling the beans about his checkered past and his parents. He's got nine new entries since I last blogged here at Strokenet about his starting a blog of his own. He's even added dancing poodles, a slide show and a poodle exercise video.
     
    Jean
  20. jriva
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    I've been busy since I last took the time to post here at Strokenet. I do read here once a week or so to keep up with all of you guys. I have been writing, though. Here's my latest----
     
    Don's aphasia and apraxia are constantly an inspiration for blog entries. Here's my latest:
    http://fromtheplanetaphasia.blogspot.com/2...-boom-boom.html
     
    Here's an entry about the worst 48 hours of caregiving I've every had:
    http://fromtheplanetaphasia.blogspot.com/2...rs-in-hell.html
     
    Are you having a mid-life crisis? Here's my essay on how to cure it:
    http://fromtheplanetaphasia.blogspot.com/2...ife-crisis.html
     
    My latest AC article is titled, "Hot Fashions in Walking Canes: From Exotic to Practical."
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6...nes_exotic.html
     
    Cooper, our dog, started his own blog, The Cooper Chronicles. His first three entries are titled: Perfume Puppy, Cardboard Prison, and Plumber Pup
    http://cooperthedogs.blogspot.com/
     
     
    See you all in March.
     
    Jean
     
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  21. jriva

    Remember Me?

    By jriva,

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    It's been about a month since Don's aorta aneurysm surgery and then his eight day hospitalization that followed. He's doing great now and so am I....except I took a little detour with my free time. If you want to know more, you can read my blogger's blog at: http://fromtheplanetaphasia.blogspot.com/ (See the January 21st and December 29th entries to catch up to the last time I blogged here at Strokenet.)
     
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  22. jriva

    Still in the Hospital...

    By jriva,

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    I can't believe it's been six weeks since I've updated this blog. A lot has happened since then, the most significant event being that Don has had surgery and is still in the hospital. It was suppose to be an over night stay but he's on day five with no end date in sight. Maybe Thursday. I won't try to explain it all here but if anyone is interested you can find my December blog entries at Bloggers by clicking here.
     
    Jean
     
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  23. jriva

    Two Steps Forward, One Back

    By jriva,

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    Don's new carbon fiber brace came on Monday and it was short of amazing to see how well he could...... Click Here to read all about it and also about Don's last aquatic pool therapy and a new issue---an aorta aneurysm surgery on the horizon.
     
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  25. jriva

    Mayhem in Caregiverville

    By jriva,

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    Did you ever have a day when you had to wear your Christmas sweater three days after Halloween because you forgot to do the laundry? Okay, so I fail at housewifey things but can anyone explain why a 60-something year old woman can't......... Click here to read more.
     
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