HostAsha

Pam : I get so amazed by your inner strength & your strength to stand for yourself & other weak people who don't have medical advocate to stand in-front of bullies & get the job done. I bet your roommate is appreciating all you guys do for each other Asha

Fred : congratulations. wow six puppies. you are now expert grandfather in dog birthing process even with your one hand. Asha

Debbie : I am so happy that aquatherapy is helping bruce. I feel for me treadmill therapy has done wonders for me, though mostly my toning is in my hand which is useless luckily I was right handed so I can almost do everything with one hand & good attitude. Bruce has come out so far in his recovery. I know its not easy. keep on giving good fight to stroke & make beautiful post stroke life Asha

Pam : I feel usually we are so hard on ourselves that we overlook how pretty we are inside & outside since we focus on only negatives in us. I know you are beautiful person from inside now know you are pretty outside too. Asha

jay : thats funny though I know there is lot of time I have done butt dialing & you don't even realize your phone has called some a lol Ash

Jay : I guess they deny first time I guess if someone gives up then easy money saved for them. but I know lot of people get it when they appeal it. fortunately mine was very straight forward case & hubby had followed all their letters to T like lawyer so got approved in first attempt Asha

Mitch : when I wake up to go to bathroom I never fully open my eyes so I just go & come back to bed & fall asleep right away. for me doing exercise M,W,F 3 hours a day helps me very tired & I can fall asleep right away. Asha

We dropped kido to his dorm room, everything went smoothly. ofcourse day earlier I was so mad at him being irresponsible about receipts and general things. & day later so proud of him being so responsible for doing all things right for his dorm room. Ofcourse made me feel so bad about blowing up on him day earlier. I guess thats how life is made up all moments some are great & some are not as much. hubby & kido both has this great idea of not coming home as much so that he grows up & becomes responsible young man. I kept reminding him we are just hour away if he needs us anytime we will be there in no time. I kept on telling him only reason we are here is just to be there for him in case he stumbles he should tell us first, even though we would get mad but will be there for him. I really pray he understood that part clearly, and make wise choices in college. I am so thankful to be able to live even after my stroke & see him grow into such a great young guy. It makes me feel happy that my illness did not do much damage to his life. I m thankful that hubby hold the fort strong till I found my inner strength back. its funny how I still hear footsteps in upstairs bedroom. though hubby & kido both had great idea I should just go upstairs & check in his room every now & then & yell & I will feel good again lol. Though its not as bad adjusting to empty nest since he had trained me well as teenagers they like to spend more time with friends than parents. So I am happy with phone calls & text messages. they come fast & furious when he needs money lol. I was telling him I got my car back now woohoo lol. Ofcourse I don't use it as much yet. Asha

Pam : I read great commentary in bowl of saki on death will share with you. I know you will like it. Asha Death is a tax the soul has to pay for having had a name and a form. Bowl of Saki, August 28, by Hazrat Inayat Khan Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan: All that is constructed is subject to destruction; all that is composed must be decomposed; all that is formed must be destroyed; that which has birth has death. But all this belongs to matter; the spirit which is absorbed by this formation of matter or by its mechanism lives, for spirit cannot die. from http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XI/XI_I_12.htm That which the soul has borrowed he must give back when it has done its work; it was borrowed for a certain time and for a certain purpose. When the purpose is fulfilled, when the time is finished, then every plane asks for that which the soul has borrowed from it, and one cannot help but give it back to that plane. It is this process which is called assimilation. Since man is born greedy and selfish he has taken all things willingly, enthusiastically -- he gives them back grudgingly and calls it death. ... Death is nothing but the taking off of one garb and giving it back to the plane from which it was borrowed, for the condition is this: one cannot take the garb of the lower plane to the higher plane. The soul is only released when it is willing -- or compelled -- to give its garb to the plane it has taken it from. It is this which releases the soul to go on in its travel. And as it proceeds to a higher plane, after its stay there it must again give its garb back and be purified from it in order to go further. ... This knowledge also throws a light upon the question of death. Death is not really death; it is only a passing stage, it is only a change, as changing clothes.

as I have said it before, due to my own immigrant experiences I firmly believe that when you work harder you get lucky & prosper financially. I know we did, & as I have seen lot of immigrants here in our state prosper. So my view on people who are still struggling is they are not working hard or smart way. hubby completely disagrees with me, he was like lot of people work hard & still don't reach where some of us have reached. So there is luck involved there too. he is such a kind & humble guy & no arrogance over how he succeeded in life where he really started with negative balance in this country & worked his way up from minimum wage work to where he is today. Some days I pinch myself that I got so lucky in marrying this guy he is so different than me but he allows me to see complete picture. he indeed completes me sounds like movie line lol Asha

Jay : I have taken cruise multiple times after my stroke & I never had any trouble with my balance after cruise or during cruise. I find cruising is best & accommodating vacation. Asha

Pam : I can so identify with what you are saying, but just hold on when you feel like you re drowning in self pity. believe me best is yet to come & god has something better store in for you. you survived for a reason & not as a punishment. & I promise you will see it too when you come out of this dark tunnel of why me. just remember to stay in present & take jut one day at a time. don't look far in future it will create anxiety don't look behind it will create depression, just stay in present. hope & pray for better days to come soon. Asha

Mitch : thats why I had created kind if routine for me two days of exercise & then one day of break in between, and usually on my break day I catch up on my home duties like laundry cleaning bathrooms & so on. I call my break day my lazy day. over last decade or so it has worked well for me & now I can do atleast hour of walking on my break day without any trouble. so give your body brea to recuperate. Asha

In life you go through so many ups & downs, but this trick of asking myself above question does bring down my stress level & allows me to look at whatever is bothering me square into its face & make right decision for peace of my mind. I guess life is never fun when you go through some pains here & there but asking those questions does bring peace of mind. I think second question to ask yourself will this matter in 5 years down the road. Though for the first question strategy I need to thank Jean riva who showed me right on this site how to handle difficult situation with humor & peace of mind. So I am going to trust God & remind myself the pain which is bothering in my affected side will pass too. Asha

Pam : you continue to amaze me & also I m scared of you too lol. you perseverance inspires me to make sure to fight for things I feel I need. Asha

jay : well said though maybe bud driver might be going through some of his own issues which he took out on you Asha

Sarah : its amazing how you can touch someone else's life by just outside. I feel Every one is fighting some kind of battle in their life. I guess ours are just too obvious. I bet talking with you & Gary might give him courage to fight on in his own life. Asha

Jay : repetition & routine is key for adapting to our new disability & life. Asha

Jay : I am so glad you are not hurt & found tree to hug & balance yourself. I feel falling with us survivors is so easy. Asha

Nancy : please tell that roommate sitting in your head to shut up. I sometime feel we are our worst critic. you have to realize you did the best you could with information you had. I feel as long as you gave your best, rest does not matter. Asha

Judy : Thanks for updating us. you sound so much better this time. I guess acceptance stage is best place to be in when we instead of resisting life go with flow and start appreciating day as it comes along.without expectations. I am glad you & Ray got grandkids near by to enjoy them hope to hear from you soon. Asha

Scott2.0 : I like the new title too & might use it too without giving you royalty lol. I don't understand technical details of your project but looks like Scott 1.0 & 2.0 both r smart cookies Asha

Mitch : wow that's scary glad nothing scary & Jules is back home recuperating. I am glad you are strong enough mentally & physically & handled the situation well. Asha

In my last blog George made this observation & comment which made me go wow so true. like nature we all have seasons in our life without that fall & winter, spring of rebirth & growth won't be possible to enjoy summer days with your loved ones. I so love that comparison & so grateful to be able to get this second chance at life & enjoy life with people I love the most. Asha

hi kelly : welcome to best online stroke support & our blog community. others will soon chime in. I can tell you as a survivor. yes it will get better. Stroke affects whole family, though with support of family & friends you can live as well as before or better than before. first I want to tell you, you guys are still very early in your recovery. first few months are hardest too many changes for survivor & caregiver both. too many balls are up in air right now. but keep on working together in catching them. I feel best thing you can do for yourself & your survivor is establish routine, and try to make your survivor as independent as possible, help only when you are asked for help it has lot of benefits more he can do for himself & family its one less thing for you to worry about, & it will help him also in rebuilding his confidence & self esteem which does take big hit when you are hit with your stroke. I stroked at age 34 which left me paralzed on my left aide & retired me from the job I loved. I found blogging & chatting with other survivors very therapeutic for my soul. hope to see you around often cheers, Asha