kanderson

hi stessie, as always you amaze me with your strength and courage to keep fighting the good fight. i'm so happy you got to the hospital and got what you needed to feel better. i hope you continue to stay well. you are always in my thoughts and prayers. keep us updated as you can and get out to enjoy the spring sunshine and smell the flowers. love you.

kimmie

patty i totally understand what you are saying. it angers me at times too. after our strokes, we work so dam hard to get better and get back as much as we can. others think we should be the way we were before stroke and we know it doesn't work like that. i too get those comments and reactions when i ask something of them, god knows, i hate to even ask anymore. i try to hold my temper back and believe me at times i fail to control it, ive learned to stay calm and let it go and remember the person doesn't have a clue what we deal with daily. i wanted to complement you on your very busy day. geez if i did all that. i would be down for a nap for hours. i think you have come really far in your recovery and i am happy for you. you give survivors a good example of how hard it is but you do it and keep going. thankyou for your blog today. it really hit home for me.

leah, that is great news, epidurals do help, you can see the difference after just 1, hopefully after a few more you will feel so much better. rest all you can, life is still waiting for you, so no rush to dash to quickly yet to be out in it. give yourself time to heal. take good care and feel better.

hugs,

kimmie

hi leah, bless your heart. your trials keep coming at you but you will get through them. you do everytime. what they are talking about is epidural injections for pain . i used to work at a clinic where we did those all the time, they usually are done in a series of 3 over a certain time period. they do work. we had anesthesiologist's giving the shots. they do a great job, people were able to go on with their daily lives, pain free. i hope these will ease your pain. so you can get back to a better place in your life. we have missed not hearing from you but we now understand why. never give up hope leah. living with daily pain is not an enjoyable part of life, i'm sure jerry understands your moods by now,LOL keep your chin up. better days will come again. sometimes we go forward then take a few steps back and that is ok. we can't control everything in our bodies, leah. we just have to take what comes and deal with it head-on, like you have done so many times before. i know your faith and determination will get you through this set back. so get a smiley on your face and forge ahead. all of us are here and rooting you on. and do love and care about you very much. keep us updated as you can.

hi lenny, i agree with you canada did a wonderful job in hosting the Olympics this year and i bet they get it again some other year down the road. vancouver is a beautiful city and had alot to offer. the beauty and magnitude of the city was breath taking. i have always thought british columbia was beautiful. i am glad you and your family were able to go to the games and thank you for explaining the ticketing system. i wondered how they did that.

the pictures you sent me were great i saved them on my computer to show other friends and family. canada did very well in the medal count and showed us how hockey is played, congrats on the win. now you have alot of great memories to last you forever. you did well in keeping us updated on the games with your links. i was sad too when they ended, i watched everyday for 2 weeks and enjoyed them very much. now they are over and the athletes can go home proud for a job well done with their medals. on a sad note a Olympian from 1972/swimming events lives here in phoenix, i forget her name, just had her home broken into and her medals were stolen and she is heart broken. normally she kept them in a safe deposit box but hadn't taken them back before she went out of town. i feel so bad for her. anyway thank you for your blog. it was well written by a true Olympic and vancouver fan.

awww leah i am so sorry to hear about the accident but thank goodness jerry is ok, but your injury and hurting, i don't like to hear. bless your heart, you have dealt with alot the past few years. i know how depressing these things can be. just keep thinking positive thoughts and this too shall pass. sometimes the black cloud floats to others who don't need or deserve it. keep smiling it will get better. sending you hugs and prayers. get well quick

awww stessie , i wish i could take your pain away. you have endured so much. you have the spirit of a tiger who goes in for the kill)meds and chemo treatments) and come out with all the beauty of a true warrior. thankyou for sharing so much of your journey with us. i never thought about the nose hair and runny noses, LOL you still bring us humor too. well this is another journey in you

life that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, well maybe this one you would, huh,LOL i know in my heart that you will beat this one as well. i pray daily for this to end for you soon and you to remain healthy all through this madness. you are truly an inspiration to anyone fighting a battle of their own. god bless and keep you stessie. you are almost there. keep the faith. my thoughts prayers and love are with you my dear lady.

wow fred, who knew!. i agree with maria, you have a heart of gold and are loved by all here that know you. i just go for the candy myself, lol flowers die. i hope you and wifey had a great day together.

hi kevin, don't you just love the government's paperwork and chances are they lose it anyway. its good you started the ssdi application now, just in case. getting on medicaid was a good idea too. you might think about food stamps if that will help you out too.

as far as the taxes go, you can put those off, a few days i think, don't overload your brain to much, you will need days to recover, believe me. i hate taxes they are unconstitutional as far as i am concerned. but that's another story. in your spare time you might start an excel worksheet to keep track of your yearly expenses, easier at tax time. i put mine off until the accountant bugs me to death for them. then i buckle down and get started. i hope you get i all sorted out as i'm sure you will. we feel behind a few years with our taxes after my stroke. that was not fun to get all that together to file. i was brain dead for days after that. BTW, ssdi wants their dr to go over everything so they can deny you is basically what it boils down to. if denied you can appeal it. i got mine on my first time around, they knew i was screwed up i guess,lol but once approved they will retro it back to when you applied, not when the determination was reached so that will help. it can take awhile for them to look over your claim. so be prepared to wait. i'm really full of good news huh. sorry but its the truth. i will pray your claim is accepted. stroke is the leading cause of disability and the 3rd leading cause of deaths, i think i have my numbers right.

you go right ahead and brag if you want to lenny. you should be proud of canada. they are hosting a wondrous event and canada has many great athletes. i agree with sue the Olympics does bring countries together. i wish canada continued success in the games.

good luck

hi again kevin, great 1st blog, i share pretty much the same story as you, workaholic over 60 hours a week, worked my way up and i enjoyed my job, wanted to go back but my cognitive deficits wouldn't let me. so i was medically retired at 48. i worked on my deficits and was asked to volunteer on site, that has been the best therapy for me. it keeps me busy when i was so bored before. i enjoy meeting others like myself knowing i am not alone out there and helping others come to terms with their strokes. i hope you are able to return to work. if you are unable to, i suggest starting the ssdi application as soon as you can. i tried to go back to work but couldn't do the mental work like i used to, i was the business manager for 2 nursing facilities, working with payroll and ac and ap and keeping the books. i wish you the best in accomplishing that goal to return to work. give yourself some more time on your recovery. it does take the brain time to heal. if you haven't already, i suggest you read a letter from your brain, under the classic postings in the forums, it puts things into perspective about our brain and injuries to it. keep blogging and letting us know how you are doing.

wow lenny thxs for the update, it sounds like a hustle, bustle world up there to get things ready. its not to far off now. i will be watching and hope to spot you in the crowds. i bet you are getting excited too. be sure to be careful out there with all the commotion going on.

geez jeannie what a experience that was. you must have the patience of jobe. glad it all got resolved for you.

WOW DIANA, I AM SORRY TO HEAR THAT. I AGREE HE SHOULD JUST ASK. THAT MONEY IS YOUR MONTHLY INCOME AND ITS YOURS. I WOULD SUGGEST PUTTING IT IN A BANK WITH YOUR NAME ONLY ON THE ACCOUNT. OR FINDING A BETTER HIDING PLACE. STEALING FROM YOU IS JUST WRONG. YOU KNOW MONEY JUST DOESN'T GET UP AND WALK AWAY. I HOPE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. MAYBE PUTTING A MOUSE TRAP IN YOUR PURSES MIGHT HELP, LOL,

hi bill, sorry to hear about the relationship breaking up, but you are right it wasn't meant to be. hopefully this new lady will work out better. i bet bud is just as excited as you to be able to play with a puppy. have a great time and let us know how it all goes. good luck. be safe on your trip too.

yes these companys have a way of adding charges to your bill, saying you ordered the service, EXCUSE ME, i did not, someone there ordered it to see if i would catch the charges on my bill. i just recently went through something like that on my texaco credit card, due to hard times i was put on a hardship plan to may a specific amount for 6months. i set up my payments myself, this past month they tripled the payment amount saying i set up the monthly payment for the amount due. I THINK NOT. i was on a special program and shouldn't have been billed that amount anyway and i never allow anyone into my bank account. so talking to them was useless but i requested a refund, but of coarse they could not do that. so they got their money anyway and took food from my table and they get away with it. no longer do they have my information on where my payments come from and i canceled any payments they set up. i might be brain damaged but i am not dumb. you have to watch these people continually. if i order something from a reputable company, i get a confirmation from them. to confirm what i ordered. i never open a credit card account with a bank that i have an account with. either. i go through my bills with a fine toothed comb anymore. phone bills are known to tach on charges we never agreed to. good for you jeannie for resolving your issue.

awwww sue, i am so sorry you had a night like that, like fred, is ray in hospital again? with my damaged brain, i wasn't quite sure if he was gotten back to bed or if they took him to make sure he was ok. whichever i hope he is ok and not had another stroke, god forbid. i do not know how you manage to do all you do. you are a very special lady i imagine how tired, stressed and worried you must be. god bless and keep you strong. i send you both lots of love and prayers,

(((((((((((((((((BIG HUGS))))))))))))))

KIMMIE

hey lenny, i bet you are tired after a workout like that. boy adam sounds like a great therapist and will get you into shape real fast, if he doesn't kill you first,LOL you will get stronger and feel better about yourself and trust your bad side more. i had that problem too. like we were taught, to go up with your bad leg and down with your good leg. i wouldn't do it that way for the longest time until my bad leg was stronger and i trusted i more. i always feared falling. keep up the great work lenny. and thankyou for explaining your therapy regime to us. some of those exercises can be done at home. thxs for sharing them with us. keep us updated on your progress. by the time you are done, you will be able to compete in the olympics yourself. LOL

hi lenny, thankyou for the updates on the olympics, i bet you are getting real excited about them getting ready to start. i would be too if i lived as close to them as you do. i don't know of anyone living that close to the event that they can ride their scooter over to see them, thats pretty special in itself. yes please take lots of pictures so we can see them too from the beautiful city you live in.

hi walt, your letter to your friend is right on the mark, i wish someone had written something like that for me after my stroke. you understand the many facets of being a stroke survivor. and explained them well. acceptance is sometimes the hardest step to reach. but it needs to be accomplished by each and every one of us, either a survivor or caregiver. you have done well in your 8months of survivorship. hopefully gary's friend will be able to recover well in his journey. especially if he has gary's gained knowledge and you helping him along. i am glad you have joined our site and join us in our chats. you would be a great mentor to other stroke survivors. thankyou for sharing this letter with us. its great to see you blogging also.

hi karen, your blood pressure is top priority right now, i just went through the same with my blood pressure of 200/160, needless to say i was worried to death, i was put on another blood pressure med which solved my problem. and several return trips to the doctor for follow ups. as far as your friend, you have tried to help her. i know fibromylagia affects everyone different but i also know if you feed into that it will take over. i have a friend who used to help me out, by cleaning, cooking etc. and she had it also. but she was here pretty much everyday to do 6-8 hours of what i needed her to do. sure she had pain, but she did not let it prevent her from functioning. i also had a friend i used to work with and she had it, but she was able to work everyday as a social worker, plus take care of her dad, who suffered from alzheimers, plus take care of her family. maybe your friend needs professional help or pain management counseling to help her cope. i know she needs a job probably. i don't think your friend is upset with you, you have tried to help her, if she is mad at you, she'll get over it. you can only do so much, if someone doesn't want to help themselves, you are fighting a loosing battle. encourage her to get help or apply for SSDI. the weather does affect how they feel so i've been told.

please take care of yourself now and get that b/p down. you have had alot of stress this past year. i pray this new year will be better for you. hugs kimmie

jan, i feel so bad for you, i am so sorry harley had to leave you but you as a responsible pet owner did the right thing. he is no longer suffering or in pain and he left his pawprint on you heart forever. it is such a hard thing to do to let go. but you and wayne had to. he now will rest in peace and will be waiting for you at the rainbow bridge. you will grieve and cry like susan said. but your pain will ease as days past by. try and get some rest and calmness back into your life, i know how stressful this can be on a survivor. i have had to do it twice since my stroke. its never an easy decision to make nor a pleasant thing to do, but harley couldn't commit suicide to get his suffering over with, but he knew the love you had for him and the best care all of these years that you gave him, you would do the right thing, and you did. bless you for being a great mom to harley boy.

jan i understand your pain all to well after loosing my stimpy dog last year. they are family and it hurts us just as much. but knowing in your heart you are doing the best thing for him and he would expect you to. that is the worse part of being a pet owner. they dedicate their lives to pleasing, protecting and loving us unconditionally. its so hard to say goodbye. just hold and talk to him and let him know you will see him again at the rainbow bridge after he is well and running and playing again he will be waiting for you. love up on him and let him know the comfort and friendship he gave to you after your stroke. no one understands that more than a fellow survivor. i wish you the best when the time comes and give harley a kiss for me too, i feel like i know him well through you. he will forever be in your heart and thoughts, its hard to say goodbye to a friend. i pray you find the strength to get through this as best you can. when he is at peace, you will be too. the sorrow will lift and the house will be lonely for you. but he is in your heart for evermore. keep his pictures close to you to help ease your pain. i will be thinking of you.

bruce, i agree with the above ladies. i have been thinking of getting botox myself, of coarse i let my guinea pig donna try it first and she got good results.

so keep up with the exercises and as mom used to say don't put off til tomorrow what can be done today! i think is how it goes,LOL i know exercises can be boring. you will reap the benefits. good luck. merry christmas to you and yours. happy new year, may it be a healthy and prosperous one for you. :santasmiley: :ChristmasTree: :santasmiley:

aww fred, that was a great post, thankyou for sharing it with us. christmas means so much to most of us survivors when we can be with our family and friends. i wish you and yours a very happy christmas and a healthier new year, be sure not to dip in the nog to much. we don't want you falling down, ok god bless :bell: :santasmiley: :ChristmasTree: :santa: