Ricardo W. Herrero

Dear Donna: I would like to tell the world that you have been my angel. I guess were it not for the questions that I incessantly asked you about my blog and my postings, I would never have been able to post anything on the message board. Thanx again. basubs

:bouncing_off_wall: I have been wanting to write on my blog for such a long time now, but my lack of computer skills has prevented me from doing so. However, now I am doing so and today I' like to talk about progress. Progress is something vital to our recovery from stroke. When I first started going to therapy, I decided that by hook or by crook I would walk again. My stroke was not debilitating in the sense that my mind or speech were affected. They were not. However, being diabetic in origin, I have generalized neuropathy and so since my nerves were affected, I am unable to walk.My muscles are weak. My back muscles are weak. When I sleep in one position, I wake up in the same position except when I ask my caregivers to move me. Some of my muscles have atrophied from lack of use. To top it all, I have some tendonitis and synovitis on my right shoulder, a condition that existed before my stroke and which I failed to address with proper therapy. So there I was confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk and unable to actually move. When I would sit on my wheelchair, I would actually fall forward and to my right because my back muscles were so weak that I had no control of my body. I could not even feed myself since I could not grasp the utensils on both my hands. I knew that there was a lot of hard work in store for me. Well, I set my mind to it! I went to therapy religiously 3x a week. The exercises that I did were painful and agonizing but they paid off. Now, I am walking. Yes, I am being assisted by my therapist and caregivers but I am walking! When I first stood up using the parallel bars, I stood for a maximum of one (1) minute and it was agonizing and excruciatingly painful. Today, I stand for 40 min. without pain. Now, that's progress! Today I can grasp the utensils and consequently I can feed myself. Now, that's progress! Today, sitting on my wheelchair I can actually straighten my back and I no longer droop forward. Now, that's progress! I am even typing my own blog. Now, that's progress!! So, never give up. Recovery is a slow, painful process but it comes. It does not come overnight but with hard work, it will definitely come! :Clap-Hands:

I am new to the board buy I have read some of veggie.vampire's posts. I will miss her. My deepest condolences. Ricardo W. Herrero aka basubs

[font=Arial When I was in my hospital bed in August 2005, when I had my 3rd sttroke, my attending physician sent the hospital psychiatrist because my attending doctor feared that I might go into depression. When the psychiatrist arrived, she began to talk to me and in the course of our conversation I said, with my fists banging the hospital bed. "I will walk again, Doctor!! Etch that in stone. I will walk again!!" She took a long look at me and said, "Subas (my nickname) with an attitude like that half your battle is won." And it has been that way ever since. i refuse to have my stroke condition run my life. I refuse to just stay at home. I go with my wife to the supermarket. I go to the malls just to pass my time. I go to therapy 3x a week at the Philippine Heart Center for Asia (remember that I live in the Philippines) where they have tremendous facilities and very competent and compassionate therapists. Here I am not just a number, not just a patient but a human being. Well, I believe that the therapists there appreciate me very much because I put a positive slant to all the patients' problems. When I enter the room with the stationary bikes, I always say that all those people in that room will get well!m Then I say, "When I am walking, I challenge everyone in this room to a race around the oval! That always gets a good laugh and encourages the patients. I mention these events because a positive attitude is VITAL to one's recovery. The desire to get well must be there. This attitude for me in all probability comes from the 14 yeard that I studied under the American Jesuits at the Ateneo University. We were taught never to give up. If you must go down, go down fighting. That is why even if our basketball teamwas downby 30 points at the half, our side would cheer the loudest because we never said die. Positive attitude is necessary. basubsjava script:emoticon(':big_grin:',%20'smid_11')