i've been having difficulty accessing the site...my big news is that two weeks ago while lying on my right side i was able to completely raise my affected arm...i have repeated this movement many times since...!!!!...god knows i needed to see some results after 4 months of 11 acupuncture treatments per week plus all the other therapies and the additional work i do on my own!...just to review, before coming here i had some movement in my affected arm but could not lift it in any way...the lifting
hi all...wow i'm thankful...and definately a bit stunned still....to report that my left wrist is now showing extension against gravity!...we saw trace movements last week and the week before but today was the real deal...my ot is a terrific therapist to work with...i had to look several times to believe what i was seeing...my hand has been flaccid for sooooo long...my new acupuncturist is all that i want her to be...she's very skilled with rehab clients like myself and believes strongly in work
greetings...i flew back to new york this afternoon...btw jetblue treated me wonderfully...a skycap met me with a wheelchair at the curbside check-in...i got my boarding pass there then he took me thru security..beep
beep beep...and right to my gate...the flight attendants were just as helpful...they changed my seat to the first row...the whole experience of flying alone was virtually anxiety free...well except for using the bathroom during some turbulence......i went over to my bank to make th
hi all...i got myself into a zen state of mind over the summer now that i live 500 feet from the ocean and all the construction on my house is completed...all i wanted to do was gardening and lounge in the sun (what little there was) on my deck with my cat hOOver...several weeks ago i moved into a proactive mode and lucked out finding a trainer/pt guy on craig'slist...he's the jackpot!...i didn't think i'd ever find just the right person to work with in my new location but the gods have been kin
well things seem to have changed for the better in my little (big??) world over here...i now have a helper/com- panion to be with me part time...it's an 8 hour shift in the afternoons/evenings...i lucked out with a good one!... he's been watching what my tuina doctor does with me in our daily sessions and he's been giving me an evening treatment in addition to going with me to the gym in the afternoon and helping me with ranging my arm (the thing i am so not motivated to do by myself!)...he help
greetings!...omg my move from the big town was a trip and a half...now that the weather is nicer i'm coming out of hibernation...not too much is so different...i'm registered to attend john of god's 4 day healing gathering at omega in ny this september and will most probably go back to brasil to the casa as well...perhaps in july...i've connected with a couple of quality therapists down here for which i'm grateful...my pt holds a doctorate in his field specializing in neural rehab...he knows wha
greetings from nyc...my recovery is continuing to go well...i'm grateful!...i actually left the house the other day without my cane!...it was just to go down the street to my psych classes but it felt like another big leap for me...it was wonderful to have my right hand available!...i've started working out with a personal trainer who i found on craig'slist...he's affordable thank god and i'm seeing him at least three times a week...i had some concerns working with someone so young but he's been
hi...just a brief post before i leave for class...the good news is that my left arm is showing signs of increased strength!...it was really fun to push against my ot this afternoon and feel strength!...the progress is slow but it's coming!
i have a new cardiologist who has expressed interest in my stem cell treatment...apparently there has been a series of articles in cardiac journals recently that caught his attention...i'm going for a chemical stress test on tuesday...it will be interesting
hi...i couldn't access the site last week and i really felt like blogging to everyone...my friend's visit has been so wonderful...woo hoo!...grateful am i...but even that couldn't blot out the negative feelings that are waxing regarding not being able to leave the hospital...long long story short (for now) i am researching other tcm clinics here solely due to this reason...i'm a little too old to be infantilized...i'll weigh all my options and seek guidance regarding which direction to steer my
wednesday will be 7 weeks here...!!!!...i've put out feelers for a mandarin tutor...i can't resist seriously studying the language as i'm already immersed...an opportunity like this rarely presents...and it's a wonder- fully productive way to pass the slower hours here...a good friend from nyc is visiting...she arrives tomorrow and will stay for almost 2 weeks...how excited am i??...couldn't begin to tell you...i've become an ex-pat!...my beloved city and my beloved family friends and neighbors
twina is a particular vigorous massage practiced only by people who become doctors in this technic....the type of twina we receive is designed for stroke rehab...the focus is concentrated on muscles and tendons...the affected areas of the body are worked over with deep tissue work...it's done thru clothing...no oil, massage lotion...we all get this for 30 - 45 minutes five times per week in our rooms on the bed...the practitioner i was fortunate enough to switch to recently also gives me some go
greetings from nyc...just got back from ot...i did a couple of sets of forearm flexion and extension...my triceps are definately working!...these sets were against gravity!...i come from weight training for years...it felt wonderful to move my left arm this way tho i have to be very very careful not to compare what i'm doing now to what i used to do...i'm grateful for the gains i'm getting on my journey...i'm having a rough time trying to find a neurologist that will work with my insurance plan.
i'm going to give you a look into the typical weekday here at the first teaching hospital for traditional chinese medicine in tianjin, china: a nurse takes a bp at around 6 - 6:20am...breakfast arrives between 7 - 7:15...i go to the gym at 8 for one hour...morning acupuncture is around 9:30...herbal soaks to the affected areas usually follow that along with cupping...lunch comes early at 11 - 11:15...there's a european-style siesta after that which usually lasts until after 1pm...afternoon acupu
goodmorning...i slept well last night knowing that my clothes were all packed...i'm a notoriously late packer...
this way feels so much better...everything else can wait a week until i return...the car is coming at 3pm to take sally and i to jfk...we'll arrive there 3 hours before the aerosvit nonstop flight is scheduled to leave at 6:55pm...i want to get there early to request seats on the emergency exit row...they have more legroom (i'm 6'3") which will make sleeping at least a possibility..
hi all...this little facility which is connected to the much larger tiantan hospital next door specializes in a neuro-science approach to illnesses such as parkinson's, altzhiemer's, stroke, spinal cord injuries and brain tumors...the big feature that attracted me was the fact that they offer neural stem cell injections...plus a daily 'cocktail' of iv treatments to complement this...these are mostly anti-oxidants and brain vaso-dilators...also they include one tcm treatment per weekday and a min
hi all...this little facility which is connected to the much larger tiantan hospital next door specializes in a neuro-science approach to illnesses such as parkinson's, altzhiemer's, stroke, spinal cord injuries and brain tumors...the big feature that attracted me was the fact that they offer neural stem cell injections...plus a daily 'cocktail' of iv treatments to complement this...these are mostly anti-oxidants and brain vaso-dilators...also they include one tcm treatment per weekday and a min
hi all...after six months in the 'first teaching hospital for traditional chinese medicine' here's my final words before moving on to my current therapy: net result is that my arm improved...lying on my unaffected side i can raise it in the air...standing i can raise it la-terally with bent elbow (it's too difficult to keep it straight) to about shoulder height...i could not do this prior to january...that said, there's still really nothing i can functionally DO with my arm...my shoulder is stil
greetings from orlando...i'm down here going for my twice daily 02 therapy...i have only positive things to say about central florida hyperbarics located at 5423 lake howell rd in winter park...the entire staff is well qualified, professional, and accomodating in every way...and it's affordable by any standard...i'm a supporter of the science behind this therapy to help restore brain function...my treatment will end sometime next week...i'll report more about my experience with it at that time..
rich here...i spoke with peter sidorenko at length two days ago about going to kiev, ukraine for fetal stem cell therapy after reading about his presentation here on strokenet...i have decided to take the actions to make this happen...i want as much return as possible as quickly as possible...i live by myself in manhattan and the days can be utterly unbearable for me as my life has shrunk to a one bedroom apartment...i believe in this therapy and am looking forward to this treatment/adventure...
it's been awhile since i have blogged...more news alerts regarding the most horrendous fraudulent treatments on the planet...i made my arrangements to pursue treatment at the above mentioned hospital in january after reviewing their website: www.tcmtreatment.com and several email exchanges with it's director...'dr' ming...after arriving in this 'hospital' on april 11 it took me one hour to realize that it was a total scam...the website is the best example of photoshop i could ever imagine...it n
hi from over here...how great to see some comments so far...hello bonnie, asha, autumn!...i feel so far away from everyone...and i am!!!!...lol
i want to blog about the acupuncture a bit as this is the single most important modality i'm receiving for my stroke recovery altho all the treatments definately work together synergistically to manifest healing...we all receive acupuncture 11 times per week...twice/day during the week plus a saturday morning session...as this is a teaching hospital a
season's greetings!...the scti, inc website has a brief video spot of me 1/2 way thru the story about raul's stem cell treatment in kiev on it's homepage...and for those of you interested in evaluating and analyzing the degree of dorsiflexion return in my affected foot, knock yourselves out!...i think the full interview will be available at the end of the month or early january...
i found out from ruth lycke that there will be a total of 15 stroke patients from the usa going to tianjin on janu
greetings...it's a beautiful sunny hot day down here in orlando...i'm planning to spend some time in the pool as i have the entire day to just relax......i sincerely want to express my gratitude to all the people who have responded to my blogging...i had unwittingly set my blog to invisible and i wondered why no one at all had any feedback...(thank you again steve for your help in correcting this)...well now with the feedback thusfar i feel the glorious support of other survivors squarely behind
hi from beijing...i wanted to really think about my friend bonnie's comment before responding...i do agree 101% with her that there are unethical people everywhere, in every corner of the planet without regard to race, religion or any other human classification...the important difference is that in the usa, as well as in many other countries, we have a thing called 'laws' that protect people from many, tho not all, unethical behaviors. if anyone can present a non-frivilous case against someone w
hi from beijing...i wanted to really think about my friend bonnie's comment before responding...i do agree 101% with her that there are unethical people everywhere, in every corner of the planet without regard to race, religion or any other human classification...the important difference is that in the usa, as well as in many other countries, we have a thing called 'laws' that protect people from many, tho not all, unethical behaviors. if anyone can present a non-frivilous case against someone w
