volare77

Stroke Survivor - female
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    70
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About volare77

  • Birthday 11/13/1962

Shared Information

  • Stroke Anniversary (first stroke)
    01-03-2009
  • Interests
    reading, bowling, needle point
  • How did you find us?
    Friend

Registration Information

  • First Name
    Sheryl
  • State
    MI

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  1. Happy Anniversary volare77!

  2. Happy Anniversary volare77!

  3. Happy Birthday volare77!

  4. volare77

    Life goes on

    I have good news to share I'm back to work part time. :Clap-Hands: I'm working 6 to 8 hours a week for now. The Dr. has given me approval to work up to 16 hours a week. :happydance: I'm back working with the same group I was working with before my stroke. Before my stroke I was a subject matter expert on six different Computer Systems. After all the downsizing company has done they are left without a subject matter expert to help them rewrite those systems. So that's what I'm doing now helping them to rewrite the systems that I know well. Thankfully my long term memory was not affected by the stroke so I am able to remember all about the systems. The people am working with understand that I have limitations and are willing to work with me so it is a win win situation. For now I'm working 2 to 3 hours a day three days a week. I'm hoping by the end of the year to be able to work 4 hours a day four days a week. The doctors told me that she does not believe I will ever be able to work full time again. In fact she is told me that working more than 16 hours a week could be detrimental to my health. So that being said it looks like I will only be working 16 hours a week for the foreseeable future. It feels so good to be back at work. I am fatigued a little each night when I get home but I am also energize. My brain is functioning again I'm finding that my short term memory is a little better than it was before I started working again. You know the saying if you don't use it you lose it, well that applies to the brain as well. Now that I am starting to use it again I think my brain is doing better. About half the people that I'm working with now I worked with for over 10 years before my stroke. So it's like coming home again being back in work. :hug: When winter starts they are arranging for me to be able to work from home on days when the weather is too bad for me to safely come in. I did find something now that might help some of you. If you have windows7 on your computer you have speech recognition software that is built in to windows7. From the start menu choose All programs and then choose Accessories and then choose Ease of access, you will then see the windows speech recognition option. click on that option it should walk you through setting it up, you do need to have a microphone but nothing else. Well more later, bye for now
  5. Well I've been practicing my driving with the spinner knob and even went on the freeway this week. :happydance: It's getting easier the more I drive and I am not quite as nervous as I was when I first started. It feels so good to be able to go where I want to go when I want to go and not have to ask anyone to take me. I've also found that my self confidence is growing. I have gone to the store twice now on my own just to pick up a couple of things but it really made me feel good. I guess the best way to describe it is that before I was driving I felt like Humpty Dumpty. I didn't think I would ever be okay again, but now I see that I can drive so I guess I'm not as broken as I thought I was. It gives me hope that one day I'll be able to do most of the things that I could do before the stroke. I may not be up to do them the same way I did before the stroke but I would still be able to do them. I had to let everyone know about something I found in the Harriet Carter catalog. It's called a baggie rack, it holds a baggie open so you can put things in it and it works great. It acts like another hand to hold the bag open without having to use your teeth. Even if you have two working hands this would be I a big help if you're trying to pour something into a bag. :thumbsu: Well with the driving I did today and the time I've spent now with the computer is time to go put my arm up to support my shoulder or by the time I go to bed I will be in so much pain I won't be able to sleep. Bye for now, Sheryl
  6. volare77

    The Nook

    I've had the Nook for a year now and I love it. It was so difficult after the stroke to try reading paperback books. Trying to hold the book in turn the page at the same time with just one hand, not to mention the small print. With the Nook is very easy to turn the page with one hand and I can change the font size to be bigger. I recommend the Nook for everyone that has trouble seeing the small print or turning pages with only one hand. I think William will get a lot a use out of his Nook. Did you get in the color Nook or just the black-and-white one?
  7. volare77

    Bummer of a summer

    I too had the same problems with my husband before I could drive. One of the things that we did was set up the schedule so he knew that every Sunday we went grocery shopping. But he also knew every Friday night was his time. He was into slot car racing so every Friday night he went to slot car track from six o'clock to midnight. We always set up the menu for the week so that I could have leftovers to just warm up in the microwave on Friday nights as he would not have time to fix me something before he left. He ate his Friday night dinner at the track as they ordered in food every Friday. Of course they are always things that come up that can't wait until Sunday but luckily I had my dad and my sister to ask. Get yourself a routine for doing just about everything that makes it easier and you don't forget to do stuff. Above all talk to your husband at a time when he's not exhausted the tell him how you feel and listen to how he feels. Brainstorme together on how to make things better. If you're asking him to do stuff when he's exhausted he's going to be cranky just know that he's cranky because he's exhausted not because he's angry with you. We sit down on Saturday and plan our meals for the next week (Sunday through Saturday) we then create a grocery list based on that menu so most of the time only one trip grocery store per week is needed. Another thing we do is we keep a notepad side of the refrigerator to write down things that we need from the grocery store as they come up during the week that way things don't get missed or forgot. Like your husband mine felt it was easier for him to do it by himself until I explained to him why it was important for me to go with him shopping or to help fix the meals. Once he understood where I was coming from it was easier for both of us. I have a refrigerator magnet that says "alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much". It was easier for my husband to do stuff on the days he was tired when he knew he could look forward to his night. I never ask him to do stuff on that night. If for some reason the slot car track was not open it was still his night to do what he wanted to do whether it was watch TV or work on his cars downstairs I did not bother him. He also hired my dad's neighbor's kid to shovel our snow and cut our grass, this made life easier for my husband which which in turn made life easier for me. Once we stopped trying to make things as they were before and started doing what made sense for now it was easier for both of us.
  8. Well it's been a while since I blogged. Our old computer bit the dust and we had to buy a new one. It's taken a while to get the new one all set up and to learn how to work all the bells and whistles. Let me bring you up to date on what's been going on. I finished my OT and PT at the rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. I've started the drivers valuation at the rehabilitation Institute of Michigan and this week we had the spinner knob installed on the car. I need to practice driving with the spinner knob and only using one foot for the gas and brake. I have two weeks to practice and then I am scheduled on August 3 to take a driving test. It feels good to be back behind the wheel but I'm also a little nervous I'm going to mess up. I know my nerves will be calmed with practice but I just wish I wasn't so nervous. Summer is in full swing here it's supposed to be in the 90s for the next seven days at least. That's just a little too hot for me so I guess I'll be spending most of my time indoors. Which is not all bad at this point as I have a baby quilt to embroidery for my stepsister. She's due in November and her shower is scheduled for September. I am hoping that will be able to finish the quilt in time for the shower but if not then by the time the baby is due. If I miss that then I can shoot for Christmas. I can't work on the quilt for long periods of time as I did on the two quilts I made before my stroke(one for my sister's baby and the other for my stepbrother's baby). I can work for about an hour then I have to take a break for a couple hours. The problem is my left shoulder/neck. It's hard to support my left shoulder/neck while working on the quilt. Without keeping my arm up to support the shoulder and neck I get horrible headaches that can turn into migraines if I'm not careful. I love to embroidery but I am still working on finding a way to do it without causing the headaches. I have the same problem with my left shoulder and neck when I'm on the computer so I think I better log off for now so I don't end up with a headache. More later bye
  9. Happy Anniversary volare77!

  10. First I want to thank everyone for the congratulations on picking up the marble. Now I need to vent a little. :notfair: The Insurance only gave me seven sessions with the OT but they did give me 12 sessions with the PT. Just tell me how much can you really accomplish in only seven sessions and two of them were the evaluation sessions. So I don't think I will get a whole lot out of the OT this time around but I'll see what I can do, anything is better than nothing I guess. When I was talking to the physical therapist and she told me that I got 12 sessions with her she laughingly said I guess I must've filled out the forms better than OT did since I got the full 12 I ask for. I really like her name is Jen and in three sessions she has figured out that both my hips are weak not just the left one. That explains some of my balance issues and walking issues. Now that she knows what it is she is going to work on trying to fix it and give me a home program to continue after our 12 sessions have ended. She is also going to look at maybe doing some therapy in the pool. The OT did come up with a stretch for my shoulder that really felt good, so on the 16th of this month when my husband takes me to therapy(he has to take a half a day off work) they're going to show him how to do it. The OT was telling me today about an invention that someone came up with to help zip up a jacket with only one hand. :secret: She said you take two alligator clips(there used in electrical) and hook them together with about a four-inch piece of cord. Then you clamp one of the alligator clips to the bottom of the jacket on the side that needs to be held. And keeping the chord pulled tight you clip the other alligator clip to your pants. Now the side of the zipper is held in place and you can use your one working hand to zip up the jacket. Hopefully this weekend my husband will be able to put this new little invention together for me and I can try it out. I'll let everyone know how it works once I have it. So I guess if I get nothing else out of OT, I now can zipper jacket one handed, provided this little invention works. The sun was out today and it was gorgeous. :Clap-Hands: I'm wearing shorts at eight o'clock at night and very comfortable. Ate my lunch on the back porch today and hopefully will get to do so again tomorrow. The only issue might be some thunderstorms that are due in sometime tomorrow. They're saying the temperature could make it into the 80s tomorrow. My lilacs are all in bloom, the daffodils are all blooming as well as the tulips it smelled so nice around my yard. Bye for now, thanks for listening to me vent. Sometimes you just need to get it all out and not keep the aggravation inside.
  11. Well I'm back in PT and OT again. Not sure for how long we are waiting on the insurance to decide. But something good happened in OT last week. I PICKED UP A MARBLE WITH MY LEFT HAND :happydance: from the table and lifted it up to the top of the milk crate! I couldn't let go of it so the therapist had to take it out of my hand. But the point is I did pick it up and lifted it without dropping! I was so happy I had tears in my eyes. Such a little thing that means so much. I'm hoping the insurance will give me at least a month of OT and PT this time around. I really think I'm in a place I could make some real progress. Only time will tell. The day I picked up the marble was the day my sister went with me to OT and came in to watch. It's not often she can do that because normally she has my nephew in the car with her. But her husband had a rain day from work so he took my nephew for the day. I wish my sister could come in all the time it's so nice to have a cheerleader there that was a member of your family. I dad cannot understand that so when he brings me he waits in the car. My husband is working so he doesn't get a chance very often to take me. I am waiting for approval to take the drivers valuation. Once I start driving again I will be taking myself, so no more cheerleaders. I have always been a person who needs feedback on what they're doing right or wrong. Since my stroke has become even more important to me, but unfortunately my husband doesn't understand that. My sister does and tries to do what she can. But having a three-year-old takes a great deal of her time and energy. She too is struggling with health issues of her own so I try not to impose. I never had many friends and now I have even fewer. Most of them have drifted off since my stroke. I guess I took too long to get "back to normal". What most people don't understand is that after having a stroke we will never be the same person again and it's just too hard for them to deal with. Times like this I wish I had a child so I would have a live-in cheerleader. My two fur babies(dogs) just aren't the same for that kind of thing. Well you can tell it's raining because I am feeling down. We've had so much rain lately I need more sun to lift my spirits. Well it's time to take my pills talk to everybody later.
  12. I'm right there with you trying to get more therapy. Since I got home from the hospital in 2009 its struggle to get therapy each year, but please don't give up. I found these sandals online that are supposed to give you the strength of the shoe but the comfort of the sandal. I ordered a pair from once they come in I will try them out and let everyone know if they work. I have found since my stroke it you have to look harder but you can find things to help you feel more normal. Keep up the home exercises they do help in the long run even though you may not think so. If you stop using all the things you've gained with this therapy you will lose them and possibly go backwards more, as I did last year. Hang in there we are all in this together. Think positively it can help. Sheryl
  13. volare77

    Better Days

    I hope things get better. As for not eating you might want to check the side effects of all his medications. I was on one medication that had a side effect in a small portion of the population has an appetite suppressant. Once they got me off that medication and on to something different my appetite came back. Don't feel guilty about taking care of yourself you're no good to him if you get sick. You need to take time out for yourself every week or the stress will get to you. Take care Sheryl
  14. I too love the Golden girls. It is fun to watch them and lose yourself in the show and just laugh. I hope you have a good evening. Sheryl
  15. Lenny, I am so sorry to hear about Chance. I know what it is like to lose your buddy. As you may remember I lost Brown Sugar (my buddy) in March of last year. I still miss him a great deal but it's not quite so bad now as it was in March of last year. I now have Fudge(my new buddy) and having her helps lessen the pain of losing Brown sugar. When you're ready find new buddy there are plenty in the shelters and rescue groups that would love to be your new buddy. My heart goes out to you hang in there it will get better.