HostTracy

Hello everyone I just wanted to invite everyone to come and join in at Room #2 Stroke Survivior Chat. I will be hosting Mondays and Wednesdays from 3-4 EST! 🙂 http://www.strokechat.net/

http://www.strokechat.net/

Come on in! 🙂 Chat today open right now!

Hi Margo! My name is Tracy and live in Tennessee. I had a bilateral cerebellar stroke June 5, 2015. I am so amazed of your progress! You have such a great attitude and I'm looking forward to future posts. I promise you... You ARE an inspiration! Kep it up... You've got this!

These are so beautiful Janelle!!! Anyone would love such a piece of work. You and Sue both have real talent. Speaking of crafting, art, paper craft, sewing, and every other creative hobby... It just feels good. I call them my projects. Right now I am sewing face masks... Trying different patterns. I'm also working on yard work and cleaning up my backyard fence line. I have to do just a little each day (counting my spoons). Doing these and lots of other things lift my spirit and have even kept me busy during this virus mess. Love this! ❤️

http://www.strokechat.net/

Janelle, you have given me a dose of the most perfect medicine. I am still laughing. 😂 To update one thing well two.... I had a covid test on Tuesday (been sick for over a month) and they just called. It is negative!! 😊 Second, I DIY made my own tushy wipes and they work wonderfully. Paper towel is easier to find so I have enough to dry lol. Of course no flushing but I feel as clean as a whistle! 😁 Janelle, you are a gem. ❤️ you!

http://www.strokechat.net/ Come join us for chat!

I've been doing the rain dance Janelle 😊 you're welcome. 😂 It's nice to see the rain decided to visit. I too did a double take looking at the cars on the road. Geez, I would not allow me to drive over there! It would not be pretty... I bet I'd off on the side of the road in the floor board crying! 😭🤣

❤️ Thanks Heather.

Darrell you are welcome for my little input earlier (not sure if anything I have or am confronted with fits but I do share very similar things to those who have had posterior circulation stroke even in the brainstem). I whole heartedly agree with my other friends here. I know I definitely am not the same as after my stroke. Many things improved, went away, or I learned skills to deal with them (usually through therapy - physical and mental). The intricate way in which the brain accepts, processes, and sends new info out to complete an action, a response to those is just so complicated. It some times takes a long time for new connections and work around that can be helpful to us that have had an acquired brain injury. I will tell you that the brain is remarkable though. It wants to win. Impulses travel on pathways or highways and any disruption in that can cause so many things to not communicate correctly. I'm not sure of any specific answer but time is your friend. Keep the faith and all the blessings for you guys. ❤️

Thanks for all the positive comments and comradery. I've made some short term goals: get this cold kicked and my asthma under control (I need to be as healthy as I can be if Covid ever knocks on my door)... Catch up on my housework as I feel better (I haven't been able to keep on top of it-trying to rest a lot too)... Continue clearing my chain link fence and the areas in front of it of brush, vines, trash, roof tiles?, and cutting all stumps to ground level with my loppers (just doing a bit at a time). Staying home is very agreeable with me. It is easier than dealing with people (weird but true). So I am trying to persist at what fills up my happy glass. I know this will be much easier once I'm all well. It's always good for me to create focus... Make goals/projects and to split these into steps. Feels good to check off a step. 🙂

That made me smile lol. Literally, my cheerleader skirt is in my 2nd bedroom from more than 30 years ago (OK I probably can only get it on one thigh lol). In all seriousness, I very much understand your message. I am all for doing what I can to lift my spirit and hopefully that is infectious but not viral. 😉

Sue things out of our hands so to say are a real anxiety monster. I have worked very hard for the past 5 years to rise above this. For the most part I have... Sometimes my frustration and fear comes from what other people are doing. I have to remind myself that I have 0 control over the actions or I actions of others too. Then I read something that wraps me up in a safe place... The Serenity Prayer. I'm going to do what I should be doing and the rest I'm giving to God. Thank you for listening and the appropriate distance hug. I needed that. ❤️

What can I say... So far 2020 has been earth shaking. Let me warn you before reading: these are my thoughts, my experiences, my worries and where I find my mind these days. This is not meant to add to the fear and chaos or to bring a negative light toward anyone. My words come from me and if you are sensitive to hearing someone's honest, transparent and straightforward thoughts then this may not be for you. I try to remember January. I don't remember what day I heard the news of a novel virus that shut down a large metropolitan city in China. I did ponder the fact but honestly not for long. I had been dealing with my own health issues and problems with illness (more than 1) that has been flaring my asthma. I think I have taken 3 steroid packs since the beginning of the year. In February, I began to hear more and more about the novel virus now known as the 2019 novel Corona virus and now more the more familiar (name and possible illness) Covid-19 and SARS-CoV-2. I started to see signs of other countries developing cases and watched the worry of everyone about the virus spread and travel (on planes and those who had been to China). I still didn't feel immanent fear but some time during February this started to affect me more. Then a F3 tornado slammed through Nashville. It was completely shocking and thankfully I now live about 45 minutes south. This tornado had torn through my old stomping grounds, within 1/4 mile from my previous home, ripping through the area I went to often for my groceries and many of the roads I took on a daily basis. I think maybe a week went by and then Nashville had its 1st case/s of Covid. Very close to home and where all of my Dr's are. On March 6th I went to my local walk in clinic because I knew I was sick. Flu test, strep test and exam. Tests are negative and I was sent home with a steroid pack and told to use my nebulizer 4x/day for my asthma. Not feeling better I went to my PCP on Monday the 9th. No truly bad symptoms so I was told to continue with my steroid pak and nebulizer treatments. 2 days later I am much worse, heavy persistent cough, headache, sore throat, fever, etc. My PCP said come in and I went to his office in Brentwood. I thought I was to see my Dr. but instead saw a NP who gave me another round of tests for flu and strep. This visit was different than usual... I was immediately isolated and given a mask and everyone that saw me was fully dressed with PPE. I was also given a virus panel test (not Covid test) and a chest x-ray. I was sent home with the same course of treatment and told to self quarantine until I was called with my results. A week later I was told I only had a regular cold virus but it would be best if I continued to self isolate due to being hi risk for serious illness if I developed Covid. So I hunkered down, stayed at home. Thankfully I had the where with all to go to Costco and Target for things I would need to not run out with. I actually got 1 of the last 4 Kirkland paper towels and the only toilet tissue left was a name brand (im cheap lol I use Kirkland), I got a 5 pack of Lysol wipes, eggs, milk, and a few other necessities. BTW Costco looked like a war zone. I just happened to get there about a day before all he** broke loose. I did find a large pack of toilet paper from Target. The next day every shelf in every store I went to was bare (necessities). I ran out of toilet paper yesterday thankfully I have a pack of baby wipes (don't flush these!). I did manage to get a large bag of Always descreet pads (totally am having leaks with every cough). The next week I am no better, my nebulizer is mostly not helping and now I have new symptoms a horrible taste in my mouth every time I cough and a cough headache that is sharply painful with pressure at each temple and across my entire head. I feel this acute pain with every cough and a general headache while not coughing. So I called my PCP office. At the same time my phone starts doing this weird thing of not ringing when the Dr. calls but going directly to voice mail. So for about a week of trying to contact someone, anyone I was losing and just getting sicker. Finally, today the nurse used a phone from another office to call me after I frantically had explained my issues sick and dumb phone to a very nice lady involved in deciding if you need a covid test. She and her colleagues had all agreed that it doesn't sound like I need a test but needed immediate attention for what I was going through and she contacted my Dr office with an urgent message. Seems like my neb med was not what I should have been using. She sent the stronger prescription today. Let's see how it goes. I've been watching the updates to this pandemic daily. I know I am "high risk" (asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and just that I have had a stroke). I sit and watch as stores close, schools close, supplies become scarce, other cities desperate for help and supplies. I feel like doom is coming and I have 0 ability to control it. I also watch political leaders in my own country (including the president) squabble and stumble to be the one with the "right" message for American citizens. My question is where do politics even fit into this reality. It sickens me and I do not feel positive or safe about any of their attempts to "lead". We are being told "We are all in this together" but I just don't feel it. I feel like the truth of this "thing" is teetering and could fall at any time and we have no idea what that means. So I am trying to rest and feel better, use my new neb med and watch all the Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+ and whatever else I can find to keep my mind busy. I'm looking forward to hopefully feeling better soon and feeling like doing projects around the house. I want to plan more "normal" activities and take this time at home to make improvements. To feel active, to be able to enjoy the birds at my bird feeder, watch flowers do their colorful dance and make projects happen around the house inside or out that I have been wanting to do for a while. I pray for everyone's safety and please take care of yourselves.