SueC

Today is a big day. On the 29th of this month, it has been 2 years since my stroke, and today I emailed my neurologist to ask permission to start driving again. I am ready. Not for freeways, or highways, and that's okay. Just to be able to do little errands. It's a big step for me. I have a professional instructor all lined up to assure me that I am still a safe driver. Onwards and upwards in my reclaiming my life!

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and breathe. See? You are still breathing, you are still alive. You will find the earring when you are not looking for it. Suddenly, you will look down, and say "Ah! There it is!". We all have days where it seems that nothing goes right. Where we think and say something we wish we didn't. The best thing to do is to apologize to the person we hurt, and realize that we really are just human. Frustration leads to upset, I think that's pretty normal. Trust that your faith will carry you, not punish you. It has so far!

Oh no Kevin! I hope you heal up quickly. Please join us sometime for a chat - we miss you!

Happy Anniversary Asha! And you score big points for finding a way to do things yourself. It always feels good to learn something new and be able to accomplish things we didn't thinkwere possible. Have a lovely anniversary.

Stinkin' Hot! That's what the weather forecast is for today. We are expecting 80f 27c today. To all my friends down south and east of here, I can already hear them saying "pffftt...that's not hot!!!" We have had a late summer this year, a week ago it was only in the 60s and mid 60s, so this is a big jump. I have been getting up early now that it really IS summer, and we have sunshine. 6am, and what a beautiful time of day. The birds are singing, the world is still quiet. I do my little walkabout in the garden, snip a dead bud here and there, Daisy at my side. Today I had planned to do some major pruning, but that plan has changed. Daisy and I just finished our morning walk, and it is stinkin' hot already. We only went around our block, I don't want her to overdo it, as she doesn't do well in the heat. It's too hot to wear boots, jeans and a long sleeved shirt and get into the bushes to saw and prune. A few fence panels are being replaced between us and our neighbours, and my bushes need to be cleared back. Not today though. Today will be a day of reading, painting, and card making, all with a fan blowing on me in my studio. Getting up this early makes for a lovely afternoon siesta, to ride out the heat of the day. Ah, life is good again!

Danke!

Wow, you aren't kidding, you did have a busy day! No wonder you needed all that sleep. I find that after just being in the car, the motion and whatever I had to go out and do wipe me out. It's nice that you were able to get out a bit with friends and have some good conversations.

Wow Kev! It's great to hear how much things are improving for you. And those tomatoes look amazing. So does your home, by the way.

So here I am, almost 2 years since my stroke. I can't believe how much life has changed. For the better. There is a saying that when one door closes, another door opens, and I have certainly experienced that in a big way. My stroke was August 29, 2018. And now, I have finally finished all the stages of grieving. And the stroke to me is the equivalent of going for a hike, and tripping over a root. I now not only stopped laying on the ground with dirt all around me, I have stood up and I am continuing my hike. While I was laying the ground, I had a chance to see all the life teeming around me that I wasn't aware of. In other words, I became more aware of my life, what I had, what I lost, and what I was afraid I wouldn't regain. I can't begin to say how grateful I am for this site. I don't think anything has helped me as much as being able to share my experiences with others who have gone through the same thing. The rehab centre helped, but didn't pull me out of the hole I was in mentally. Making friends with new people who really understood what life was like after stroke. That's what made all the difference. I wasn't alone in my feelings, my fears, my frustrations and grief. I learned different ways of coping. I learned the brain is amazing, that some recovery is possible. That new experiences and learning new things is really exciting. This is something I would have taken for granted before the stroke. What amazed me the most was how much my art has improved. The part of my brain that was damaged by the stroke made it impossible to pick up a paintbrush. To see with an artist's eye. To want to use colour again. Then a friend on the chat suggested I use a app to do paint by number. My brain went crazy - I was in heaven, and wanted to paint again! And I am . A lot. And it's more fun all the time. I found a website in Germany that teaches a loose style of painting, and I love it! I joined the club, bought a one year membership. And there are lots of videos on painting. In German. German is my first language, although at age 62 I hardly have an opportunity to speak it. After watching a few videos, my ability to understand it is coming back. So here I am, painting, and relearning a language. Would this have happened had I not had the stroke? I doubt it.

I find deadheading the flowers in the morning very therapeutic. It gives me a chance to have a visit with all my plants, and see how they are coming along. With my dog at my side, and the birds singing, I am in Paradise.

Congratulations Kev! It's wonderful to follow your story and see how much you have improved, and how much you are now able to accomplish! Keep safe, and keep posting. And thank you for taking the time to blog.

Oh that is so exciting! Enjoy!

I go through the same thing. If I overdo it, I am overly tired the next day. For the first few months after my stroke I found that if I pushed myself, my left arm and fingers and the left side of my face would go numb. It turned out to be what is called "stroke fatigue". I ended up in emergency about 3 more times since the stroke because of this. I was told by well meaning friends and family to push though and keep moving. Wrong. Listen to your body. Take it easy, and rest as needed. It is 11/2 years since my stroke and I still sometimes sleep 16 hours straight. My doctor told me it takes years for the brain to heal. So, do what you can, and take it easy on yourself. One step forward and two steps back is still normal for me. If my speech goes, and I am overtired, I know I have overdone it. I still get really frustrated and upset, and I have to remind myself that I had a stroke and it's okay to have a bad day. I take Elequis too, and have had the shaky feelings if I overdo my walks.