cheer mama

Stroke Survivor - female
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  1. Happy Anniversary cheer mama!

  2. Happy Anniversary cheer mama!

  3. Happy Anniversary cheer mama!

  4. Hi Everyone, I haven't been around much lately as I have been living my life as a 5 year survivor (no I didn't restart the clock last year as I had no new deficits). The reason I am writing today is because I just finished a great book. I haven't read a stroke survivor story in a long time. I thought I was past that, but I really liked this one. I thought the message was positive and encouraging. The book is not new it came out in 2008, so you probably already read it, if not pick it up. As you might have guessed by now it is "Change in the Weather" by Mark McEwen. If you , like me, love to read, but have a hard time holding a book, turning pages, getting to the bookstore or library, please try an "e-reader". I bought myself a "Kindle 2" earlier this year and I love it! It's like a "Ipod" for books. I have also discovered that audio books are wonderful, especially on the "Ipod". So I guess you want an update. I went to California's wine country last year with my husband's business associates and we liked it so much we went back this year on vacation. I really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the weather. I also enjoyed a little wine. We took some tours and we went for a hot air balloon ride! A truly amazing experience. Earlier this year my daughter and I went to New Jersey to visit my best friend because she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Well, I rented and drove a rental car! Something I thought I would never do again. Of course I had to get it equipped with a spinner knob. It was weird driving in my old home town, but it is amazing how fast it comes back. I think that's all for now keep your chin up and keep exercising! Marden
  5. Good Morning Everyone. I haven't blogged in a long time so I thought I owed everyone an update since I still check in on you. Today is my four year anniversary or birthday if you will. Yesterday I celebrated by going to my new neurologist. I like him so far everything is just fine, It was a check-up because about a month ago I woke up with a droopy face. I trundled off to the ER with my husband. The ER Dr. thought it was Bell's palsey, but the neuro said stroke. He said he couldn't see it on the MRI the damage must have been in the same area. Good news is that I asked him if I could have TPA in the future he said that an "old" stroke is not a contraindication. (that means I could if all the other factors were ok too) This makes me happy because I don't want any more deficits if I have another stroke. Other than that my life is pretty much the same. My daughter comes home from college next weekend. I'm so proud of her she earned a 4.0 her first semester. She tried out for cheerleading but didn't make it. She will be working this summer but we should have plenty of time to do girl stuff. My son is about to buy his first new car. This is his first step towards independence. He is talking about moving out next. That will be good for him, but I will miss him. I finally decided I had had it with my weight and asked my husband to go to weight watchers with me. I needed him to be on the program too since he does most of the cooking. We've been on it a month and he has lost 7 pounds, me 3.5. Isn't that always the way? We also decided to buy a NU Step machine for me since I can't exercise very effectively.(it's not warm enough to swim yet) Well , it's GREAT! It's very expensive, but I can use it by myself and I can workout has hard as I like. I got the hand strap and the bar to keep my knee in alignment , a foot strap too. It's mechanical but not electronic. You set your own pace and can stop whenever you want to, so I feel it is safe for me to use. I understand that a lot of PT places and gyms have them. It is like a seated eliptical trainer. It is called a recumbant cross trainer. It exercises the arms and legs at the same time. I listem to music while I do it. Off to exercise! Marden
  6. Thats awesome Donna! Whenever I find that I can do something new I always try to practice it 5 or 10 times too. I think these doctors who say that there will not be any more improvements are idiots. You are always getting better and getting more back, it's just very, very slow. I think thats what they can't deal with. Its not fast enough for them to measure. I try to think opf my self as being reborn and relearning everything as if from scratch. So, that means I am almost 4 years old. Keep up the good work!. Wiggle that finger for me and pet the cat while you're at it! Marden
  7. Great job Donna. I can't believe you beat me to it. I'm not finished yet. My cat likes to help make the bed too. Have you figured out how to clip claws yet? I haven't, I usually have to recruit an unwilling family member. Marden
  8. My new topic is "100 things I learned after stroke". I hope others of you will follow so that we may all learn some new things, or know who to ask for help. 1) I learned to crack an egg with one hand, like a chef. 2) I learned to flip or toss ingredients in a saute pan like theTV chefs do. 3) I learned I must use spell check every time, proof reading is not enough anymore. 4) Multitasking is over-rated. 5) Driving is not. 6) You won't get as much help as you thought you would. 7) Other people just don't get it. 8) The Internet is wonderful. 9) Low salt diets really aren't that bad. 10) It really is mind over matter. 11) Old dogs really can learn new tricks. 12) Many, many things can be done with one hand and an attitude. 13) Technology is your friend. 14) I have learned to use a PDA, in fact I would be lost without it. 15) I can now use an IPOD. 16) I have learned to download computer games. 17) I learned to play a Nintendo DS. 18) I have high blood pressure. 19) It runs in my family. 20) Strokes can happen to anyone, not just old people. 21) Strokes are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. 22) Occupational Therapy is not what it sounds like. 23) ADL's are very important. 24) Home shopping channels are great. 25) Internet shopping is better. 26) Ask for help. 27) Accept help graciously. 28) People are important, not things. 29) Most things can be done one handed, perhaps not as well but completed none the less. 30) Compensation is ok. 31) There is more than one "right "way to do things. 32) Look for products to make your life easier, like mayo in a squeeze bottle. 33) Hire help if you need to. 34) Part of my brain did die, but the rest is working hard to overcome my deficits. 35) Improvement occurs every day just in very small increments. 36) It may take a while to notice these improvements. 38) Exercise or therapy needs to be done every day to be the most successful. 39) We need to exercise our brains as well as our bodies. 40) You really are what you eat. 41) We only get one life, so make it a good one. 42) Don't wait to live your life. 43) I'm not ashamed that I love makeup. 44) I learned to apply it so that it looks good. 45) I learned to drive, again. 46) I learned how to safely get in the bath tub. 47) Out is harder than in, especially when wet. 48) Stubbornness is good for something, therapy. 49) I have really great friends at the stroke network. Sorry, I must take a break now because 50) Typing with one hand is tiring , trying too. Marden
  9. Hi everyone! I promised myself that I would start blogging again at the New Year. Well here it is the middle of February and I just now forced myself to do this. Its just so hard to motivate myself. I even have a hard time doing things I like. Well, I don't like to blog when I have nothing to say. That's how I feel on my "quiet" days. I am home alone from 7am until at least 5pm because my dear husband and dear son are off to work. My dear daughters are off to college. Barbara is doing really well, she earned a 4.0 in her first semester and is now considered a sophomore because of credits she earned in high school. My days are quiet like many of yours. I watch TV, read, surf the Internet and play video games on the computer and the Nintendo ds. Occasionally I do an errand or two, but it is so hard to do more than one thing. By the time I drive where I am going and finish one thing I am ready to go home and rest. I never finished my "100 things" but I really enjoyed reading every one's list. I thought of a new list we could start. 100(?) things I have learned since I had a stroke. I thought of this when I was cracking an egg with one hand. This was a good start for me, I hope to blog again soon. In the meantime, I will be reading your blogs and enjoying them. Marden
  10. I guess we must be almost the same age. I wore fishnet stockings in 6th grade too. As I tell my kids "back in the Dark Ages". I'm sorry you suffered domestic abuse twice, it takes a very strong person to rise above it. But we all knew you were strong, you're a stroke survivor! Marden Great list BTW
  11. I'm going to try to finish up this list. I guess I was a bit long winded at first, if I had been more concise I would probably be finished. 41) When Iwas 13 I figured out that I had lived in 13 different places. 42) The longest I have lived in one place is 9 years. 43) I have always had cats as pets. We had 1 dog when the kids were little. 44) She was a mutt that the kids named Lady. 45) We currently have a tankful of freshwater fish. 46) I grew up in Southern California and I took ballet in Beverly Hills. 47) Due to living in Southern California, I have met several celebrities. I took ballet with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's mother. 48) My kids like to play 6 degrees of separation and see who they can get to. 49) They made up their own version - 6 degrees of separation in time- so they can link to people who have passed. 50) When I was in jr high school I wore a POW bracelet. 51) It was for John McCain (yes that John McCain). 52) My Dad knew him at the US Naval Academy where they were midshipmen. 53) My Dad requested it. 54) My Dad served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. 55) He was wounded at the end of his 2nd tour. 56) I was a stay at home Mom for many years. 57) When DD1 went to college I became a bank teller. 58) I had just quit my job the day before I had the stroke. 59) I had planned to work at the quilt shop where I taught quilting. 60) I used to really like Jazzercise. 61) I really miss dancing. 62) I was thinking of trying yoga. I don't know if the instructor can deal with my limitations. 63) I enjoy traveling. 64) It requires much more planning and a very helpful companion now. 65) I watch NASCAR . 66) I root for Jeff Gordon. 67) My DS has several of his rookie posters. 68) The movers tried to steal them. 69) Our house in Kansas was haunted. 70) We called our ghost "Casper". 71) He was benign. He just knocked pictures off the wall and turned off the dining room lights. Sometimes he followed us up the stairs. 72) The five of us,1 cat and fish lived in a 3 bedroom apartment in Michigan. ( it had a basement) 73) I saw the space shuttle land in the Mojave desert. We lived in Palmdale at the time. (that's near Edwards Airforce base in the high desert of so cal) 74) I have been to Johnson space center (Houston) and Kenedy space center (Cape Canaveral, Florida). 75) I have been to Disneyland and Disney World. 76) When we lived in California we used to go to Disneyland every year. Sometimes we would call our kids in sick at school to take them as a surprise. Well I'm out of ideas again, so I'll finish this later. Marden
  12. 21) My cat, Tiger Lily likes to help me type. She isn't very good either. 22) I like computer games. I started playing them after McDonalds had their Monopoly game this year. I won some free game downloads from Real Arcade and I really like them. Maybe they are reorganizing my brain. 23) I also like my Nintendo DS. My kids gave it to me for Xmas last year. I can use it with the stylus. 24) My favorite games are Animal Crossing Wild World; Zelda, Phantom Hourglass (really hard for an old fart like me, but fun); Brain Age and Big Brain Academy. I am hoping for some new games this year. 25) I am a makeup junkie. I love Bare Escentuals mineral makeup. I thought it would be hard to put on, but with some practice it is easier than liquid makeup. It makes me look healthy which I am, but I feel less conspicuous in public. 25) I read makeup boards and tv and soap opera message boards. I rarely post though. 26) I love QVC. I didn't understand the allure before. It is so much easier for me to mail order most of the things I need. 27) Needless to say, I love online shopping. In a few minutes you can find just what you want. In a few days it is delivered to your door. 28) Most of you know that I love cheerleading. My DD2 was a competitive cheerleader for many years. 29) I have a swimming pool and spa. Water therapy is the best. 30) Sometimes I swim naked. 31) I love Ballet and I studied it for many years. 32) My youngest sister was a Prima Ballerina with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. 33) My middle sister is a Lawyer. I am the oldest. 34) I would like very much to have grandchildren but not until my children are ready to be good parents. 35) I love to read. I'm glad I can renew my Llibrary books online. I can also check the catalogue and request books online. 36) I am still amazed at all of the things that can be done online today. I don't want to imagine my life without the internet. 37) I am going to try scrapbooking on the computer next year. 38) I am going to get my DD2 to teach me how to upload, scan and crop pictures. 39) My DD1 is very good at scrapbooking, but I can't get her to do all of my old pictures. I guess I just have to do them myself. 40) I'm manning sick bay this month. My DS is just recovered from wisdom teeth extraction. DD2 has hers done next Friday. That is all for me today. I would like to thank Asha and others for their kind comments. It really helps to know that you are out there reading and that you care. I hope every one has a wonderful day. Marden
  13. I have meaning to start blogging again. Its just so hard, most days are so quiet there is nothing to say. I know many of you deal with this too and look to the blogs for entertainment and companionship as I do, so I try not to be boring. This topc has piqued my interest , so here goes some of these things you may already know but I'll try not to repeat myself. 1) My name is Marden, yes it's my real name. It took me years to grow into it. 2) I am married for 29 years. My dear husband (DH) is a kind and loving man, he is not mechanical, I am. 3) I have three grown children. My oldest is a girl (DD1) and she is 27 years old. She is also a graduate student at Penn State studying biochemistry. 4) My second child is my only son (DS) he is 23 and brilliant but hates school so I doubt he will ever earn a degree. He has a good job and still lives at home. 5) My third and last child is also a girl (DD2) and she is 18 and is in her first year at University of Texas she is hoping to become a medical illustrator. When she tells her friends they all ask her if she will have to draw male body parts, they think that would be amusing. 6)I had a stroke in 2004, so I almost 4 years out. I am a survivor not a victim! 7) I turned 50 this year. 8) I live with 2 fur babies. They are girl cats from the same litter and they were adopted from the pound. Their mother was feral and they are domestic longhairs. They look like Maine Coons. The grey tabby is named Tinkerbell and the black and tan tabby is named Tiger Lily. My kids always name our cats. The last ones we had were named Bert and Ernie. 9) I currently live in Katy, Texas it is a suburb of Houston. 10) Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. "Houston" is the first word that was said on the Moon. I found my house on the internet and didn't see it until after my husband purchased it. 11) My father was in the Marine Corps when I was a child, so I grew up as a military brat. 12) We lived all over, I even lived in Hawaii before it became a state. My Hawaiian name is Lelani. My sister was born in Hawaii. 13) The doctors couldn't determine what caused my stroke. They think it was a clot but they never found one. 14) I walk with an afo and a cane. I also drive. It was tough relearning how to drive and sometimes scary but really worth it. 15) I have little use of ny left arm, but I notice improvements every day! 16) I have an AA degree in Fashion Design, but I never worked in the fashion industry except as a salesgirl. 17) I am a professional quilter. I have taught many quilting classes and I have made quilts for customers. I have entered quilt contests. I won several ribbons at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. 18) I was a Girl Scout for more than 20 years as a adult and as a child. 19) My husband and I have owned 5 homes. We have lived allover the US. We have lived in southern California; Houston twice; Denver; Wichita, Kansas; Novi, Michigan near Detroit; and northern New jersey.We don't plan to move again, but who knows? 20) I like my minivan, I have owned two, first a Dodge Caravan, second a Chrysler town and Country. I will stop here for now more next time. Marden
  14. Hi everyone, first let me say that I am not trying to brag about my experiences but meerly trying to encourage all of you to experience all that life has to offer you. Don't hold yourself back because of your handicaps. (most of it is in your mind anyway.) As you may remember I have told you that I am very stubborn and I won't be held back from living my life and you shouldn't either. Life is too short! Now to my report. My DH ( dear husband) was invited to a business meeting at a resort. The sponsor company decided to invite spouses ( an extremely rare occurance these days ). They had a golf tournament for the business invitees and some activities planned for spouses as well. My DH was worried about me attending these without him. The first activity was a short bus tour of San Antonio. I didn't take my wheelchair brcause it is a pain on and off of a bus and its difficult to push on city streets, although my DH does it extremely well, he wasn't on the trip as he was at the golf course. Everything went fine. We went to a glass blowing studio and watched a demonstration of their work. Then we went to a historic home that is now a restaurant. And our final stop was at a bar for a demonstration on how to make prickly pear margaritas and guacamole. I even managed to sit up on the bar stool! of course that was before two margaritas. The next day I had an appointment for a massage while the business people were in a meeting. This was the activity that had worried me. I was worried about getting on and off of the table, no problem , just like a therapy table. Changing in the locker was a little daunting but I didn't fall off of the small stools. I took a pass on the sandals because I new I would be safer in bare feet. I told the masseuse all about my hemiparesis and my spasticity. I was worried that my spastic body would do something weird and unexpected, but it didn't. It was very relaxing and my body just relaxed into it. I would highly recommend this experience to any of you if given the opportunity. I felt like a"real" or "normal" person after the whole weekend, but we all know that we are never far from being reminded that we are stroke survivors. And I got my reminder when I got home. I was on the phone with my DD (dear daughter) and I tripped and fell flat on my face, in my own living room! Only my pride was hurt. All in all I had an amazing weekend and I can't wait for the opportunity to come around again. It sure beats sitting at home in front of the tv or the computer. I hope all of you had a great weekend too. Marden
  15. Sorry everyone that it has been so long since I blogged. I have been keeping up with all of your adventures. I was busy settling my DD into college. I have also been going with my DH to some of his business events. My DD decided to go to a nearby state university. Austin is about 11/2 hours by car. She is really enjoying being away from home. ( of course the cats and I miss her terribly) She loves going to football games and says her classes are going well too. DH and I are going out to visit this weekend for parents weekend. She seems to have adjusted well to college life. I was worried that the University would be overwhelming as it is very large. She recently mentioned that she is really missing cheerleading and is thinking about trying out in the spring. I hope she does as she is very talented and spirited. I recently went with my DH to San Antonio for the weekend. His company was invied to play golf in one of the charity tournaments held there. This is the third year he has done this, but the first time I tagged along. It was fun to stay at the beautiful hotel and eat out at all of the yummy restaurants. It was like a mini vacation. In a few weeks I get to go with him again. I may have the opportunity to have a massage at the spa. Have any of you had a massage post stroke? If so please tell me all about it. I may just chicken out and have a manicure. Thats all I have for now. I will try to blog again in a few weeks. Marden