Negative Therapists

[Guest ZakSalter]

My new physcio therapist is really making me upset with her assumptions of what I will be able to do in the future......First of all I just turned 27, I had a brain stem stroke from a ski accident 7 months ago....I was in the hospital 5 months, the first 4 weeks I was in ICU hooked up to a heart and lung machine with an out of control heart and breathing through a trake, the next 4 months I was in a rehab unit "58" Foothills hospital doing 7 hours therapy a day....I spent 3 months in a chair and 3 with a walker..My old therapist told me that in her 21 years she has never seen a person make so much progress from having a stroke..I am now living on my own and roaming the streets with out an aide......The point is I have over come a lot in a short time....Dont get me wrong I still have a number of things to work on......Anyway mynew therapist told me that after 2 years of having my stroke I will stop making recovery and will no longer be making improvement.......As well I love to ski and think that I most certainly will be able to again...However my new therapist does not share the same opinion as I and straight up tells me that I wont be able to ski again...........You gotta be kidding I am 27 years old I am in excellent shape and I believe that there is no 1 person out there that is more cut out to deal with this stroke than me.....I think that it is an absolute must for therapists to be just as positive and if not more positive than the patient.....And to boot my physcyo therapist is a good 40 pounds over weight.........HA

[Bluesplate]

Hi Zak: I've been wondering how you've been doing....

DO NOT listen to any doctors or therapists when they talk in terms of your abilities!!! YOU are the only one who knows your body. If you say you will be able to ski again - you WILL!!

 

Proof: All doctors, stroke dr's, neuro-opthamologists, oc therapists, etc told me that my husband would never see again - his occipital lobes were BLOWN with his stroke 050508.... two weeks ago we were doing physical therapy at home - walking along the street - and Ralph stopped short, began looking around, saying " I can see, I can see EVERYTHING, I'm not blind, I see the field and the sun, I see the dog's collar, I see your coat, I see your mom"

 

His vision lasted for almost 2 minutes..... His brain IS rewiring, and his vision WILL come back....

 

DO NOT LISTEN to "professionals"! Things will take time, but they will happen....

 

attitude is a key factor, and at 27, I'm sure you have a lot of it!!!!!!

Please keep us posted - you WILL SKI!

Lisa

[Sudz]

Hi Zak

I had a giant golf-ball size aneurysm in 2002 13 hrs of brain surgery with my mid cerebral artery clamped thus: severe right side damage was never expected to recover to the point I have they wanted to send me to nursing home :6 mos inhospital& time served in Unit 58 with Tamera as OT we will make our quickest recovery in the 1st year I'm 6 yrs out & still find some improvement

We found we were often given the worst-case scenario so anything better is a bonus

Unit 58 is a real downer I spent most of my time crying

I was recently contacted by FMC to participate in a study of their care of sever strokies

Be honest to yourself about your deficits but push yourself & you wilol improve ever so slowly

I still can't walk unaided or use a bathroom w/o the correct bar by myself but I am getting better I see improvements bt season do'nt go out much in Winter so the next summer I see things I couldn't do the last

Susan

 

[dreinke]

Zak, I think it is time for you to get a new therapist. I am currently 2years 4 months out and the neuroplasticity is working but very slowly. I used to be a competitive whitewater canoeist and while I haven't gone down any rapids since I am getting in canoes and paddling around. Right now it just shows me that I have to break down my deficits into smaller and smaller pieces and work on those. I had to fire my first PT because all he could do was show me the correct way to do things and then expect me to follow. I also fired my first physiatrist because he just said, You had a stroke, deal with it. So change Drs. and therapists as often as you need to to find a good one. You don't need to explain your leaving them at all.

Hang in there, two years is not the end.

One final item, ask fot a NDT trained therapist(Neuro Development Treatment) They have additional traing to deal with neurological problems. I had to call up several clinics before I could find one.

Dean

[myhome]

After two years you'll not see any improvement eh., I advise you to have a talk to the administrator about your new physio therapist, and about getting you a new one. The therapist needs to find a new line of work because they're not doing anyone a service by staying in the physio field with an attitude like that.

My wife was told that I would never walk again so she had better not expect much from me. I'm now starting my third year post stroke, year one I was walking with a quad cane, then a single stick, year two cane only used outside, and I was back driving. You do what you've been doing, there's lots of improvement to be had, you just need to want it, don't you ever give up on yourself.

....and make sure you have that talk with the hospital administrator about getting you a new physio.

[kathleen67]

Hi...this is the first time I have responded to the message board. I am also having a tough time listening to negative doctors, therapists, etc. My brother had a brain stem stroke in June he is 46. It was a fairly severe stroke with right side paralysis. He is now living with me and I am his main care taker...although we have a very close family and are all VERY supportive of him. We are always being given very negative perceptions of his prognosis....it seems no body can tell you what you will get back after a stroke but they are always willing to tell you what you won't get back!!!! It is very frustrating. Today, his re-hab doctor told me that she knows that he will never be able to work again. It feeels like I was kicked in the stomach.....we are all hoping for him to recover and get back to his life....he is only 46 and has his whole life ahead of him. I am so sad and I don't know what to do. How will he live and support himself???? he is still single and a very active man....skier, biker, hiker. I feel so bad for him and don't know what I can do.........

 

Kathleen

[dstraugh]

Zak,

 

I agree that you should look into getting another therapist. You are still a young fella and the sky is the limit. Keep your dream alive to once again to ski

[Farrell]

GOOD DAY TO YOU ZAK ~

 

LIKE ALOT OF FOLKS WHO WROTE I WOULD FIND A POSITIVE THERAPIST

TO HELP YOU, NOT A NEGATIVE ONE....YOU DON'T NEED THAT AT ALL :nuhuh: THE

THERAPISTS THAT WORKED WITH ME WERE ALL VERY POSITIVE & TOOK ME TO

PLACES I DIDN'T THINK I COULD GO, THEY BELIEVED IN ME & PUSHED ME BEYOND

MY LIMITS. THEY WERE SCHOOLED TO WORK W/ STROKE & BRAIN INJURY PATIENTS.

I EVEN HAD A THERAPIST GET MY CONFIDENCE UP TO GO FOR MY DRIVERS LICENSE

AFTER 3 YRS. POST STROKE, EVEN THOUGH MY LOWER RIGHT LEG IS STILL PARATIALLY

PARALIZED, I WEAR A FULL LEG BRACE. W/ HER & MY FATHER ABOVE I WAS ABLE TO

DRIVE AGAIN W/ LEFT FT. GAS PEDAL IN SMALL TOWN. WAS A SWIMMER BEFORE MY

STROKE, LITTLE BY LITTLE MY BRAIN KICKED IN. AFTER YRS OF HANGIN ONTO POOL

EDGE IN FEAR, I NOW SWIM LENGTHS W/ RT. LEG HANGIN. :happydance:

 

ZAK WHERE I LIVE, THERE ARE SKI MT. THAT HAVE ASSISTED DISABLED PEOPLE

TO SKI. THEY EVEN HAVE SPECIAL OLYMPICS HERE. CANADA HAS ALOT OF SKI PLACES.

SO CONTINUE TO WORK HARD, PUSHING YOURSELF! THE SKYS THE LIMIT... :Clap-Hands:

TAKE CARE MY FRIEND~NANCY

[Shadow55038]

Hi, Zak!

 

I had a similar experience as you, only mine was with the hospitalist on the neuro ward. He kept telling me I'd need open heart surgery (two cardiologists disagreed), then said I lesions on my liver on a CT scan (which turned out to be dye from the scan), then said I couldn't go home for an additional two days (after my neuro said it was time to get me home), and finally told me I'd never be able to rollerblade, ice skate or ride my bike again (being on Coumadin, it would be "too much of a risk"). . .we started calling him "Dr. Doom."

 

I finally said, ENOUGH and got the patient advocate involved. It's bad enough to have a stroke, but the negativity and doomsaying did nothing to help in my recovery--it only filled me with anger, anxiety and fear. (I'm sure St. Joe's in St. Paul would be happy never to see me again with my raking the doc over the coals for his communication style, or lack thereof, but you need to be your own advocate. Nobody else will do it for you.)

 

Once I was cleared by the neuro to go back to work, I thumbed my nose at Doctor Doom and went rollerblading. That was over two years ago, and I still ice skate, bike ride and rollerblade!

 

Get yourself a new therapist. . .pronto. You're only limited as to what limits you set on yourself.

 

Good luck and hope you're skiing again soon!

Karen

[Guest Pjoy]

You GO Zak!

With an attitude like yours and your determination, the sky is the limit! There are plenty of good therapists out there, find one! Best of luck to you! I will keep you in my prayers. God Bless you.........Joy

[chloeb]

Hi Zak,

 

 

You need to do what you feel is right. Listen to what your body tells you. When I had my stoke I was a child. the doctors told my parents I wouldn't live...and I did. Then they said I wouldn't walk again....and I did. It was hard work. :head_hurts: Today I can zip, tie, button, feed, dress, and take care of children with one hand. Unfortunatly and it is not always fair, but you have to work extreamly hard to get the things you deserve in life. There are many people in life that will tell you that you can't do something, but don't listen to them. :blah_blah: Do what you know in your heart is correct. :Clap-Hands: Don't ever stop trying and you will do well. You should surround yourself with people who are positive and will support you when you have your ups and downs. We will all have both. Take care of yourself and think with a positive outlook on things! :happydance:

 

 

Best Wishes,

 

Connie

[HostAsha]

hey Zak:

 

don't listen to your negative therapist listen to your own body. you will do all the things you want to do in life maybe little differently(I know I hated that term) but point is you will do it again. life will be one more time full for you. I truly believe that ur stroke was your down ride & worst thing could ever happen to one. tell your therapist now your up ride has started & noone can stop you. you deserve everything in your life.

 

Asha

 

[Vivid-Dawn]

Sheesh... negative people are frustrating! It's especially bad for somebody that's supposed to be working WITH you, not against. Yeah, I think you should find another therapist, too.

Not to sound negative myself...in fact, I'm hoping this is good advice in the long run, even though most people want results NOW. Improvements are good, but don't get discouraged if they do start to slow down. Slow and steady wins the race, after all Trying to do too much, too soon, can probably end up with setbacks if your body suddenly decides it can't keep up with your attitude

 

Good goal is to ski again. But if you're impatient, maybe you could try monoskiing, in the meanwhile! I think it still uses some balance, but probably not as much as if you had to fully be on your feet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoski

You can also do it for water skiing, too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoskiing

 

I'll stick to summer fishing, when it's nice and warm LOL

[PhilW]

Gidday Zak, bugger him, I had a brain stem stroke & Im improving slowly, and its the positive things you want to hear that will make you go that extra step. From what you said in your recovery- amazing! & keep going your body will surely help you in that journey as well as a new therapists , Good luck and those skis as well! :happydance:

[glaidice]

YOU GO ZAK - PHOOEY ON THE NAYSAYERS! I'M 5 YEARS POST STROKE AND STILL IMPROVING.