Moral support?


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Stingray I was so happy to see your post I can't tell you how good it was to read most of what you had to say. I wanted so badly to get back on my bicycle I was a very avid biker before my stroke. And pretty much everyone has told me that my days of riding a bicycle are over. I went to our local bike shop to see what options might be available and they had a beautiful three wheel recumbent machine that only cost $1100 so that pretty much sealed the deal right there. And I'm using Dragon naturally speaking to produced this post I am blown away that you have actually regained the typing use of your left hand? How do you do it do you have feeling back? I'm getting a little more return each month but I can imagine ever typing with my left hand again let alone writing I cannot even grip the pencil or pen. I think I do have enough movement in my left wrist and hand to do some writing once I could hold the pen God bless you my brother you are indeed an encouragement to me!

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I wanted to say a few words on the original moral support topic. I have a theory I don't know how accurate it is? But I also have struggled from the beginning to understand some of the attitudes I encountered? I think that therapist are so afraid for you to get your hopes up and then have them dashed that may try to squash any hopes that sprout up. And since it's just a little over two years since my stroke I have seen enough to understand that it is definitely hard to handle when your dreams get dashed and you realize that there is no way you're going to accomplish the goal you had set. But I still think there has to be somewhere in between where you give someone at least enough hope to at least try and I encountered a new attitude this last week that pretty much blew me away. I haven't AFO for my left ankle and my ankle started to hurt recently and through the therapist and the maker of the AFO they determined that my holding my ankle joint from moving it froze up and then when I would try and stand it would create pain in my ankle the AFO maker said that there is a new device that is dynamic and allows your ankle to move while holding your foot up so your total does not catch. And when I called my therapist for letter to be sent in with the prescription to hopefully convince Medicaid to provide me with a new device my therapist was very uncooperative and set all she could say was that when she finished treating me that I was pain free and she couldn't tell them anything else because that would not be true. So it seemed to me like she was more worried about protecting her own reputation been trying to provide guidance and support to me in my current situation

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Welcome aboard I read both your comments above and have to agree with you about what some, not all, therapist say and think of not getting our hopes to high too soon in our recovery. As stroke survivors at different ages and different levels of brain damages from the strokes and our prior health conditions prior, we tend to get better at different rates. I'm a good example with a brain bleed getting to a hospital in time to still live but nearly dead.

 

Five month stay in hospital and rehab and came home unable to walk trying to use a hemi-walker like you got in the picture I see of you. I soon learned to walk, climb stairs then started driving again. So, it does take time for each survivor but it can be done at different times for each person. I still must use my stationary bike to keep my left leg, foot and side working as best I can daily. I had a foot strap put on the pedal to hold my left foot from slipping off. It exercises my arms and hands too as the handle bars move back and forth. That's cheaper than a recumbent machine at 1100 bucks.

 

Getting back on a bike will require you being able to walk with a cane and your balance really good. Short rides in your garage and driveway then the sidewalk may work in getting started back riding again. You got to realize your left side took a hit from the stroke and the right side brain doesn't control your paralyzed left side anymore. If I had to use my left foot to drive I would need to have the controls changed but I can drive an automatic transmission vehicle only and I operate the turn signal with my right hand. I do put both hands on the wheel until I make a turn then I just use one hand.

 

I hope this info helps you in understanding it does take time as I am now just over 9 years recovering at almost 72 years young. You got two years so it may take a bit longer to be safe. Oh, I had the AFO too but when I learned to walk they said I didn't need it any longer and I type with one hand only, actually one to three fingers only. When I was in the Army I could type 55 WPM on a typewriter that's all they had then.

 

Keep trying to be better and get better with recovery, don't ever give up it's all possible to do!

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I agree with you that the worse thing you can be told by the health pros is this is as good as its going to get. I was told that when they ended my out patient therapy. That could not be further than the truth as I found out 20 years later when I decided to try PT again. Even after all that time and a good weight loss, I was able to retire my AFO. That was motivation in itself. So 29 years after the stroke I know that recovery never ends as long as we work at it and it is so worthwile when you can retire your walking aids and buy normal dressy ladylike shoes again. If you can find worthwile goals to reach for, you will get motivation. All the best to you.

 

mc

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