what to do for a living after stroke


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so i had my stroke almost a year ago. so if im not at thearpjy im just sitting around the house watching tv. while some people might enjoy this i dont. i have an a.a degree already so im thinking about going back to finish up. just wanted some ideas on what type of degree i should look into getting. here is the problem the left arm and hand isnt working right now. im thinking information technology . i know i shouldnt limit myself but it is the realitly of right now . so i want to know what kinds of jobs would i be able to do? i can get around pretty good its jut my left arm and hand. please help thank you. i dont want to get ssd for the rest of my life unlike some people. i also have a 5 year old daughter.post-18152-0-34761200-1381340271_thumb.jpg4.bmp

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I understand the feeling. Due to my impairments since the stroke, I can't work. Like you, I wanted to go back ASAP. Try volunteering. I understand its not what you are capable of doing but it's a good way to gauge yourself to see if you are ready to stay out for a part time or full time. The rush to go back to how things use to be is strong. Just take it slow and don't jump into anything until you test the waters. Good luck

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I pretty much have relied on my disability checks for $$; (I haven't been able to work outside the home since the stroke.) I've spent time volunteering some of my time here, at my former place of work, and at the local hospital.

 

Susan :)

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One of the most difficult things I had to do after my stroke was getting used to not working. It seemed to me that I had too much time on my hands. Sill does. Try vocational rehab- that's what they do is to match people's skills with jobs. Good luck. Becky

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I think there are plenty of things you can do. What is your associate degree in? And you want to go back for your BA? What would you like to do? My arm and hand are not disabled but I have weakness and numbness in both my arms and hand. I am also a maintenance supervisor for an auto manufacturer in Ohio. I had a brainstem stroke in the pons area when I was 44 back in 07'. It was very challenging the first year. I was a good actor. I went back to work after three days in hospital. I am no hero just had some unique doctors. Have no idea what they were thinking. Could not even watch tv as the frames would move a little faster then my brain did. Allot better now, still have extreme anxiety. But I am taking meds for that. As far as your career, ask yourself what you want to do. If it means going back to school it's not impossible. Up to you.

Terry

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you are too young to have had a stroke! but strokes have no boundaries. I sense that you are asking the right questions as it is good to have education in something that you can use when you are done.

 

my thought is that is whatever you decide, school does have its own rewards. back 10 years ago (I was then ~60) I went back to school and stayed there for about 2 1/2 years. it was definitely a good experience.

 

I do wish you well in your task ahead and empathize with your situation.

 

do let us know what you decide to do and keep us posted!

 

david

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If getting your BA or BS is doable for you, consider Health Care, of course. Whatever you choose, you can always teach. Your AA may be enough if you start looking in your field and getting some networking in. Talk with your Counsellors at school, they may have some direction for you. Best of luck. Even just taking some courses is going to make you feel productive and moving forward in recovery. Do let us know. Debbie, caregiver to husband Bruce, stroke 2009

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thanks every one to answer some of your questions my A.A degree is just general studies because i planned on going to a majour university when i was done but it didnt really work out that way. now im wanting to get my b.s degree in I.T

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Bear in mind a few things newer survivors aren't usually aware of until they step out and realize their deficits go beyond the physical. Stroke often changes your ability to maintain focus and ability to pay attention, as well as challenges with fatigue.

Multitasking does not just mean picking up the phone while you're watching tv, your brain multitasks too. The ability to take notes as the professor is speaking and keep up is not an easy task. It involves actively listening and hanging on to it in your active memory to write it down while more is coming at you in a continuous flow. It's something we are taught to do starting in elementary school when notes are put on the board, by middle school we're given outlines as frames to help us keep up, by high school we're weaned off to prepare us for college. In college no one cares, either you keep up or you drown. I know you've done 2 years so taking higher ed classes is not new to you, I just want you to be aware that your brain doesn't work the same and that may change things.

 

I taught English Literature for 20 years and thought how hard can it be, I know it like the back of my hand, I can do it by rote. What I didn't take in to consideration was that my classes were discussion based, so when I threw out questions I needed to be able to be able to think on my feet fast enough to be able to steer the discussion back where I wanted to make my point. After a test run I realized I couldn't do it and didn't belong there anymore. I decided to medically retire at 42 and chose to see it as God changed my plan to use my expertise in education for another purpose so that's why you're getting my 2 cents. Aren't you happy? :)

 

Have you considered going back to school on line so you can work at your own pace? Receiving SSD while working on a means of getting a higher paying job should make you feel more productive and not like you're just sitting around.

 

((((hugs))))

Maria

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I agree with Maria. I would use this time to focus on Physical Rehab, OT & Vocational Rehab. Building

your strength up in every area. With a stroke takes time in Rehab (@ Home) of repeat training of weakness and

endurance. Your just a bit into your journey. Katrina( Caged Bird) has some special blogs.

(I mentioned her to you before but she was young as you and went on in time to get her degree in law,

if I remember right) So if you want to go back to school I feel that desire will never go away.

But for now I feel maybe you need more work to try & regain strength in arm(that's just me) Do you

do exercises @ home like Squeeze a ball w/ each hand? Do you wear a brace on your weak side? Do you

like to swim? (I had therapy @ one time in salt water pool, suppose to be healing)You must have medical

benefits w/ your SSDI.

There's a video somewhere where it shows her speech she gave after getting her diploma(if I remember right)

Valdictorian of her class in college. Truly an inspiration!

Maybe like someone spoke you can take a few on line courses to help others. And see how much strength

you have.

All the best to you!

Nancy

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My Friend,

 

I hope I didn't come across to harsh. We all have different paths in life. You are awesome with

your desires to return to school now. And who's to say, that may be if your feeling to do it,

the very thing you should do.

Please keep us updated in your decision.

 

have a good day;)

 

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Hi BLewis, First you must make sure you are health enough to go back to school. Their are schools around the country that have classes to prepare the disabled to go back to work, they tell you all about interviewing when you have a disability and all your rites as a disabled person. They offer life long job placement and best of all interships, so you can see if you are prepared to do the work and if can work part-time and then go to therapy. Every stroke is different as well as every person, I am working part-time and going to PT and Ot. I went to a school called the Statler Center it is for people who are disabled or visually impared, there were students from all over the USA, you can check it out at www.statlercenter.org if you are interested. Keep us posted on how you are doing, all the best to you.

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IT is a great vocation to get into, companies are finally realizing that outsourcing all programing to India just pushes the work onto other parts of the business. When I went back to my programming job I needed 4-5 cups of coffee every morning to counteract the fatigue I was experiencing. Fatigue is barely helped by cardiovascular exercise. The hardest part was participating in group discussions, at first I couldn't formulate a response to contribute in real time, that you should be able to work on in class assignments. You will be able to tell as you do your classwork how well you can handle a job. I can't tell you what type you should get into because I'm completely old school, mainframes, assembler and Cobol.

Good luck,

Dean

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I was a CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor), so IT is a good field. I am near enough to retirement age and have a wonderful spouse, so the heck with going back to work. I don't need the stress! But I like to learn. Try Coursera.org. Classes are free, online and from well-respected universities on many topics. You can figure out how many classes you can handle. I has a GPA of 3.97, but I found post-stroke I could only handle one class at a time.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Since you are in Jacksonville, FL, I would highly recommend looking into the Brooks Clubhouse. My husband goes there 3 days a week while I am at work and he enjoys it. It's a community center just for those with Brain Injuries. They have activities (Zumba, Yoga, Swim Therapy, Sign Language,Bowling, Billiards, etc) that keep him from just sitting at home doing nothing.

At first he hated it, because he did't see himself as disabled, but after a couple of months he really enjoys it and now looks forward to going.

It is not a free service and is not covered by insurance, but they charge on a sliding scale (the less you make, the less you pay). We pay $22/day, so it's definitely worth it for both him and I.

They also help with Vocation Rehabilitation and can help you with skills that will help you gain employment, if you are able.

 

Keep moving forward and never give up!

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I am new to this. My stroke was in 2012. I am retired so have time on my hands. My left arm and hand do not work and that bums me out.I keep hoping that it improves.î get down a lot because of idle time. Iget down a lot because of it.any ideas for me because I need some thoughts as to how to be happy again.

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I am almost 9 years post stroke. I too was unable to return to work because of my deficits. My left arm and hand are still only good for paperweight status lol but I get by. If you want to return to school, maybe starting out with an on-line class would help you test the waters for what you can handle. Volunteering as well can help fill your days.

 

When a massive stroke slammed into me, my daughter was 12. One day she said to me that she was glad I had my stroke as I was now home when she returned from school. I had been working in social services and was a total workaholic working 7 days a week. I didn't see it at the time but all my hours did keep me away from what mattered most, my daughter.

 

For several years, I was a volunteer here on the site. Now I help my family in caring for my Aunt who has been given 4-6 months to live.

 

I wish you the best in whatever you decide :)

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I was already working in IT before my stroke, and consider myself very lucky that I was able to return to work about six weeks later. The things that sometimes need doing, but that I can no longer do, my boss has been able to assign to other members of the team.

It may help that my job is in the public sector, on a college campus. Although almost all the same laws apply to both public and private sectors, my observation is that issues like non-discrimination and diversity and equal opportunity are taken more seriously in public sector hiring decisions than they sometimes are in the private sector...

A Bachelor's degree opens quite a few doors in IT, but certifications may actually carry more weight. I've only attempted one certification since my stroke, and found the testing environment difficut to work with and get through in the time allotted -- in theory, ADA requires that accomodations be available, but I haven't found the right contact to pursue that....) With luck, you won't encounter the same issue.

 

Bottom line: Working, if you can, is better than not working. IT is a good field, and many IT jobs are very modest in their physical demands. Go for it!

 

Penn (BIS + CISSP, CCNP, MCSE, A+)

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Hi, wish you the best. Do remember you are still "young"in your jounery. Keep on working on your left hand. After my stroke, my doctor said no working for you. It was hard to hear, society as us putting so much value on the jobs we hold and working. Now I live off SSD, I earned it. I go for my walking every day which as helped me with my right side. I enjoy my grandkids, and been a member of strokenet.

 

I wish you all the best, keep us up to date.

 

Yvonne

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