v907

Stroke Survivor - female
  • Posts

    41
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About v907

  • Birthday 01/09/1977

Shared Information

  • Stroke Anniversary (first stroke)
    10-03-2008
  • Facebook URL
    https://www.facebook.com/v.nelson4
  • Interests
    education, reading, learning, writing, laughing, friends and family
  • How did you find us?
    Google Search

Registration Information

  • First Name
    Veta
  • State
    AK

Recent Profile Visitors

4,797 profile views

v907's Achievements

Associate Member

Associate Member (2/10)

  1. Happy Anniversary v907!

  2. v907

    Hope

    Thank you, Asha! Not sure if you remember me from a couple years ago, but I'm appreciative of your continued support. I get the feeling that we are similar in our point of view.
  3. v907

    14 years

    Happy stroke anniversary, Katrina! I can feel the exuberance and good cheer through your post and am so happy for you!
  4. v907

    Hope

    Thank you for your vote of confidence, 1967stingray! I truly appreciate it.
  5. v907

    Hope

    It seems that just by acknowledging that I might be depressed and writing about it (here and on my other blog) has given me hope that this won't last long. And if it does, I know what to do. I will increase my activity level. surround myself with loved ones, talk to my doctor about it, go back to my psychotherapist's office, continue to eat well, and clean up my seep hygiene…yes, that's what I'll do. However, the thought occurred to me today that this may only be a situational depression. The good lord knows I have plenty of stressors going on. I'm writing my story and am feeling sad as I re-live my stroke and divorce. I haven't been able to exercise everyday like normal because of a recent illness that lasted two months. It's getting darker and colder here in Alaska. And another loved one passed away a week ago. Whatever this is, I'm confident that I'll get through it just fine. I may struggle, but I'm used to struggling. I'm tenacious, positive, and determined. God has allowed me to suffer both in duration and intensity since my stroke 7 years ago. And with every struggle, I've learned that through him I can do anything. My parting thought comes from an article I read recently on mindbodygreen.com about whether or not to stop pursuing a major goal. FYI: my goal is to write my story, share it, and then get a degree in rehabilitation counseling so I can help future stroke survivors. Anyway, these words by Lamesha Serf-Walls evoked a whole new can-do attitude in me. She writes, "But if you still have a spark in your soul and hope in your heart, then dust yourself off and just keep going." Dusting myself off and moving onward…because the spark and hope are still there!
  6. Thank you, Betsy! I appreciate your thoughtful comment; I feel uplifted by your words. Thank you. Thankfully, I no longer live in fear of having an aneurysm, but I am mindful of how I spend my days, because that's what life is made of…one glorious moment after the next. Best regards and prayers to you, too.
  7. v907

    StrokeNet Sunshine

    Hi, Sue! Thank you for the warm welcoming message. I remember you fondly and am so grateful for your caring and supportive nature. Beat regards, Veta
  8. v907

    StrokeNet Sunshine

    Even though it's been over a year since I've logged into StrokeNet, the unconditional support, good cheer, and friendships I've experienced on this site are still very dear to me. I signed in again this evening because I know that, like sunshine, all of those beautiful attributes about this site are life-affirming and nurturing. And now that I'm writing my story and feeling the hauntingly familiar affects of depression creeping in around the edges of my normally active and cheery lifestyle, I could use a big dose of StrokeNet sunshine right about now. My name is Veta and I survived a spontaneous carotid artery dissection while I was teaching in my first grade classroom on October 3, 2008. I was young (31), athletic, and healthy when my internal right carotid artery spontaneously dissected. I barely survived, but because my dissected artery blocked most of the blood flow to the right hemisphere of my brain for 10 days, many things did not survive. I literally became a different person over the span of hours as my entire right hemisphere was compromised by the lack of oxygenated blood. The movement and feeling on my entire left side, my ability to think and reason like an adult, my ability to read with comprehension, my ability to do math, my ability to socialize, my job, and my marriage all became fatalities of my stroke. I was utterly dependent on my parents, brothers, therapists, and wheelchair during those first couple years of post-stroke life. Then bouts of depression and anxiety took root and it got worse. Much worse. I actually prayed every day that God would bring me home, but he didn't. Enter StrokeNet sunshine! When I became a member of this site in 2013, I knew that I needed radical change. The time with my psychotherapist, heavy-duty depression and anxiety meds, and strong faith weren't creating the necessary changes fast enough. But you, my beautiful StrokeNet community, accepted me and lifted me up. And life got better. Much better. Thank you. I have regained all of my cognitive abilities, more mobility on my left side, and a stronger-more wholesome, more resilient-sense of who I am over the last couple of years. I live and travel independently. I still have residual paralysis below my left elbow and left knee, but I'm back to hiking, sea kayaking, and cross country skiing. I have chronic pain in my neck, back, and head, but I manage it without meds (by staying active, positive, and using meditation and other biofeedback techniques). I'm currently writing my story to share with my fellow survivors of stroke, trauma, and heartbreak. I have yet to decide if it will be a memoir or a collection of essays. And I'm struggling with perfectionism and fear as I write. But overall, I'm doing quite well. As a medically retired teacher, I have the time and resources to make stroke recovery my first priority. Writing is my second, volunteering as a reading tutor is my third, and planning for my reemergence into the professional field is always in the back of my mind. Life is good. But now, in this moment, I'm checking in with you so this creeping depression doesn't take hold. Part of recovering successfully means that you get to know yourself, read the signs, and take action. Just typing this up and resurrecting my blog has been therapeutic. I changed the settings so it will be available publicly. I'm tired of this fear I have of sharing my story. So here I am, publicly sharing an update on this post-stroke life of mine…and hoping for a good dousing of the brilliant StrokeNet sunshine that I've grown to love.
  9. Happy Anniversary v907!

  10. v907

    I'm still here

    Sally, I'm really happy for you about your housing situation. It really makes a difference to like where we live and to get along with our neighbors. I recently moved from my parents' home to a nearby apartment. Now that I'm all settled and my apartment is set up, I absolutely love my space. I've also been away from Strokenet due to being busy the last five months. Best to you, Veta P.S. I'll be happy to chat or message any time. I'm happy and positive, too.
  11. Happy Birthday v907!

  12. Thanks, Sally! I'm actually meeting with friends soon so we can find a way for me to crochet. So glad we don't have to reinvent the wheel! -Veta
  13. Wow, 80 is fast! I'm glad you made it safely and enjoyed yourself.