• A  blog is a personal journal of your daily life as a stroke survivor or stroke caregiver.  Surprisingly, countless members have called it therapeautic to write down their thoughts and to vent their frustrations.  You can make it private, just for your eyes or public and share your personal thoughts with your friends.  Why not try it, create your blog and start writing and see if it helps you.  

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  • swilkinson

    Living on angel time.

    By swilkinson

    I went to see the neurosurgeon on Tuesday. I was interviewed by a young Asian associate doctor and sent for a 3D MRI and angiogram, a brand new way of showing  the blood supply within the brain. The results were given to me by the associate and then I saw the specialist. It appears the aneurysm is larger and deeper than previously thought but at my age they are not going to operate as it would mean a full brain surgery. Coiling, one method of dealing with an aneurysm, is not an option. I think I
    • 12 comments
    • 2,595 views
SassyBetsy's Blog

My weird normal

I have the invasion of the body snatchers.  I woke with light sensitive headache and as my tiny daughter said, my eyebrows hurt. I was told by NP to take meds not close to best treatment. I got myself to urgent care to see a real doc who gave me the right stuff. In 48 hours I feel clearing less stuffy pressure. My facial swelling is down.  It makes a difference to have the doctors see me.  That is a fight here in the snf. But in our household my kids know the drill for a sinus infection.  Like c
SassyBetsy

SassyBetsy

1
Ksmith's Blog

It's really happening

So as many of you know, I have trouble with my eyes. Double vision, bouncing eyes and just all around strain and difficulty reading. So after 8 years of searching for help regarding them.. it finally happened yesterday. My parents and I went to Philadelphia to University of Pennsylvania Hospital and met an angel. I was referred to a surgeon from my neuro ophthalmologist and I must admit when I first went there, we were late from morning AM traffic. We left EARLY had to drive 2 hours to get there
ksmith

ksmith

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SassyBetsy's Blog

Needing courage

I have the invasion of the body snatchers.  I woke with light sensitive headache and as my tiny daughter said, my eyebrows hurt. I was told by NP to take meds not close to best treatment. I got myself to urgent care to see a real doc who gave me the right stuff. In 48 hours I feel clearing less stuffy pressure. My facial swelling is down.  It makes a difference to have the doctors see me.  That is a fight here in the snf. But in our household my kids know the drill for a sinus infection.  Like c
SassyBetsy

SassyBetsy

3
Sue's Sentiments

Rainy day blues

It's raining.  It has been raining for about ten days now.  I know this has to happen if we are to live in a beautiful green world but day after day of rain makes me blue. It isn't cold rain, as we are on the end of what has been a hot summer we still have a lot of humidity so it is gray, rainy and warm and humid at the same time so I don't have a lot of energy for clearing up the inside of the house and am short on time when it is not raining to do the garden tidy up I need to do. There are so
swilkinson

swilkinson

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Strokewife's Blog

Too many hats on my hat rack

In the house that I live just of center of the front door there stands a hat rack.  It sits there for the simple task of holding hats. There are many head coverings that adorn this rack. Each hat is unique yet some can be considered extraordinary.   It is this bonnet holder that sits in the shadows that helps this caregiver share her thoughts. As long as I can remember my husband has collected hats.  Each time we traveled, attended a concert, or went to an estate sale we often would come ho
Strokewife

Strokewife

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My Journey Within

First Week With my Daughter at her New Apt.

It has been a week since my daughter moved out of our house and into her own apartment. I never knew it would be so difficult LOL. First she was having a lot of anxiety about packing and I helped her but she avoided this right until the last moment. This meant spending a long night up really late packing boxes that could have been done much earlier but we did it. It then meant the next morning we woke early and she went and got her keys and officially signed the lease and actually found out
HostTracy

HostTracy

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achandra's Blog

feel so blessed

Some days I feel so blessed & now that I have come so far out from my stroke event. I can see God's master stroke in my life. Today I feel even stroke was at perfect time in my life, it was at the time when I was forgetting my values  & moving away from my designated path. With God's master stroke I woke up from my sleepwalking through life & started enjoying ordinary moments of life which brings in lasting  & deep happiness.  Its still so hard to believe even after so much of me
HostAsha

HostAsha

4
Sue's Sentiments

Autumn blues

Just going through a time when life is pretty routine, I often feel that at the end of Summer , start of Autumn (fall) and as we have had a lot of rain I have spent a lot more time indoors than I usually do this time of the year. Which is probably why I am feeling a bit mopey. Since the trip to Hawaii to meet Sarah there hasn't been a lot of excitement in my life. Okay I know that if I want to do anything exciting it is up to me to organise it but once again I am going through a spell where all
swilkinson

swilkinson

2
SassyBetsy's Blog

Going to new primary doctor

Later today I must go to new primary  doc. I hope this one will be satisfactory and keep me functioning.  I am hoping she will find out why I am so fatigued falling asleep and get all my referrals for therapy. I do not want my therapy to end.  In my last PT session the guy said you can walk with a cane now. Well I have been able to but the concern was my balance out in the big world where my vestibular system breaks down. I was told no not yet.  I felt his saying go ahead with cane was
SassyBetsy

SassyBetsy

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Ksmith's Blog

I thought my world was going to change

All was good as I was checking my emails and other computer stuff when as suddenly as I'm writing this, my head began to spin and I started to sweat so naturally I think I'm having a stroke. Why? Well I was on heperin  for my surgery and  you know you always have the risk of developing blood clot so naturally my brain went there. I've had more invasions surgery in the past and never once thought of this. So I called my mom, since she had this procedure done last year and she lives .5 miles up th
ksmith

ksmith

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My Journey Within

How I See My World

How I See My World I look all around and it's hard to believe, That a broken mind has set me free. There are no agendas in my sight, No time crunches or policies I have to fight. Less fuss, less scurry, less stress for me, The world is quieter and calmer than I once believed. The wind on my face and the rustle of leaves, Is warmer and more magical than I once conceived. Even the blinding lights have beauty to behold, Starbursts and halos and rain
HostTracy

HostTracy

4
spacie1's Blog

Saved by The Patch

It's been a while since I've blogged, so thought it was time to get caught up here.   I've been sick off and on since returning home from the trip to meet Sue.   Though the trip was nice and it was great to finally meet up in person, I think being away so long (6 days total), and the change of food, water and sleeping patterns messed me up inside.   It took me a couple of weeks to feel somewhat back to normal again, and then Gary got sick.    He has been going gradually downhill since the loss o
srademacher

srademacher

3
fking's Blog

My Wife Is Better Health Wise And Recovering Good....

I'm so happy to report my wife is better walking, sleeping, and being herself again.... God is good all the time!!!!! So all I can think of is take her to some place she loves and enjoys being there..... She even got up this morning and went to early morning Glory service at church driving herself in my car of course........   That place will be the Casino since they have already sent me an email for two free nights at the Hotel...... She was cleared by her doctor this week and all the gear s
fking

fking

1
Ksmith's Blog

Bring it

Well tomorrow is the day that I only consume liquid. I have Tuesday I have a surgery that will change my life for the better. Then why am I scared? I’ll tell you:   I explained it to my mother that I feel like a drug addict that is facing life after rehab. The fear of the unknown. It is a common fear with this according to other candidates for the surgery. So I’m not crazy? I often say to myself; ‘I love my pizza and pasta and goodies’, and then I feel trepidation with my decision. Crazy righ
ksmith

ksmith

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SassyBetsy's Blog

Passing Out Asleep*

I lose time. I wake up in uncomfortable positions. I wear a back brace now. I hate how the parade of you do not have the latest tekky stu$f goes on.. it gets teeny or bigger but it still is a phone. people d11111o not lok me in the eye. I am on meds. I need to be but I am so[ afraid. Is anyone delse havinryg sleep difficulties. I cry. I oversleep me help meds. I must live this way. I wish the spinal would last longer.   I color and watch birds. Days zoom by I love my kids and wait to see t
SassyBetsy

SassyBetsy

3
My Journey Within

Baby bird is leaving the nest...

It's official my daughter will be moving to her own apartment in 2 weeks. She is 20 so I know at around this age more or less the want to break free. Her and I haven't got along very well this year. She has done so much to help me financially and she is just tired of not being able to use her money like she wants to. She also gets so upset with me when I just ask her a simple question. All I hear is "I'm a adult!" I think it is hard for kids to understand that once a mom always a mom. I am excit
HostTracy

HostTracy

4
Ksmith's Blog

Timber..but saved the most important thing

so the other day I did something silly. I was holding my plate of hotdogs, a girl gets hungry, and my head and feet lost their way. You know the feeling when you fall and there is nothing you can do but just fall. So that's what I did. I, in a split second, had to figure out what to do with my hot dogs. I ended up dropping them but ended eating them...hey a girl has to eat. I landed on the corner of my living room table. It was EXTREMELY painful. I played it off for a few days, pain and sorenes
ksmith

ksmith

3
SassyBetsy's Blog

Memories and Dreams

I just dreamed The Teacher came to an unknown apartment to speak to me about my two boys being absent too much and I stood in my nightgown telling her I had a stroke. We did not have anything to eat. I woke up. Gosh I have always had food and my kids went to school way before stroke. I feel so sad from this dream. I think about my memories all the time. I am robbed living in this nursing home. I lack any life. I only deal with pain relief. It is not the balance or stroke things.   I am lucky
SassyBetsy

SassyBetsy

2
Sue's Sentiments

Multiple choices

I think one of the worst things for me when I was a caregiver was to think that I didn't have a choice. That I had to look after Ray whether I wanted to or not. The solution for me was to get out of bed each morning, put my feet on the floor and and say: “Today I choose to look after Ray.” That way I felt as if I only had to do it for one day and could choose again tomorrow so it was my choice not what fate had inflicted on me.   I am only just getting to that place in widowhood now. I have be
swilkinson

swilkinson

3
My Journey Within

Do You See Me?

Here's a poem I wrote yesterday....sorry if it it long.   Do You See Me?   Do you see me. Look here...right here. I look to your eyes searching for an answer. You look at me, or is it through me. I feel like a ghost, unseen yet in your path. Then, it happens...you walk past me or is it through me. Either way, I am but a shadow of who I used to be. Behind you I follow and tell you I'm fine. Just a lingering dark shadow behind your lit face. It's the light, then you, then me. If you on
HostTracy

HostTracy

7
fking's Blog

Well It Is About Time We go to the Casino Again

As I sit here at home now and my wife has finished all her hospitalization and surgeries I feel it's time to go to the casino again..... It may have to be on the week ends since she is trying to also return to work at the bank while she is feeling much better..... She needs to be moving around and walking some to get her strength back...... We shall see what goes in the next few days......
fking

fking

4
SassyBetsy's Blog

Be My Valentine

My friend here is a blind man named Ramon. His English is better than my Spanish but he says my voice is music to his ears and says he hears me in his dreams. He asked me to be his girlfriend. I said no one has asked me that for years. I said I am old ill and ugly. He said he was told I am looking young and pretty so We are beauty and the beast. In reality I only have brief visits in passing. He asked me to move into his room once but I explained it was not allowed and wondered why he seemed n
SassyBetsy

SassyBetsy

1
My Journey Within

Gratitude...Sunday

Things I am thankful for today:   1. I am thankful for my recycle bin because over the past year it has kept me busy and I think about "What am not recycling that I can?" 2. I am thankful for my 1 cup of coffee in the morning...I may limit it but each cup is like a littlle slice of heaven. 3. I am thankful for the energy I have had the last few days...I even had 2 days where I marked everything off on my To Do list. 4. I am thankful for my vacuum cleaner bought 2nd hand for $25 because it has
HostTracy

HostTracy

3