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2.5 year mark. I am blessed.

Wow, it's been 2.5 years. I have to say, some of the longest, hardest days, and then on the other hand, some of the time just flew by. Highs and lows, as is life.   I had my stroke at 31, which was quite a shock. I'd never had any medical problems worth noting. The first stroke occurred at my home, and then the big one occurred once I was in ICU later that night. I didn't know what was going on when it happened. I remember yelling to the nurse, who had earlier promised my mom she'd take g

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Finally back to myself

Hello. I'm finally feeling like myself again! I'm not me without my work. I started working as a social worker for an Adult Medical Daycare, and there I really fit in......many of my clients have had strokes. I also got back to doing counseling on Mondays and Fridays, and I work in Baltimore City with the homeless, those in drug recovery, etc It reminds me to have gratitude for the way I'm living my life. I'm living on my own, in my house, and with my dog Paz. I get help from a guy frien

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One rough year! I made it!

Well here I am. Haven't written in a while, and it's the anniversary of my stroke so I figured it was about time. I finished outpatient rehab about a month ago, because my insurance ran out of sessions, and besides that, it was just time. I went to the best rehab, after the first hospital felt there was no more that they could do for me. The fact was that it was really small, the staff didn't have the updated education, and they just had no budget to buy new equipment. Howard County General

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This week

Well this week was interesting because I had my last PT apt, and she taught me how to use my estim unit, which I can use up to three times per day. I got motivation after my mother returned from vacation, thank goodness. I really do like having her around the house. So I used my motivation to call the PCP, and get another script for a new outpatient facility, with uses the Saeboflex. Yay! My last OT felt I had platoeud out because they didn't have the right equipment, and that I have potential t

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overwhelmed...sad

Well, like I usually do, I am writing because I'm depressed. My mom went on vacation and so I've been here alone for this week. The past week I saw friends and relatives, and told them about my doctor saying I will have no functional movement from the hand. I just started the e-stim last week, and I am going to get it for home. This is very good. After my PT shows me how to use it I will say goodbye to her. I've also had my last official OT session with Kristin, and that's sad. She's going to ge

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Time to reframe

:happydance: So, now that I got the ok to take a break from therapy, It's a little bit of relief that I'm not going to the hospital so much. I can walk the malls every day, go to the library, go to coffee shops. I am going to start to explore the world on my own, without my dear mother. I'm going to go back to my house and face the challenges of living there, even if it's just for a day or two. I need some diversity.   I will live my life, even with this disability. I still haven't walked my d

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Confusion

well, I just got back from OT, and I balled my eyes out there. My OT has noticed that I'm having a rough time recently, and she thought it valuable to talk about it. She said that it's normal to come to acceptance with disability, and healthy to get those feelings out. She said you can only stay motivated so long, and then sometimes you need a break. She told me to think about what I want to do, but that we can do less than three times per week. I need to get out and be with people, because that

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This week.....ehh

Well I can't write this blog without being honest and admitting that after breakfast and getting what I had to do, mostly in the morning, that I stayed in bed curled under the covers for three separate days. I had an apt with my neurologist, who barely knows me by the way, and he bluntly told me that if I had not opened my hand by now, I will not have functional movement in the hand again. Then the next day, I told my OT about it and she said that she doesn't entirely agree with that. She said I

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Recovery Road

So let me tell you how I am feeling. Better, because the anti-depressant kicked in, but impatient. I did my OT exercises yesterday, and since my OT wants me to wait until the tone goes down before I start my next exercise it took me 2 hours. Now I wouldn't mind this if this ever lead to immediate results, but as you know, it doesn't. I'm just venting, by the way. You do all this work and you wonder if it's doing anything. So I had a fill in OT on Fri and he says he wants me to do all the exercis

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My first one

Hi. I'm Christine and it's been four months since my stroke. I was pretty much incapacitated when I was in ICU. My right side was pretty much shot. I guess I have accomplished a lot in the last four months. I can walk pretty well, and when I get worn out I seem to have balance issues. But all in all the walking's come a long way. I still have ankle issues.   My PT is at risk of being stopped, even though I feel like I still want them cheering me on. But the rest I really can do on my own. My O

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