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About this blog

My Post-Stroke experiences and thoughts

Entries in this blog

My Last Post

I've made the decision to discontinue this blog for a couple of reasons: I no longer have the energy for it. My state of mind has drastically plummeted since starting this; initially, I thought/believed that I would "recover" more of my former self and abilities and that my posts would reflect a more positive reporting of and including a steady incline in my health; however, I feel nothing but negative of late, having only seemed to decline in progress these past two years. Therefor

LadyRose

LadyRose

How Do You Define Recovery?

How do you define recovery?   Here is the definition by the merrium-webster web site: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recovery     When I was in the hospital just after having had the C.V.A. (stroke),I was told by the medical professionals that although it was not known if I could/would recover at all, the best chance of gaining recovery is in the first three months post stroke involving intense physical therapy due to something called neuro-plasticity, creating new pathways wi

LadyRose

LadyRose

Sleep Study Results

To my family and friends who've been following my progress here, I'm sorry for the long gap between my posts regarding my fatigue issues an reporting on my sleep study results. I had hoped to resolve sleeping problems before posting, but, that will most likely be yet another long while.   The good news is, the sleep study showed that I do NOT have many of the most common sleep disorders; I do not have sleep apnea, nor other intrinsic sleep disorder; no narcolepsy or idiopathic hyposomnia.  

LadyRose

LadyRose

Oh My Darling Clementine!

It's truly the "little" things that make me happy these days. Clementines; so little and sweet! I love fresh fruit but hadn't been able to enjoy much of it since the CVA. Although I recovered enough to lose my lopsided smile, I continued and still do with some paralysis in my face and mouth that biting into large or hard things like sandwiches and apples, was painful (I'd end up biting my lip or tongue, or both.) Also, many other fruits require the work of two hands before reaping the benefit

LadyRose

LadyRose

Update on my fatigue

I don't know if any of my family and/or friends read this/my blog so I'm not sure if I will continue with it or not but since it's been awhile since my last post, here's a bit of an update...Regarding the fatigue in my earlier posts, in actuality, it's not fatigue, it's all day drowsiness. Today I was awake at 6 AM and up and dressed and had breakfast (which included coffee) by 8:30 AM. By 9:30 AM, I was so drowsy-sleepy that I headed back to bed for a nap. I slept for 4 hours (10 AM to 2 PM - a

LadyRose

LadyRose

Getting Control of My Fatigue?

Just adding to my post yesterday. Although I'm really tired now, after being awake for 3.5 hours, This morning was the first in a very long time that I initially awoke feeling like I had enough sleep......Maybe there's hope that the increased med. dose may help. Fingers crossed (on my unaffected side).

LadyRose

LadyRose

No More Seizures but still Quite Fatigued

After having someone say they were worried about me and wondered if I was OK since my last post, I figured it was well past time to post an update.   Sorry for the big gap between posts; I've had no luck using speech recognition software and I'm still battling with chronic fatigue so I avoid typing because the one-handed style frustrates me and tires me more.   Anyway, After having the seizure mentioned in my last post, I was prescribed an anti-convulsant medication; I've, thankfully, not ha

LadyRose

LadyRose

Bad Day for Me, Yesterday...Oh No, What's next?!

On Saturday, the 16th I had a really enjoyable day outside attending a friend's birthday party but the good day was, unfortunately, followed by a bad day yesterday (Sunday, August 17th)... I spent 4 hours at the hospital ER. I had got out of bed in the AM , hubby did not and my son was on another level of the house. After using the bathroom, I went to the kitchen to fix my breakfast as I do every morning; I began by retrieving my teacup from the table and then taking it to the counter where we

LadyRose

LadyRose

Cooking - A Love turned to Hate

A couple of months back I blogged about being beyond happy to have been able to cook for my family again. Sadly, that has recently changed for me. I used to love cooking for family and friends and myself, now I HATE it! I loved it when it was easy. Now, with only one functioning hand and arm, it's very difficult and completely frustrating. I tried making a Caprese salad for dinner the other night while my men-folk were outside grilling burgers and zucchini but was having so much difficulty

LadyRose

LadyRose

VERTIGO! Just What l Don't Need

Every morning, since July 4th, I've had episodes of severe dizziness upon sitting from a sleeping position (like being on a fast-spinning carnival ride). Yesterday, I was diagnosed with Vertigo. Just what I don't need right now! And, of course, my fatigue is worsening too. I just want to sleep, all the time, forever.   No, I don't believe that was a statement resulting from severe depression, don't worry, I'm not thinking of ending my life. I'm just so tired of being tired and disabled...

LadyRose

LadyRose

A Bit More Independence and Perpetual Fatigue

On May 10th, my family and I went visiting some friends for the day. We left my wheelchair in the car. I sat in a chair at my friends' home (a leather recliner) and fell in love with it. The next day was Mother's Day, here in the USA, so my husband and son brought me to Bob's Furniture store to purchase for me, the same chair that our friends own! It wasn't delivered until the following Friday but now that it's here, I am so pleased; it's the best gift ever!   I am able to compute in the c

LadyRose

LadyRose

Life with Paralysis is difficult but I'm slowly making some progress

This life of paralysis is very difficult! I'm sad and being treated for depression. I had been feeling more positive last week while my mother-in-law was visiting. I love her.She encouraged and helped me to be more motivated with doing my exercises and with trying to do more tasks on my own but since she left here to return home (3 hours away, in another state), I miss her terribly and have come to realize (that living with men -hubby- and -son- and having no sisters or daughters, nor mother)

LadyRose

LadyRose

Family's First Public Outing

Made a trip to the shopping mall with family yesterday. First non-medical related outing since the stroke, 8 months ago.   I wish I could say it was fun but I didn't really enjoy it. It made my hubby happy though, being out doing something as a family again, so for that I am glad.   We had a goal to find some Velcro closure sneakers or shoes that would fit over my AFO (Ankle Foot Orthotic). This in hopes of making it easier for me to put on my AFO and shoe without assistance, allowing me

LadyRose

LadyRose

Itchy and Twitchy, but not YET Bitchy

My body has been doing something new for the past couple of weeks. When I lay down to sleep at the end of the day, I get a series of strange itchy feelings (strange in that it feels prickly, like someone is poking me with a pin). Sometimes it's in my left foot or toes, sometimes my thigh and other times, my abdomen but always on my stroke-affected side. These itchies are then immediately followed by a twitching (or jerking) of my left leg. The best I can describe this is... you know how if yo

LadyRose

LadyRose

Itchy and Twitchy, but not YET Bitchy

My body has been doing something new for the past couple of weeks. When I lay down to sleep at the end of the day, I get a series of strange itchy feelings (strange in that it feels prickly, like someone is poking me with a pin). Sometimes it's in my left foot or toes, sometimes my thigh and other times, my abdomen but always on my stroke-affected side. These itchies are then immediately followed by a twitching (or jerking) of my left leg. The best I can describe this is... you know how if yo

LadyRose

LadyRose

WHAT DO MAILBOXES AND COMMODE BUCKETS HAVE IN COMMON?

HEALTH ISSUES   I currently have some other health issues going on and today it seems the phone won't stop ringing with phone calls from doctors (and a few telemarketers too. I don't understand why the keep trying to call us, we never answer their calls... you'd think they'd give up; stop wasting their time with dead-end numbers.)   THERAPY   Aside from the other issues, I've been busy with PT (Physical Therapy), for my standing balance and walking, and OT (Occupational Therapy), for the

LadyRose

LadyRose

Accessible Bathrooms - These Are Not One Size Fits All

Since the beginning of my recovery, toileting(using a bathroom/restroom) was the first and biggest hurdle, and continues to be (not sure for how long, maybe until I get full recovery in my leg?). Initially, while in ICU, I was lifted from my bed using a mechanical lift (as mentioned in my first post) to a bedside commode. After that, before I was doing any walking, the commode would again be at bedside and with the help of the nursing staff , I'd be helped to standing and then told to pivot, bas

LadyRose

LadyRose

Walking

I've got to tell you,learning to walk again has not been as instinctual as it was the first time (at age? 12 months?)At the age of 56 for adults without brain injury,it's second nature, right? Not something that you think about, you just do it. Not the case when your muscles have gone to sleep, though, which is what it's been like for me. Limp muscles do not hold up the rest of the body! Physical Therapy (PT) not only helped to get my muscles working again, it also helped with my brain's need to

LadyRose

LadyRose

'Mirror' Blog for My Family and Friends

Since ome is unable to leave a comment on this bog unless they are a mrmber of this site and cannot become a member unless one is either a survivor of a stroke or the caregiver to a stroke survivor, I've started a sort of copy of this blog using Google Blogger, to enable my friends and family a way to leave comments if they wish to. you can find the other blog here: http://mylifeafteras...e.blogspot.com/   I have nothing else to report today, sorry. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it!

LadyRose

LadyRose

my first post - a bit of history

My reasons for starting this blog are three-fold, 1 - to keep a record of events, experiences and my thoughts since experiencing a CVA (Cerebral Vascular Accident; or cerebrovascular accident - I prefer this term to that of 'stroke') and 2- to provide an easily accessible resource for my friends and family to learn about and keep abreast of my post-CVA situation as well as the progress I am making in my recovery. 3- in hopes that by telling my story it may help another through their own stroke r

LadyRose

LadyRose