Our health and our recovery from a debilitating stroke of any kind is monumental in our recovery process. I have read many times over this past week or so where the survivors just don't want to be involved with therapy for their recovery process to take hold of their bodies to make them feel and be so much better than just laying there hurting.

Sometimes it feels like we just take our meds, walk a little, eat something then lay down to rest our body and our brain. That doesn't do a thing for our physical body healing and being more mobile than the day before. On the other hand when we start off with a plan to recover the most like getting therapy we want to quit or not complete the process. We are only hurting ourselves and prolonging the healing process Our bodies need so badly to be better in the long run.

Men are especially hard headed and just will not listen to wives, care givers, doctors and other people whom know best what is needed for a big recovery of our body functions. I came home in a WC unable to walk at all after a 5 month stay on the rehab floor of the hospital. I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to make it much farther in recovery. I saw others come in stay a few days and go home. I'm saying to myself will I ever be able to go home and get out of this place!! These mostly guys keep on coming in and going home in a couple days or less than a week's time.

Attitude has so much to do with your recovery, it's like going to school all over again, if you study, try hard, and complete your assignments you get promoted or graduate with all the others. When I got home my wife quit her job to care for me in getting better and out the WC soon as possible. My out patient therapy started three days each week. I learned to walk first then to climb stairs. That much got me out the WC and walking to the kitchen table. Learning to climb the stairs got me out the hospital bed downstairs and into bed upstairs in my bedroom sleeping with my wife and I might add, having sex again, in over 6 months since the stroke made me disabled to a point.

In my mind and through my own experiences with a stroke the best thing you can ever do is your therapy, stretching daily, exercising your limbs to the fullest and never giving up on yourself. Learning all you can in how to use your paralyzed side much as possible. Use that hand/fingers to try picking up penny's/beans from a bowl on the table. Use that weak arm with the other one to hold your cane overhead and down to your knees and back overhead several times a day every day. Don't quit or you fail and never get better to move on to other exercises.

I'm telling you this because it works and it worked for me and others who took the time to tell me and show me how easy it can be. The end results are the goal in getting better and graduate to the next phase in recovery. Sure you need rest your body and brain need rest and you take out time to get that needed rest. It's not all day, all night in bed. When you were employed you went to work came home and got no rest then went back to your work job again then maybe came home and slept for a few hours. The same fortitude applies now in exercise, therapy and stretching your limbs daily. Also get a routine where your wife, care giver can help you stretch you limbs for you to recover the use in your limbs. A little bit every day is the absolute best way to manage.

That's what I call health and recovery. It's a process that must be accomplished every day on a routine basis. It even advances your sex life with your wife or women survivors with their husband or significant other in today's world of political correctness.

I want you all to know this was my routine and to some degree still is after 9 years already. I'm proud to say I got better was happier with life wanting to live and love with what I got left in my body. I'm proud of my wife for remaining by my side every step of the way, Thank you darling!!! In health and in sickness!

I'll be willing to bet that when you do all of what I just stated you'll be glad to drive your automobile again, and do things in general you once thought would never return to you being able to accomplish on your own will and strength! God is good all the time I trust in Him daily for all my needs!!!! Perhaps you can too!