My stroke was May 2014. My PT said recovery goes on slowly so learning compensating strategies is important. She was not saying to abandon hope. She continues to teach me new ways to retrain the brain in ways that are new to me since my past experience with therapy has been limited. But she wants me to have a tool box of tricks to compensate that may help me daily.

I will share one simple strategy that has really worked for me. Most people move their eyes and head at the same time while turning their body. I never thought about it. But when I do that like I have all my life,then I feel spinning,dizzy,and lose sense of where I am in space because my eyes bounce around unfocused. So the deal is keep eyes still and fixed before I turn. So I move my eyes first and look at a target. A chair.A thing on the wall. Once my eyes are fixed, then I slowly turn toward the fixed spot. And amazingly, my turning feels normal,smooth. This trick is helping with my mobility. It takes conscious effort though.

I soothe my nerves from the overstimulation of noise in the nursing home. Can you imagine television going 7/24 with sitcoms?

My apologies if you enjoy that. I just do not. I put in earbuds and plug into some relaxing music to drown it out and sleep or look at a magazine. I find relief going through hygiene routine in the bathroom.

I notice that roomie does not ever brush her teeth and no cna comes in to assist her. Roomie says her teeth are already ruined. I cheerfully point out she still has them. I go brush mine.

A woman across the hall passed away in the night. The other occupant in that room keeps her tv volume extremely high all day and night. No she is not hard of hearing. Not yet. She will argue about turning it down so no roomies work out there usually. This one was very ill. Family was there. The tv blared away. I hear it across the hall. I hear that and staff and I sometimes feel like the bionic woman hearing overwhelming stuff. Music and movies drown it out in best buds on market like surround sound. I just felt sorry that the very ill woman died with an informercial blaring. I guess I think of being more respectful when someone is on death watch. But the woman in here is stuck listening to sitcoms. This tv is never shut off either.