This is day to day and you know it. Take a minute to re-read your blog. Look at all the positives you had and remarked on. You saw what the hand is capable of doing. You also know the arm-hand are usually the last to come back. Of course PT is easier and more positive, you already have your leg back.

Yes, you are exhausted and a bit discouraged. But so many good things are already happening. Give it your best and try to remember that in a month from now, if nothing else, you have built up your endurance and will have a better plan in place for your Spring home exercise program.

Personally, I think you had great results coming out of the gate!

Katrina:

your blog is encouaging me to get more results from left hand too. keep a faith & do your part so that God can help you.nothing is ever easy in life, we usually get things back based on how badly we want & how hard we tried. so give yourself time & slack & keep on trying. God will help but we have to do our part too.

Asha

Debbie and Asha are right so ditto. My two cents,

Miracles are your right. God only gives us what he know we can handle. So, take those negatives and turn them into positives. Lessons to be learned. If you are seeing some of the old negatives repairing take a second look to find the lesson in it. You are a child of God, born in his image. remembertolaugh, Jeanniebean :cocktail:

Katrina,

You said what we all feel about OT and PT. When William has OT I feel the same way. "Do not say can't" they do not want to hear that. Always say I'll try. I have to instill this into William or the OT person or the PT person gets bent out of shape. I can understand why they say this. This is their job. But, empathy...where is that?? isn't that part of their job.

Tired is part of therapy...soreness is the result of really working hard. YOu did so well. You described what you did really well. I appreciate that. I will try to get William to do some of that.

Never give up on that hand. Miracle happen. Faith is needed. I am the extra faith that William needs. I do believe that something will come back one day. I just cannot predict when that will be.

Just having PT/OT every once inwhile helps one remember what is important and needs to be worked on once again.

Keep working hard. I am proud of you.

Ruth

As annoyingly painful as it is I've got to say just keep trying to use your hand. That's what doing and it irks me to no end but I know if I dont make my brain reconnec by tryng to use my hand it never will. Think about this: We all jbw that legs come back before arms right? Why is that? Some say its the weight bearing.. and maybe it is but I think its the effort we put into our legs. walking becomes a huge priority and we do it and keep trying to do it even when we can't My first' steps' safter the stroke consisted of 1 PT blocking my left knee with her knees so it wouldn't buckle when I put my weight on it. A 2nd PT literally pushed my left leg forward by placing her foot behind my heel and sliding my foot forward. Then I'd weight shift, get my weight on my leg and swing through with my norma right leg. I could't walk my first 100 to 1000 steps but I kept trying. now I've tried to open doors with my left hand and I cannot get my hand to open and grab the knob or twist and push but I know that I haven't tried o do it a thousand times yet either.... When I thibk of it like that it's no wonder I can do much more with my leg than I ca n with my arm; i've simply tried a lot harder with my leg because I must have taken a million steps sincethe stroke and that's a million prompts to my brain urging it to rewire. I f I'm breing hones I have to say I haven't tried to do a millio of any movement with my arm or hand So why am I surprised it's not back...? Of course it's not back. this all just means i've got to dedicate myself again to my hand and arm abd try to give them the same attention and input I gave my brain. That is where the keep trying comes in.I didn't want to be in a wheelchair so I kept trying to walk even when i couldn't and eventally my brain figured a lot of things out, not all because my walking is still awkward but I put in lots and lots of effort and I can easily walk 25 minutes on a treadmill non-stop I haven't yet given my hand and arm that kind of attention but Im going to start My leg got mch more stimulative inpput than my arm has received and part of my frustratoin is my spasticity.. I cannot open my hand or extend my arm s it's really hars trying to do anything with it but I still got out of bed and tried to walk everyday even when I couldn't swing my leg forward. I'm not giving up onmy sarm, I'm just going to get really tough and honest wityh myself I cannot expect to get more out of my sarm and hand until I put more into them They kindsa got shafted... I can do squats, bridges and stairs and tons of walking for my leg. Now I've got to get real about what I'm going to do for my arm and hand and I know I haven't done enough. I'm glad to read your positive attitude and pleased that you no longer see your therapy as pointless. When it gets hard;we've just got to work harder.

I'm going to work on my arm and keep trying to do things I still cannot do. It worked for my leg. It was a long time before my brain figured out for itself how o pull my leg forward. I still remember it. I was getting into my bed and iI used to hook my right foot behind my left heel and pull my left leg u and into the bed but this day I sat down and just knew how to lift my leg into the bed. I thought to mysef. hey I think I can do that when I walk too. I could't wait to show my therapists and when I did they were really excited I went from being a patient that needed for people to walk with and being maximum assistance to being on contact guard which meant the PTs were nearby in case I lost balance but they no longer had to movre my leg for me. had I not kept trying to walk during that time my leg would be unusable t me like my sarm but the wheelchair was great motivation so I kep at it even whe I really couldn't walk without tos of help. So yeah I cannot yet do things with my arm.... Well not that longago I coyuldn;t walk either but I can now so Im just going to get focused and keep trying, What helps me is that Ive got videos of my first walks after the troke and my aboility and strength since then is obvious, glaringly so. I've just got to remind myself that I couln't walk but I kepyt trying and now I can ) Find your motivatuion whatever it is and keep at it. Keep the fauith and know in your heart that you will get better. Just as ou can walk now know you will get better ) know you are always in my prayers. as always all my best wishes for your full recovery and patience for the meantime )