mary7 Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I recently had a thalamic stroke and would love to hear from anyone who has dealt with this Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fking Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Mary, Mine was just a brain bleed very serious with a long delay before reaching a hospital. But 4 years later I am still recovering and doing quite well considering. It's hard to walk and shower these days but I get the job done very slowly unassisted. My faith in God is very high and I feel he is keeping me going. Hope you find out from other members who has experienced what you are going through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mema Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I, like Fred, had a massive bleed to the right side of my brain. I looked up thalamus and was wondering how your stroke affected you. Has your mobility been affected, or your memory? Vi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swilkinson Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Mary Here is a link to Brad's blog and a suggestion as to what he did with his "phantom pain". http://www.strokeboard.net/index.php?autom...;showentry=5421 Nice to see you posting again. Sorry it is because you are having more problems. (((Hugs))) from Sue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mjh Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I had a bleed into my right thalamus ten years ago next week. That was bad enough but the two radiation treatments to seal off the AVM that caused the bleed have caused far more damage than the original stroke. I don't post on here very often because my posts tend to be rather negative, my experience with doctors is that they don't have a clue and no medications have ever done anything for me (including Viagra). That seems to put me at odds with about 99 per cent of the stroke survivors that post on here. I have permanent burning pain in my left face, hand and foot which no medications wil phaze. The pain I could deal with but the biggest problem I have is a total lack of motivation accompanied by awful concentraion and focus problems. I feel utterly disconnected from the world around me. I am of British birth, now living in the western United States and I feel very at odds with the fast-movong, go-go, noisy, competitive culture around me. I have tried everything since my stroke, continuing in my original career for the first couple of years, working part time, volunteer work, academic study, creative writing. Nothing seems to work. I have been on Social Security Disablity pension for about the last seven years. I am 61 years old so I am virtually unemployable in any job that I might find even remotely fulfilling let alone economically beneficial. I have spent countless hours trying to get professional mental health without any real success. I spend every day putting one foot in front of the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addison Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 MJH, My partner is in the same boat and has now informed me that he feels his only option is suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstraugh Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Addison, If your survivor is threatening suicide, you must get him help. Strokenetwork and its members are not trained professionals and cannot help you with this. You need to contact www.suicidology.org or the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mjh Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 MJH, My partner is in the same boat and has now informed me that he feels his only option is suicide. Addison, If your survivor is threatening suicide, you must get him help. Strokenetwork and its members are not trained professionals and cannot help you with this. You need to contact www.suicidology.org or the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) First, I absolutely support dstraugh's post regarding IMMEDIATE contact with the National Suicide Hotline, 1-800-273-8255 NOW, BY YOU! Not tomorrow, not later today, not next time he talks about suicide BUT NOW. Second, I understand your partner's feelings. I have felt the same from time to time but somehow I find the strength to go on, one day at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Goldberg Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 My stroke took place in the Thalamus -- it also makes me have no motivation but I push myself to do something everyday. I walk with a cane. I have a burning in my hand left side of my body....my head has a constant headache. I too have faith in god so I know what you are going through. What has helped me is I joined a senior center. Two days a week I am picked up and dropped off in the afternoon. Everyone there is 25 years older than me but at 61 I don't care. The point is they are people that love me because I am younger than they and I have someone I can talk with. I live with my husband and son and when they are at work I get lonely so the center fills in the gaps. I also go to Curves a womens gym that is all over the U.S. I can't do reverything but I get out and have met nice people in doing so. Be positive - remember you will have some bad days but oh so many good ones. Hope to see you on chat. Mary Goldberg Santa Ana, CA Stroked May 4, 2005 -- 3 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mjh Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I admire your spiritual belief. I do not have that same comfort. I find being around people very tiring, increases my burning pain dramatically. I manage to motivate myself to do what I have to do: get out of bed; get washed and dressed; keep house clean; keeping track of finances. This is existing rather than living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glaidice Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 That is exactly where I had my stroke 4-1/2 years ago. It completely paralyzed my left side, I was wheelchairbound and had to give up working at 54. At the time I had a nice malefriend who loved me and we later married, sickness and all. Although I've come a long way since I can walk with and without a cane, drive, read, paint and do most things I use to, and even though I lost that wonderful man to death last year, God kept all of us survivors here for some reason and we simply do not know his plan. No, my life is certainly not perfect, I have permanent burning on my left side, spasitcity, and get blue now and then, but as I've said many times, I try and give myself something to look forward to everyday. Plus, I want to love again as strongly as I did my last husband. Why shouldn't I. I want to continue to travel and enjoy the diversities of God's earth. Just looking out on my patio at the beautiful flowers and enjoying a morning coffee is wonderful. I no longer crave the rat race or social climbing, jealousies, etc., but instead absolutely appreciate the fact that God got my attention, drastic as it was, to take time to truly enjoy life and all it has to offer. Remember too that you still have your mind - imagine if you didn't! What a blessing. Wake up every day and say to yourself, this is going to be a spectacular day. Put your make up on, comb your hair, wear something nice, and start your spectacular day - remember, you are still here so start living instead of just existing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danni3 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 HELLO MARY I HAVE MY STROKE 7YEARS AGO AND THE THALAMUS LEFT SIDE THAT EFFECTED MY RIGHT I HAD A BRAIN BLEED IT WAS A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY,BUT TODAY I AM DOING,EVERYTHING PRESTROKE AND MORE,ALTO I HAVE THESE PIN AND NEEDLE FEELIN OCASIONAL BURNING,ON THAT SIDE I HAVE MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD,BECAUSE I TRY NOT TO LET THIS THING GET THE BEST OR ME,AND I DO THAT WITH MY FAITH AND MY LORD,SO HANG AND THERE KID IT WILL GET BETTER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mjh Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 One of the big difficulties that I have with my broken thalamus is that the thoughts in my head just seem to whirl around like a tornado. The thalamus is often described as the "telephone exchange" of the brain. It receives all the sensory input, vision, touch, balance, hearing, pain etc, everything except smell, and then routes it to the correct part of the brain for action. A very important fucntion of the thalamus is to act as a gatekeeper, shutting out stimuli that are not important. The thalamus synchronises the rhythm of your thoughts. When your thalamus is broken it is like a really bad case of ADD, a really, really, really bad case. Your brain just goes off into space with wild thoughts and its difficult to focus on anything. Actually, you can focus on specific tasks such as washing, dressing, even driving. But if you sit down and try to "think something through", to try and figure out what to cook for dinner, to try to do anything creative your mind just goes into a spin. Another issue is sleep, because another job of the thalamus is to shut down the brain for sleep. Most people with danaged thalami do not sleep particularly well. And on the outside, apart from a slight slowness to find words, caused by loss of focus on the conversation, you look so normal. You get up each day, thinking "today I will think more clearly" and it never seems to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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