Archive for the ‘Feeling Powerless After a Stroke,’ Category

I know this might be a strange thing to talk about… but here goes.  I like to smoke a couple of cigars a week .  I like the taste and it’s very relaxing.  I have been smoking cigars for about 30 years now.  I had been self-employed when I started.  It was one of the few ways that I could have  time to myself.  No phone, no pager, no interruptions, usually.  It was something I was doing before I had my stroke.  So now it makes me feel more independent.  [normal]

When I first started out   I smoked the cheapest cigars.  I could find.  These items didn’t really taste good, after all I was seeking the taste not to get the high smoking gives you.  So I began looking for a better tasting cigar.  I found one that I liked and stuck to that.  I found the cigar box is handy too.  Real good for storing things , and giving to the grandkids.  These cigars were the inexpensive kind but tasted good, also.

Now,  after my second stroke as I got better I got to thinking… “I’m not getting any younger” so I considered buying a better cigar.  I got on the Internet and found just what I wanted.  Soon, I had a better tasting cigar which I enjoy very much.  [cuban crafters.com]

When a person has a stroke we tend to give up on everything.    I  guess what I’m trying to say here is please don’t give up .  Perhaps, you really enjoyed a good cup of coffee or tea, or maybe a glass of wine, a tasty cold beer, a special candy bar… no matter what… if it won’t kill you perhaps  you can go ahead  .  You are still a person and can make choices.

Using a wheelchair takes some getting used to.  I have to admit that all the time I was walking I didn’t think much about using wheelchair.  In fact, I used to get angry because the wheelchair people had  special places.  Very thoughtless, huh! After my stroke in 2005 I could no longer walk.  So guess what … I was forced into using a wheelchair.  My life had changed and I was not happy.  Fortunately I was able to push myself around the convalescent hospital.  I saw others who were far less fortunate than I was, who couldn’t even move around by themselves.

I became determined to make the best of the situation.  Now one of the things that was hard for me was asking people to help me.  Like pushing me to where I needed  to go.  Once again my independence was  out the window.  Even my first time on the handicapped bus was a bit creepy as I was  used to taking myself where I want to go.  I won’t lie here, because mentaly it was very, very hard for me.
wheelchairs
It’s now 2009 and I am making progress.  The bus is really easy to do and I enjoy myself.  They help me on board, and I go for a ride.  In fact, our activities people take us to the movies and out to eat.  I enjoy it very much and am very thankful I am healthy enough to do it.

I  found myself in the hospital and  I remember thinking, well I should be out here soon, as I didn’t like hospitals.  N OT… well, things got worse and I could not move.  This was very frightening to me, since the worst injury I had suffered to date was a broken leg.  Yes going back on writing this is very hard.  I had to recall events that were very hard for me to go through.

The hospital checked me in and took me up to a room.  My whole right side was frozen as I could not move anything.  They had  me on my back, and I couldn’t even  rest.  I am a side sleep person and that was most uncomfortable.  My family came to see me and all felt so strange.  I just wanted to be out of there and was so angry at myself for having this damned   stroke.

My oldest daughter  came in and pushed me in a wheelchair around the facility.  It was good to get out there.  However, I felt useless.  Now remember, I have been self employed for years and have taken care of myself all that time.  Being confined to a wheelchair was awful.  Just the thought of it made me ill.

I was in the hospital for three days and then they decided to move me into a convalescent home.  Once again, I had no control over what was going on.  The place was nice but full full of old people.  I was told that I was going to get therapy there   so I could work on getting better.  Now, I was 67 years old, and  only about 40 in my mind.

Once again, I had to get used to being in the new place with people I didn’t know.  I was  a very private guy and found it very difficult to allow myself to fit in .  The physical therapy people were very kind and put up with my attitude.  My stroke was truly awful… and I needed help getting  in and out of bed, brushing my teeth, going to the bathroom, and just trying to get around in the wheelchair.  I became determined that I was going to lick this problem.

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall,
she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) …..she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
kingston flash drive
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of
food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital – (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die, they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this…

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the
‘3′ steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks,
call  911immediatelyand describe the
symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke——-Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another ’sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ’stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this
e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that
at least one life will be saved.