L
HOW DID I RECOVER FROM 3 STROKES
The question most asked of me is how did you come back from your Stroke episodes the last one being massive, and then overcoming a prognosis that offered no hope of any recovery.
Let me say up front I wasn’t alone in my recovery, lots of help from family, friends, therapists, Hospital and Nursing home staff and God.
It was about 5 months after my last Stroke and I had regained most of my right side function in my arm and leg the hand on my left side had movement but the rest of my left side was flacid.
I was in a 2 bed room shared with a very tall guy in his late 60’s who had a Stoke following heart surgery, he had his physical therapies in the room and it entailed 3 people pushing and pulling to help him stand for about 10 seconds and then he would collapse into his wheelchair. I watched and wondered if this was to be my fate.
Very late one night I heard a commotion coming from his bed, I was astounded to see him standing next to his bed using the bedside urinal. When he was finished he climbed in his bed, I saw him do this a few more times, once a Nurse’s aide came in the room she cautioned not to wake him as he was asleep during these events.
My mind was swimming as I struggled to make sense of this, was he faking his paralysis or was this a miracle. I could not speak so their was nobody I could ask about this. I began to rationalize what I witnessed and my only explanation was that he was acting subconsciously, his conscious brain was sleeping and unaware of what was happening.
It was at that time I decided to try on tap into my minds depth, by focusing on a single movement and seeing the motion in my mind and playing it over and I was able to tap into something that clicked and my arm moved it took me hours to make it move a second time. I can’t explain how it worked but I used the same process thought my rehab and I still use it today. I have taught the technique to a few Stroke Survivors with limited success, the most touching result came from a Survivor who only could say a 2 word phrase every time she tried to speak and in an hour of effort she was singing Happy Birthday, Mary Had A Little Lamb and her ABC’s, those were her first intentional words in 6 years.
When I’m asked how I recovered from such a horrific Stroke, my journey being 6 years ago and still progressing, I work very hard every day spending 3 to 4 hours of physical effort and an equal time working on the brain challenging it with reading, writing, games, puzzles and anything I can find new and different.
I realize I am considered by some as lucky and perhaps I am, I certainly feel blessed and lucky, but none of my progress came easy, every movement took hours upon hours of relentless work.
REFUSE TO BE HELPLESS
Aug 082013