STROKES In the USA

It is hard to imagine what my life was like before I suffered a series of three strokes in nine weeks. Sure I remember what life was like before stroke. My recovery has been unusual when you consider the damage and the doctors’ prognoses of my future. It was bleak.

There are 800,000 strokes a year in the United States, and there are 7,000,0000 stroke survivors alive today. This is a staggering number when compared to 15,000,000 cancer survivors. The tragedy in this number is that 80% of these strokes are preventable! My strokes cost $962,000 in medical costs and that’s only one person. Add lost earnings for six years and the overall cost to the economy is difficult to comprehend. I can assure you for every stoke there is a large number of people affected, including spouses, children, siblings, friends and co-workers.

When you consider those numbers, it makes you wonder why so little is done in the way of stroke education and prevention. The return on investing in such a cause would have to be significant, when you think about the amount of money spent on political campaigns and half of them have no return.

Strokes affect men, women, old, young, children from every background and culture. About one out every 149 people experience a stroke.

A lot of questions come to mind. First off, why? What’s the cause of these strokes?. I believe it to be lifestyle, specifically, the failure to monitor factors key to stroke prevention: monitoring and controling blood pressure, blood sugar (diabetes), cholesterol and smoking.

I was no saint when it came to these key factors. Through my informal research, one of these factors can and does cause strokes, but the probability skyrockets when you have two or more factors in the abnormal range. I am not a doctor, this is just what I observe when meeting with other stroke survivors. Something I do often, not for research, but to show them that with hard work I regained most functions and so might they.

The best outcome for stroke is prevention. It’s faster, cheaper and infinitely easier. If your not sure of your risk factors see a doctor find out what your risks are. It will be the best investment you have ever made.

REFUSE TO BE HELPLESS

USING THE WEAK SIDE

As a triple Stroke survivor I learned first hand the challanges and frustrations that face every aspect of your life. For those who doubt that statement, try to put on your socks and shoes one handed. The world around us was built by and for people with 2 working arms and legs, we can either adapt are lives to incorporate are short comings or Refuse to be helpless.

I started early on to rehab my left hand and arm, once I regained hand movement using sponge balls,hand weights and stretch bands, I lacked coordination, hand speed and strength. My challange was ways to use the hand in a way that would develop these capacities, I tried everything imaginable, and focused on a few.

When I was in Rehab they would give us modeling clay to work the weak side, the reality is clay is very stiff till your body heat warms it up, and in my case my left I hand had very little heat, it was frustrating . When I returnrd to my home after 10 months of institutional living I very simply put 3 cups of flour and 1 cup of water in a bowl and mixed it with both hand making sure the weak side duplicated the strong side, after a doe ball is formed move it to a floured surface,cutting board or counter top and I kneaded the doe ( Video) doe is unique in that the longer you knead it the stiffer it gets, so you get the benefit of ever increasingly increase in resistance and you stop when tired.

To develop dexterity I used a simpler approach, I started washing dishes by hand, we shut down are dish washer,every knife, fork and spoon, plate, bowl and cup got massaged with a sponge and rinsed. It was awkward at first and after a while it became natural and second nature.

I am sure they you can find many opportunity’s in your daily life to incorporate your weak side into your activities, combing your hair, shaving, eating, ect. It takes time, my progress was slow but I stayed with it, and today my left hand is capable and 90% as strong as the right.

The primary goal of recovering lost functions is to teach your brain how use the affected appendages, all to often we treat rehab as a physical process, its actually a learning process. Changing your approach to recovery may be the path to the recovery your looking for.

If you find these blogs helpful or you have a challange that I may have faced or maybe a helpfull tip, use the comments section of this website. Your information is strickly confidential.

THERE ARE TIMES TO IMPROVISE

Every stroke survivor is unique, no two strokes are the same and the same can be said about recoveries, as I meet more survivors, I find similarities. First they overcome the depression that is apparent, the next thing that’s common is a burning desire to overcome their disabilities, with therapy, mechanical aids, or through inventive soulutions.

My right arm was one of the last physical distresses to overcome, and I had five different occupational therapists. I made progress, but I wasn’t satisfied. My arm had movement and was functional, but it was weak and not very stable.

I was discouraged by my therapist’s request to implement weight training for fear of injuring my shoulder…so I improvised.

I tied a stretch band around my wrist, hoisted my arm up in front of a window put the other end out the top of the window closed the window and then pulled down, the band would pull my arm up, I would repeat this actions for minutes at first, then extended periods and then several times a day…

After strengthening my arm with my inventive solution, I now tell everybody who’s frustrated with their rehabilitation to take matters into their own hands and improvise…visualize positive changes and they will happen…