Recovery

THERAPY

DID U KNOW OCTOBER IS PHYSICAL THERAPY MONTH? EVERYTHING’S CELEBRATED NOW!

4 THE LAST 3 WEEKS I HAVE BEEN GOING TWICE A WEEK 2 SWIM THERAPY (PIC. COMING-TAKEN ON A PHONE CAMERA, SO IT’S SMALL), IN PREPARATION 2 USE THAT SWIM-SPA AT MY HOUSE, & NOT FEEL I’M WASTING ‘ A DAY. I PERSONALLY PREFER MUSIC THERAPY (LIIKE PHYSICAL THERAPY IN MY CHAIR & SOME SPEECH-I ‘SING,’ PLAY 1-HANDED PIANO, PRACTICE BREATHING, & ‘PLAY’ INSTRUMENTS IN ODD WAYS; LIKE HITTING DRUMS W/MY FEET). I PREFER MUSIC THERAPY 4 MANY REASONS: THE BIGGEST RESULTS-PIANO HAS MADE ME TYPE FASTER; MY CONSONANTS, WHICH R NOT FOCUSED ON, R NOT BETTER, BUT MAKING SOUND WHEN I WANT INSTEAD OF WHEN I GET THE RT, BREATHE; BREATHING TECHNIQUES HAVE REALLY HELPED IN CONTROLLING MY PBA, I CAN PRACTICE ON MY OWN CLOCK, WHICH MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE; I WAS A MUSIC MINOR , IN CHOIRS, ETC., SO I BETTER RESPOND 2 IT’BUT SWIM THERAPY MAY HAVE ATTRIBUTED 2 MY LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT-IN MOST PIVOT TRANSFERS, I CAN NOW TAKE A STEP W/MY RT. FOOT, ONCE I’M SLOWLY ALLOWED 2 STAND & STRAIGTEN MY LEGS!

THURSDAY, I WAS WAITING 4 MY SHOES & 2 ATTEND MY LAST SWIM THERAPY POSSIBLY. FIA, WHO USUALLY MIXES UP HER OWN SHOES, DECIDED 2 TRY 2 PUT ON MY SHOES-A VALIENT EFFORT, SINCE EVEN NURSES IN THE HOSPITAL COULDN’T DO IT! SHE TRIED & TRIED, BUT DECIDED MY TOES WERE 2 BIG! HOWEVER, THERE WAS 2 INTERESTING COMMENTS WHILE TRYING. 1 WAS HOW SHE WISHED I WAS LIKE OTHER MOMS & COULD PUT ON MY OWN SHOES ( USUALLY IT’S A WISH I CAN TALK) & SHE POINTED OUT THAT SOMEDAY SHEE’LL BE IN A WHEELCHAIR & I’LL HAVE 2 PUT ON HER SHOES! INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE FRROM SOME YOUNG WHO’S SEEN MY 90 YR. OLD GRANDMA IN A WHEELCHAIR!

THURSDAY MUST HAVE BEEN ‘TAKE CARE OF MOM DAY,’ BECAUSE WHEN I SNEEZED LATER, SHE HEARD IT, RUSHED IN, GOT A KLEENEX, & WIPED MY CHIN & NOSE! 2 CUTE!

BTW, HAVE U NOTICED I TRY 2 POST WEEKLY?

swimtherapy

STROKE

I HATE THAT MY HAVING A STROKE HAS THRUST US INTO BEFRIENDING THE ELDERLY’NOTHING AGAINST ELDERLY PEOPLE, BUT I’M IN MY EARLY 30S & WOULD LIKE YOUNGER COUPLES 2 HANG OUT WITH, DESPITE BEING HANDICAPPED! I WILL ‘GROW INTO’ OLDER FRIENDS AS WE ALL GROW OLDER. IT SEEMS HARD 2 understand THAT stroke survivors r not all 80 year olds in nursing homes. SINCE MY DOUBLE VISION MAKES IT HARD, I HAD CARA, MY CARETAKER/PERSONAL ASST., READ SOME OF MY YAHOO SUPPORT GROUP 2 ME. SHE COULDN’T GET OVER HOW YOUNG WE WERE! MOST HAD THEIR STROKES IN THEIR 20S, & I RECENTLY LEARNED A GIRL WAS 7 yearS old WHEN SHE STROKED! OF COURSE, THERE R ALL KINDS OF STROKES, & FEW SEEM AS SERIOULY AFFECTED AS ME, BUT IT’S NICE 2 KNOW THAT MANY SURVIVORS OF STROKE, AFTER 15 YRS., R STILL PROGRESSING/RECOVERING! ANOTHER MYTH IS THAT 2 HAVE A STROKE, U HAVE BAD HEALTH. WRONG. I WAS PERFECCTLY HEALTHY. I NEVER SMOKED OR DRANK. I HAD NO WARNING SIGNS. MAYBE SOMEDAY I WILL POST WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THE DOCTORS NEVER FOUND A CAUSE.

GUESS WHAT

GUESS WHAT I DID MON. NIGHT? I LEANED OVER & SCRATCHED MY LEFT CALF! I HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN 2 YEARS! 🙂 4 SOME REASON (I THINK IT’S BECAUSE MY LEGS CAN’T LIFT, SO I;M NOT DISTRACTED & CAN CHANNEL THAT ENERGY ELSEWHERE) I CAN HAVE BETTER CHANCES 2 LEAN FORWARD ON MY ELEVATOR. BUT I HAVE GOOD (CAN LEAN FORWARD)& BAD (CAN’T LEAN FORWARD & RESORT 2 MAKING NOISE & MOUTH SHAPES) DAYS.