Strokes Are An Emergency
Strokes Are Devastating...
In the early hours on the morning of November 10, 2011, it happened without any warning.
In my case, I never felt a thing - no pain, no headache.
Nothing that I recognized at the time.
Waking from a deep sleep it took a moment to recognize my left arm had not just fallen asleep! It is an odd sense to, subconsciously, ask your arm to move and understand it is just not happening.
You no longer have control over some parts of your body! What control you do have depends on the nature and severity of your stroke.
The brain's transmission system has been interrupted.
An interruption which can prove permanent or even fatal.
What is a stroke? A stroke is an actual event effecting the brain - a brain attack, if you will.
The brain's blood supply has been interrupted either by clotting (ischemic stroke) or bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke).
Unlike other injuries, your brain has ceased functioning in a proper manner.
It is just as crucial to understand how much an emotional event a stroke is.
It will prove to be Life-Changing! Time is of the essence with a stroke.
When the signs of a stroke are recognized, contact 911 and get to a hospital immediately! In my case, I did not recognize what was happening to me.
Some studies being done suggest that treatment beginning within 3 to 4 hours of the event can be extremely beneficial to patient recovery.
Time is equally noteworthy, if not more so, in therapy.
Therapy must and should begin as soon as possible.
And be Continuous and Concurrent with treatment! Any delay in therapy may prove to have tremendously negative results for your recovery.
Your treatment will likely consist of both physical therapy (PT) as well as occupational therapy (OT).
As a side note, the experience with my event was, that most focus was on the physical aspects, and to a great extent, ignored the psychological needs.
I truly believe that lack did much harm.
CAUTION: Especially with regard to your insurance companies.
I hope you will take a piece of advice and make sure you know exactly, and I do mean exactly, what will happen if/when a significant life event happens to you or a loved one.
Break a bone and you can still function in a somewhat normal fashion.
With a stroke, it does not happen quite that way.
For a stroke or heart attack, you are dealing with major life functions.
I am sure others who have been struck by a major event, such as stroke or heart attack, will know full well what I am talking about.
A great deal of frustration, anger, depression and more, accompanies any serious life altering event.
As well as a great deal of questioning - "Why did this happen"? Realize these feelings are normal and to be expected.
Every time you try doing, what was previously an everyday chore and you can not accomplish it - that is when frustration will rear it is ugly head.
Things such as buttoning a shirt, pulling your pants up, trying to buckle your belt, cut a piece of meat, wash yourself or move without the use of a wheel chair/walker/cane or...
Frustration Will lead to anger.
Anger will lead to depression.
Depression leads to hopelessness.
As your frustration level goes up, the angrier you become and the more opportune depression becomes.
These feelings will all sneak up on you and reveal themselves when you least expect it.
They can become one vicious circle, with depression being the most dangerous.
The other day I attempted a straightforward task.
I could not get my left arm to function properly.
I became more and more frustrated at my inability and then angry that I had to struggle so, just to make a quick lunch.
My language then (as it has on many an occasion since this event began) was more than blue - Not the way I normally function.
I went into the why me syndrome; cussing out the world, my lunch, my walker and my useless arm.
I then became depressed.
The whole point being that one emotion does lead to another and the need to exercise care in your reactions are essential.
Depression will likely be a significant impediment with all that is going on with a stroke, or with other life changing events.
(I am well aware of these feelings because I am experiencing them) You may also find yourself questioning things like; "...
why does my therapist have me doing this exercise? It is dumb, it will not/cannot help! Just Do It! It will not be easy, but you need to find a way to work through the impediments.
Working my way through stuff is one of hardest things for me to do.
There are numerous challenges which test us in our daily lives.
When you add a significant event such as a stroke, it can become an untenable burden.
Finding new ways to function is something you will be doing on a constant basis even if those ways are, hopefully, only a temporarily expedient.
Accommodate and Compromise become two hugely significant words in your post-stroke vocabulary.
They have been the cause of many of my negative feelings to date.
These are feared words for me, suggesting my progress to date is as strong as it will ever be.
Be sure to take advantage of any resources that may be available to you, including counseling.
Do a search for stroke resources in your home town, county or state.
Your local colleges, senior citizen centers, et al, may have support groups and programs you can avail yourself of.
Support groups are usually made up of folks who are, or have been, where you are now.
With the advent of the Internet, the Information Highway, you can scour the world for techniques and resources to assist you.
Having said all of the above, I have always believed that 'Things' happen for a reason and maybe one day the Universe may see fit to answer my why questions.
As my mother was fond of saying: "...
god willing and the creek does not rise...
" we move forward.
It is scary for me.
I am angry, afraid and extremely frustrated! The Jedi's Grandpa
In the early hours on the morning of November 10, 2011, it happened without any warning.
In my case, I never felt a thing - no pain, no headache.
Nothing that I recognized at the time.
Waking from a deep sleep it took a moment to recognize my left arm had not just fallen asleep! It is an odd sense to, subconsciously, ask your arm to move and understand it is just not happening.
You no longer have control over some parts of your body! What control you do have depends on the nature and severity of your stroke.
The brain's transmission system has been interrupted.
An interruption which can prove permanent or even fatal.
What is a stroke? A stroke is an actual event effecting the brain - a brain attack, if you will.
The brain's blood supply has been interrupted either by clotting (ischemic stroke) or bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke).
Unlike other injuries, your brain has ceased functioning in a proper manner.
It is just as crucial to understand how much an emotional event a stroke is.
It will prove to be Life-Changing! Time is of the essence with a stroke.
When the signs of a stroke are recognized, contact 911 and get to a hospital immediately! In my case, I did not recognize what was happening to me.
Some studies being done suggest that treatment beginning within 3 to 4 hours of the event can be extremely beneficial to patient recovery.
Time is equally noteworthy, if not more so, in therapy.
Therapy must and should begin as soon as possible.
And be Continuous and Concurrent with treatment! Any delay in therapy may prove to have tremendously negative results for your recovery.
Your treatment will likely consist of both physical therapy (PT) as well as occupational therapy (OT).
As a side note, the experience with my event was, that most focus was on the physical aspects, and to a great extent, ignored the psychological needs.
I truly believe that lack did much harm.
CAUTION: Especially with regard to your insurance companies.
I hope you will take a piece of advice and make sure you know exactly, and I do mean exactly, what will happen if/when a significant life event happens to you or a loved one.
Break a bone and you can still function in a somewhat normal fashion.
With a stroke, it does not happen quite that way.
For a stroke or heart attack, you are dealing with major life functions.
I am sure others who have been struck by a major event, such as stroke or heart attack, will know full well what I am talking about.
A great deal of frustration, anger, depression and more, accompanies any serious life altering event.
As well as a great deal of questioning - "Why did this happen"? Realize these feelings are normal and to be expected.
Every time you try doing, what was previously an everyday chore and you can not accomplish it - that is when frustration will rear it is ugly head.
Things such as buttoning a shirt, pulling your pants up, trying to buckle your belt, cut a piece of meat, wash yourself or move without the use of a wheel chair/walker/cane or...
Frustration Will lead to anger.
Anger will lead to depression.
Depression leads to hopelessness.
As your frustration level goes up, the angrier you become and the more opportune depression becomes.
These feelings will all sneak up on you and reveal themselves when you least expect it.
They can become one vicious circle, with depression being the most dangerous.
The other day I attempted a straightforward task.
I could not get my left arm to function properly.
I became more and more frustrated at my inability and then angry that I had to struggle so, just to make a quick lunch.
My language then (as it has on many an occasion since this event began) was more than blue - Not the way I normally function.
I went into the why me syndrome; cussing out the world, my lunch, my walker and my useless arm.
I then became depressed.
The whole point being that one emotion does lead to another and the need to exercise care in your reactions are essential.
Depression will likely be a significant impediment with all that is going on with a stroke, or with other life changing events.
(I am well aware of these feelings because I am experiencing them) You may also find yourself questioning things like; "...
why does my therapist have me doing this exercise? It is dumb, it will not/cannot help! Just Do It! It will not be easy, but you need to find a way to work through the impediments.
Working my way through stuff is one of hardest things for me to do.
There are numerous challenges which test us in our daily lives.
When you add a significant event such as a stroke, it can become an untenable burden.
Finding new ways to function is something you will be doing on a constant basis even if those ways are, hopefully, only a temporarily expedient.
Accommodate and Compromise become two hugely significant words in your post-stroke vocabulary.
They have been the cause of many of my negative feelings to date.
These are feared words for me, suggesting my progress to date is as strong as it will ever be.
Be sure to take advantage of any resources that may be available to you, including counseling.
Do a search for stroke resources in your home town, county or state.
Your local colleges, senior citizen centers, et al, may have support groups and programs you can avail yourself of.
Support groups are usually made up of folks who are, or have been, where you are now.
With the advent of the Internet, the Information Highway, you can scour the world for techniques and resources to assist you.
Having said all of the above, I have always believed that 'Things' happen for a reason and maybe one day the Universe may see fit to answer my why questions.
As my mother was fond of saying: "...
god willing and the creek does not rise...
" we move forward.
It is scary for me.
I am angry, afraid and extremely frustrated! The Jedi's Grandpa
