Skip to main content

I know that some will not understand...

There are some problems that a stroke survivor faces that some people (even doctors) do not seem to be able to grasp. I have been to physical therapists, neurologists, speech therapists and psychologists and none of them (at least on the surface of what they say) seem to really get the fact that there are real problems that we face on a daily basis (some days are worse than others) that are not physical. Some people reading my blog will understand exactly what I am saying: there is a "spacey" feeling that cannot really be quantified. That is, it is hard to put into words and almost impossible to describe but it is a real problem. Sometimes when I wake up I just have a "far away" feeling that cannot really be explained, but when that feeling is there it is hard to concentrate, it is hard to find the right words to communicate clearly and it is hard to get my thoughts together. Are there physical problems? Sometimes (when that "spacey" feeling is at its worst, my leg also seems weaker and I seem to struggle with my balance more). But, the problem is not always physical but it is just a feeling. If I sound as if I am griping, ok, I probably am; but, I just want to communicate to people that just because a stroke survivor looks great, there might be problems that no one else can see.

Comments

  1. Amen. Having bipolar II disorder and hypothyroidism, I understand all too well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes I know exactly what you are talking about. It is better for me now, but every once in a while it is not gone.

    What was surprisingly helpful was that I got sent for mindful meditation by my Social Worker which was good is so many different ways much to my surprise. I then started doing Christian meditation too. I find them complimentary and not an either or thing.

    The mindful meditation is a technique that helps with stress, pain management and focus and helps one to isolate concentration on particular tasks or bod parts. It helps with getting on with the task at hand even when feeling "spacey".

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  3. I had a brainstem stroke and know what you are talking about. These "spacy" days have become less frequent in the 7 years since my stroke. Hang in there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Little snippets like this are helpful to me because my husband had a stroke this year. He is still "there" mentally, but yet something is different, something that neither of us can quantify. I know he has moments or days like that, and it's helpful for me to understand him just a little bit more.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A little lethargic the last couple of days....

The last couple days I have been really, unusual. I don't know exactly how to describe it. I'm tired all the time. No matter how long I sleep at night I never seem to get enough sleep. The last few days I have noticed that my eyes have been acting a little weird. I tried to explain it to someone but it is like I just can't find the words to describe it right. It is worse when I have to change my focus, when I am looking at one thing and then have to change the focus to something else it seems as though it takes just a fraction of a second to refocus. Now, a fraction of a second does not seem bad until you are driving; then it can be pretty problematic. I also noticed that I seem to get a little dizzy when I stand up. It is not something that really bothers me, but it is a little irritating. It is not bad enough that I think "Oh, no, not this again." But it is something I notice. I don't know, perhaps it is because tomorrow will be the 2 year anniversary of the

A stroke survivor's memory is tricky sometimes...

Tomorrow I will preach the funeral for a dear friend of mine. He was the definition of a selfless person. I truly appreciated all that he did, but, when I was meeting with the family on Wednesday a memory came to me suddenly and I was suddenly overcome with emotion. Let me back up a little bit: After my stroke in December, 2008 my license was revoked for obvious reasons and it took me some time and practice before I was able to drive again. I finally got my license back in February, 2009. But, shortly after I got my license back the reality of the severity of my stroke became evident: my stroke had seriously impacted the PONS area of my brain stem, and therefore, a lot of my nerves were negatively impacted. One of the nerves that was damaged was the nerve that controls my eye movements; my left eye would would twitch, at times almost uncontrollably, and that made it really difficult to drive, particularly at night. That brings me to the memory that left me so emotional. Fast forwar

It's been awhile...

I know it has been awhile since I have posted. I know, I know...shame on me. A little update: it has been nearly 4 years since my stroke. I do notice that I get tired more quickly. I tried to go to the local Rec. Center again to do some exercises and lift weights. That was really exciting...for about 3 weeks. Then it seems I hit a  wall. I was tired, I seemed to lose some stamina quickly. It does seem, too, that my swallowing is a little more sporadic. What I mean by that is that I find myself having to stop in the middle of conversations at time because I cannot seem to swallow when I talk. I did receive this the other day from another stroke survivor. She is only 26 years old and wants to share some insights to others. I have not edited any of her comments, so it appears exactly as I received it. "At 25 years old, I was untamable, spunky, spontaneous, moody, rebellious, occupied and preoccupied with love, radiating energy, full of life, healthy, fit, goal-oriented, driven, n