Do not give up. Have faith. We will help you meet the challenge and win!
KILLER STATEMENTS RESPONSE
No one has what I have There are 4.8 million survivors
I can't do it Back up and go around the mud
It's not working Try again, don't give up
If you were me you'd understand All of us 4.8 million survivors understand
This just gets me mad Channel that anger into recovery
It's so slow Keep a positive attitude
I'm not as good as my friend Don't compare yourself to others
How? Do
When? When it happens
Why? Because you're worth it
How do I keep a good attitude? Help others
How do I help other strokers? Do, find, ask, encourage, call H.O.P.E. for Stroke
If you need to apply for SSI disability go to http://www.ssa.gov/d&s1.htm
WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?
1.)In seconds our entire life has changed!
In that whirling confusing time that our stroke actually happens, we can, for months try to figure out what happened to us. Somewhere between the flashing red lights and where you may be now we ask the question, what happened to me?
Here is what happened: You either had what's called a red stroke or a white stroke or a Hemorrhagic or Ischemic stroke. A red stroke- is a blood vessel that has burst or broken open. Outside of its normal pathways, blood is toxic to the brain and those portions of the brain affected, die. If you had a white stroke a blockage of a blood pathway, those parts of the brain affected, were denied nutrition, oxygen and waste removal and those parts of the brain died.
2.)What did it do to me?
As soon as those parts of your brain died, they disconnected from that portion of the brain and in little tiny microns of growth a day, they started to migrate to an unused portion of the brain, this is called "neuro -- plasticity", For Neuro Plasticity info click here
3 .)What did it cause?
It caused a decrease or complete stopage of communication from the brain to the muscles or organs they communicated with. It may have affected speech, vision, memory, sight, swallowing, emotions... basically anything the brain controls. It caused many of us to be confused, scared, depressed and with no idea of what to do. If emotions are affected, random crying or laughing may occur. In one third of the cases... death. So if you are part the other two thirds, rejoice!
4.)What will it do to me?
Depending on the severity of the stroke, it causes 60% of us to become depressed and to just about give up on everything. Complacency and sadness set in. We become demanding and sometimes a burden to our care giver and others, because we can not do those things that we used to. Total frustration can sometimes set in. And in lesser cases hardly anything, except a warning, that if certain ways are not changed, a major brain attack may occur and you most likely will be worse than you were before. It is also hard to conceive that medication can possibly significantly improve your perception and mental balance. In this situation, it can totally baffle the person, because of their easy experience before. While trying to recover and rehabilitate, your body and mind will convince you that nothing at all is happening and that you should just give up. It will make you realize who really are your family and friends. Stroke is like a bomb dropping in relationships and the non hardy offer lip service and then disappear .
5.)What can I do to make it better?
First, you have to remember that you are one of the two thirds that lived through a stroke and be grateful for that, if nothing else. Then you need to memorize these rules......
A.)Not everybody, gets to the same point of recovery at the same time. People have different physiologies, stamina and levels of commitment.
B.)The amount of your improvement is a direct function of how much you apply yourself towards rehabilitation.
C.)Learn to live with your abilities, not your disabilities. How ever long you stay at it with a strong level of commitment will make a difference on how much you get back.
D.)Keep a strong positive attitude, if you need help, call us at 516 804 8495 or get our free monthly newsletter full of inspiration, tips and new technologies....click here to subscribe.
6.)How long will it take?
The amount of time it will take, clearly depends on the individual so do not measure your time against everyone else's. Your recovery time is your own. So do not give up, keep going, do not think about yesterday or tommorow, think about the day at hand and do your best. If you need help, call this office, we will try to keep you on track. (516) 804 8495
7.)Should I ever give up?
No. Do not ever give up, you may be surprised. If at the very least, you are keeping your muscle tone up for when new developments come out. Those developments can happen quickly, the better shape you can get yourself in, the better off you will be.
8.)How will I take care of myself?
If you work with your abilities and not your disabilities, you might be surprised at what you can do. If you can try not to fret over what you can not do, you may be surprised what you are capable of.
9.)What will happen to my family and friends?
Stroke is a great clearing house for friends and relatives, embrace the ones that express the most encouragement. You decide what you want to do with the rest. (personal choice)
10.)When will I get better?
It all depends on each individual. We use these analogies. Everybody wants to know how long will it take and how much can I get back. Have you ever watched the NYC or Boston marathon, there are only 10,000 - 15,000 runners. If you can answer this question, you will be able to get an answer: Tell us the exact time and finish of each runner before the race and who will be the ones that do not finish and the ones that finish. That answer depends completely on the physiology of the runner, age, shape, determination and human spirit. Now try it with 4.8+ million stroke survivors in the USA and every year you will add 750,000 to that number. Here is another, I went to High School, why couldn't I get into Harvard? All of these things including stroke depend on two things to a large degree : physiology and the human spirit. The human spirit, is not as measurable as an organ or bone but does exist and when cultivated and motivated is a powerful awesome tool. Up to 60% of stroke survivors, suffer from depression and that can severely delay any progress. Keep motivating the individual, try not to give in to every demand within reason. Get the person to embrace physical therapy and not to worry about time, only to be responsible for the effort on a daily basis. With stroke, you get there based on many things, the things that definitely work are Physical Therapy and positive reinforcement. It may seem to you that some of the things that you are asked to do in therapy are so trivial. Don't judge, just do it... it works.
