Monday, June 18, 2012
Happy Father's Day!!!!!!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Happy Anniversary?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012 marked an important anniversary of sorts...The one year anniversary of my stroke. We didn't really celebrate it outside of ordering pizza. I find it hard to believe I have been off for a year
Outside of my maternity leave with Emmy, I have never been off this long. I know I am not ready to go back to work as of yet - my Doctor just laughs when I bring it up, and I know there are still many hurdles to face. An anniversary post wouldn't be complete without a comparison from where I was to where I am now.
One year ago I was in the hospital, in the ICU, after originally losing the ability to speak, walk, to swallow it seems so long ago. I still remember laying in the ER and a nurse telling me to 'use my words' like I was a child. I was so angry at her, but it worked, my speech came back. I wanted to punch her but as a medical professional, she was right and I thank her for it!
abilities one year ago- could not walk, talk, eat, pee on my own, brush my teeth, dress without difficulty, etc, basically I felt utterly hopeless, before I left the hospital, I was walking, talking, posting to Facebook, brushing my teeth, dressing myself (although still with issues) I was discharged in time to watch my beloved Canucks lose in game 7 of the Stanley Cup. *sigh Despite that it was nice to be home.
Abilities 6 months ago- conquered the whole front back thing. It sounds easy but being newly brain damaged made the simplest things so hard,Keith had to help me so many times underwear was a bugger! Keith cooked most meals, put my bra on for me daily, did most everything and worked 40+ hours a week
Abilities now- I try to cook dinner
a few times a week, do laundry, load dishwasher, etc, My hands are the main issue- have trouble folding opening mail, writing and typing. I can FINALLY put in a bra and fully dress myself most days Unfortunately, there are the bad days and my fine motor skills are affected. However I am able to exercise my body and my brain which I feel was the factor in me putting my bra in for the first time by myself after the stroke, I pictured it, said to myself that I could do it and I did it. Beautiful feeling!!!!!! I take Emmy to school daily, and do my best to be the kind of Mom she deserves. I still need to nap daily to be able to physically make it through most days, I get lonely but I try to reach out, I have difficulty in busy, loud places, where many things are going on at once. I try to limit activities that fit that. I try to do the grocery shopping, but need help as I still cannot work produce bags- Keith does that. Basically I do what I can and work on the on the rest. Every day there is a new challenge- it is my job to conquer all I can. Patience is a virtue I did not possess prior to this but as recovery is a slow process, I am getting better with it. I have days where I feel useless, and I have always been my own worst enemy so I try to remember that it's okay to have bad days, but not to let them progress into bad weeks.I am human after all!
Outside of my maternity leave with Emmy, I have never been off this long. I know I am not ready to go back to work as of yet - my Doctor just laughs when I bring it up, and I know there are still many hurdles to face. An anniversary post wouldn't be complete without a comparison from where I was to where I am now.
One year ago I was in the hospital, in the ICU, after originally losing the ability to speak, walk, to swallow it seems so long ago. I still remember laying in the ER and a nurse telling me to 'use my words' like I was a child. I was so angry at her, but it worked, my speech came back. I wanted to punch her but as a medical professional, she was right and I thank her for it!
abilities one year ago- could not walk, talk, eat, pee on my own, brush my teeth, dress without difficulty, etc, basically I felt utterly hopeless, before I left the hospital, I was walking, talking, posting to Facebook, brushing my teeth, dressing myself (although still with issues) I was discharged in time to watch my beloved Canucks lose in game 7 of the Stanley Cup. *sigh Despite that it was nice to be home.
Abilities 6 months ago- conquered the whole front back thing. It sounds easy but being newly brain damaged made the simplest things so hard,Keith had to help me so many times underwear was a bugger! Keith cooked most meals, put my bra on for me daily, did most everything and worked 40+ hours a week
Abilities now- I try to cook dinner
a few times a week, do laundry, load dishwasher, etc, My hands are the main issue- have trouble folding opening mail, writing and typing. I can FINALLY put in a bra and fully dress myself most days Unfortunately, there are the bad days and my fine motor skills are affected. However I am able to exercise my body and my brain which I feel was the factor in me putting my bra in for the first time by myself after the stroke, I pictured it, said to myself that I could do it and I did it. Beautiful feeling!!!!!! I take Emmy to school daily, and do my best to be the kind of Mom she deserves. I still need to nap daily to be able to physically make it through most days, I get lonely but I try to reach out, I have difficulty in busy, loud places, where many things are going on at once. I try to limit activities that fit that. I try to do the grocery shopping, but need help as I still cannot work produce bags- Keith does that. Basically I do what I can and work on the on the rest. Every day there is a new challenge- it is my job to conquer all I can. Patience is a virtue I did not possess prior to this but as recovery is a slow process, I am getting better with it. I have days where I feel useless, and I have always been my own worst enemy so I try to remember that it's okay to have bad days, but not to let them progress into bad weeks.I am human after all!
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