Non visible disability - how to deal with it?

Hi Michael,

Here are some answers from the Facebook community. 

Paul Burns For me, set expectations early and demonstrate the steps you've done to overcome shortcomings. My short term memory is my phone and todoist. The rule in my house is if it's not on todoist, it won't happen. Allows me to single task. Frees up what little mental energy I have for creative thinking (that can be anything from work stuff to trying to troubleshoot why my one year old likes to party at 1am) in the workplace at home etc which is the more valuable use of resources anyway. I've found most people are pretty cool. I'm only back at work in an extremely limited way, results are mixed but it helps.

Bharti Haribhai Dear Michael! Trust you keeping good! Take one day at a time! Have faith in yourself time is great healer! You will definitelyget there! Rest up! Eat well pray well! All will fall in place! God Bless

Mark Garner Michael, you can retrain your brain with hard work. I have been a stroke survivor for 11 years and took time to concentrate very hard on what i did when I was young and over time memories came flooding back. It will take time, even now my short term memory is muddled, especially with names. With effort and energy you will notice results, fantastic that you are returning to the work force, so well done..

Julie Allen Rest when you feel the triggers of tiredness such as headaches, loss of focus and concentration.
Make notes - however it suits - paper, electronically. Tell people close to you for support and validation in a world where there is still so much to do around disability and the workplace.

Nicholas Martin Well done on returning to work. If you are able to take someone with you to the meeting. A work friend or union rep if you have one. Talk to your GP about a occupational therapist. Remember they have to help you return to work not the other way around.
Iwas given a great deal of support by the company I work for and wok 4 days a week. Work after stroke is something I am passionate about. There is a whole new work force out there made up of stroke survivors. I do advocacy work on behalf of the Stroke Foundation. Lastly good luck and stay strong. Feel free to meesage me if you want some advice

Vanessa Ferriman Write things down it helps alot. Try not to over think too much it will hopefully get better ☺ took me over 12mths. Good luck

Amanda Kemp Michael I’m 15 months on from my stroke and my short term memory is still not the greatest. I write lots of notes & put reminders in my phone. You’ll get there, just take it one day & week at a time...

Glenis Wilson I survived my stroke July 2016 and the other two things I would recommend is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You must drink heaps of water because I found when I became dehydrated I also felt fatigued!
I also take MCT oil daily as this helps with brain fog.
And last but definitely not least..... recognise immediately when you need to REST and definitely rest or take time out from the noise and activity.
I wish you well and also I thought I should mention.... some days you will have days where you are completely fatigued. It just happens and when it does you need to rest. Remember..... listen to your body.

Julie Allen Rest when you feel the triggers of tiredness such as headaches, loss of focus and concentration.
Make notes - however it suits - paper, electronically. Tell people close to you for support and validation in a world where there is still so much to do around disability and the workplace.

Lee Moran Cormack I agree with Barbara. Also explain everything to your supervisor or manager and keep a diary and write everything down. Every day i find myself saying, stroke issues are often hidden. I'm very uncomfortable answering this: so what's it like to have a stroke. I say it was like being tackled by a front rowe forward, i can't discuss it any more or I might cry and i don't want to cry. Ensure your manager is aware you must take breaks àway from phones computers talking because your brain is now working very hard and you need to allow it to recharge for 10 or 15 minutes

Rachael Louise Davis Hi Michael! First of all, congrats on getting ready to return to work! Super effort! Invisible disabilities are the hardest as people associate stroke with physical disability. I suffered a stroke in dec 17 and my short term memory/cognitive skills have been affected the most. During my return
To work meeting, I explained in detail how I’ve been affected, what my deficits are, what can cause my memory loss to be worse (tiredness, over stimulation, large group settings, conversations)
We then discussed and wrote a plan of what my role would look like (temporarily) upon my return. My GP and rehab team were explicit in what I could and could not do (be alone in meetings, work only my return to work hours, not high level work) this is so important as you need to be gentle on yourself when returning because work isnt like the day you walked out before the stroke.
Last tip! Write EVERYTHING down and don’t feel bad or awkward to ask someone to repeat themselves slower or send that in an email. Its our jobs to educate people on the different disabilities of stroke.
You’ve had a major brain injury and it takes time to get there! There will be good work days and some down days but you can do this! The stroke community is behind you all the way

Barbara Wolfenden Use memory strategies, carry a notebook, use post it notes, use reminders on your phone and computer calendar, anything that works for you.

Hi Michael,

Awareness is good. For me I used to write things down. Looking back at my difficulties with memory I didn't appreciate people making a big fuss I just acknowledged, worked my way through finding what ways worked best for me and held onto my sanity with each small gain.

It's okay to try different ways. And I never liked spending time explaining to other curious onlookers why something worked or didn't work . I just moved along with purpose.

All the best.

Sue 😊

Hi Michael,  thinking of you, i will be hopefully soon going to SHIU,  (State Head Injury Unit).

I wasnt happy with my therapist, speech and o/t.

Ive finished with my speech therapist,  saying my communication and written is excellent,  a few issues with my short term to be able to repeat stories back, but generally happy with my progress as the rest will take time.

Things i was never good at anyway, before the stroke. 

The OT...is a different issue.

But anyway i understand once i am attached to SHIU, they will talk to my Dr to clear me to hp back to work.

Then they negotiate with my supervisor to return back to work on reduced hours to start with.

Not sure about my duties, cause we are always told that there are no light duties in our job, working in a Government Disability Group Home, so they will be interesting. 

I think maybe 4 hours a day???

Interested in seeing how you  go.

How did you go today Michael? - Diana 

I hope all went well yesterday Michael?