My Rehab...A Long and Winding Road...
Some time ago I penned a blog that addressed the perpetual nature of Stroke Rehab. It struck a chord with readers and their response humbled me.
So, I thought I would revisit this blog so fellow Stroke Survivor may gain some benefit. So here goes, Thrill Seekers and Fellow Time Travellers.
My Rehab is like A Long and Winding Road
That’s how I would describe my Stroke rehabilitation journey since April 2016, but I can assure you that my arrival at key destinations [rehab goals] along the way has justified the time and effort that I spent on what has now become a daily ritual.
Each destination [rehab goal] is welcomed as it is one more step closer to reclaiming Pre-Stroke Brian. If that is possible!
As on any journey there have been potholes, inclement weather; foggy patches; annoying animals that cause you to brake suddenly, but off you go again.
Like a journey, there are overnight stops. But again, like a true Stroke Survivor I rise to the dawn of a new day [a rehab challenge] and off I go again on to the next stage of my rehab odyssey.
This very journey that I have undertaken sets us \{Stroke Survivors\} apart from other consumers of the skills of physiotherapists and other kindred clinicians.
Stroke Rehab is perpetual!
If I was being treated for a sprained muscle, even a knee replacement, or a dislocated digit my rehab trip would be a quick overnighter [when compared to a Stroke Survivor’s journey\}. Then it would be back to normality.
Not so, Fellow Stroke Survivors, our rehab journeys are often perpetual, the deficits that we sustained will be with us until the Grande Buddha taps us on the shoulder.
My Long and Winding Rehab Road Map and Itinerary.
Well, my merry band of comrades, I listed some of my major pit stops in my rehab journey and calculated the travel time \{rehab days] to reach each destination.
The start date for my journey was 18 April 2016, the date of my Stroke.
These figures simply reinforce that many of us are indeed travelling along a Long and Winding Road.
My Walking -Twice a Day, Every Day.
If you have been following my blogs, you may have come to realize that I walk every day and have been pounding the footpath around Panania/Picnic Point in Sydney and I have calculated that since 2 April 2019, I have walked more than 19,000 kms.
The equivalent of walking from Sydney to London and the outer suburbs of Athens on my return trip.
Every day I walk I do my stepping exercises at Panania Railway Station, and I have calculated I have walked up and down the fire stairs at the Empire State Building 118 times!
May there be Peace in the Holy Land.
My Key Messages
Stroke Survivors - My message is a simple one –Embrace your journey, and travel well, and safely.
If you can share your journey with someone special. I do. That person is my shadow, the white one- visible only to me.
Stroke Clinicians - Encourage your Stroke- Survivor to understand the Rehab Journey Concept. Then plan [with their input] their Rehab Itinerary
Brian A Beh, Stroke Survivor, Advocate, Investigator and Lecturer.
Lived Experience Stroke Researcher
Life Member of the Hopalong Cassidy Fan Club
Poet, Philosopher and Child of the Cosmos
Survivor of the 60s\{Just\}
Winner "Improving Life After Stroke" Category
Stroke Foundation of Australia 2021 National Awards.