EnableMe | enableme - stroke recovery and support

Hi everyone

Thanks Marcus for inviting me to post the beginning of this conversation:

My conversation starter is to ask if anyone would like to share something or a few things which they have found along the way that they do which make their lives easier or safer since their stroke.

I do something fairly unconsciously, however for my safety and security I continue to do it.

If I go up or down stairs, I always use the hand rail on the left hand side. Even for and escalator or travelator especially if I am holding a bag of groceries or when I was carrying our children as babies I really found this helpful for my balance and i especially wanted to make sure I felt secure while carrying our babies

I find that I want that security, I don't necessarily put any weight on the rail, I just need to touch it. Even after 24 years I do this. And I am not bothered about this at all. I just figure I am keeping myself safe.

Can anyone else think of something they do which assists them in everyday living ?

Sue

Hello Sue. I have 3 things to add to security and safety.

1. With my pickup stick I regularly check floors for any objects left on floors such as newspapers,books and shoes, all easily tripped over.

2. Like you Sue when in public I look for handrails. Steps can be difficult for me .

3. At my husband's request when out and about in the car we always take my walker as my walking ability with stick varies from day to day.

Safety and security is big in our household. Thankyou Sue for such a important topic

Jenny

Thanks for starting this conversation Sue. Isn't safety and balance so important to us stroke survivors. I am sure that our community including myself will be able to benefit from this thread.... When I am visiting unfamiliar places, I always try to take the manual wheelchair in the boot of our car as I am not very steady yet on a single point stick where there is gravel or when Ihave to negotiate stairs.Also since I have been told by my physio that I should be OK to walk without an AFO, I now use a Dictus band to ( Google has plenty of images of this band which I wear with lace up shoes to counter foot drop. I feel quite safe with this orthosis as my foot hardly catches or drags when it is on. Rather than use the escalators in malls, I use the lift and oh yes, like you Jenny and Sue I too lookout for hand rails for support not that I put a lot of my weight on them but just as a precaution!

Hi everyone,

First, to Sue, sorry for posting Weekend Conversation 4 before yours. My mistake. Put that to my stroke!

I have a visual problem, quite small but dangerous.

Every morning I open the dishwasher and remove glasses, mugs and small pots. These are easy because I can see them clearly and I am confident that I will not drop and break anything. The first level is quickly finished, so then, it is time for the second level, the one that I have to be careful and aware of. I keep both hands up, like a criminal caught - hands up, palms facing forward, but looking down into dark parts of the dishwashing machine.

What am I looking for? That is an excellent question.

The answer is the knives. They are covered, concealed, and hidden between the forks, spoons, and chopsticks. Our knives are black, long and sharp, or short and razor-edged.

I have lost a little bit of my ability to 'see' sharp objects, such as knives. It took me a long time to explain this to my wife, "Please don't put knives in the dishwashing machine, or you will kill me."

That sounds over the top, but it is true. I have to take pills to thin my blood, so if I cut one of these famous Japanese knives, I will have a problem to deal with.

So, sharp objects are off limits in the dishwashing machine in our house.

Marcus

Hi everyone

Great sharing of information - and the knowledge that we all need to be extra vigilante about different aspects of our lives. No worries about the Conversation number Marcus, easy thing to happen.

I feel a deep sense of connection by hearing you all give those pieces of information to the group. So thank you for this.

Back in the day of my initial Stroke recovery I remember reading some information about that somebody who had experienced a Stroke may not give thought to their actions - it was very bluntly written and not good information at all.

My response to that article was that I was giving so much thought to keeping myself safe and secure as I went about my days of recovering. The article didn't make sense to me at all!

All the things to think about.

Trip hazzards, uneven ground, balance, mobility , sharp objects, emotional triggers, getting through the day emotionally and physically safely, managing fatigue, swallowing difficulties which when in social situations are tricky and a load of other daily living activities which varies for people.

At our last Stroke Support Group we had a meal after the meeting. There we all were with jugs of water infront of us, napkins, patting each other on the back if need be. And the commonality of focus to eat, make conversation, not choke, use table manners!, and have fun and be social.

I hope that this platform is as heart warming to others as it is to me.

Love to all Sue

Weekend Conversation Number 3

Leave a reply

Leave a reply