Hi Larn,
Some other answers from the Facebook community:
Jessie Love You have come a long way, keep going the way you are, you are an incredible girl, following your progress has been a great pleasure to watch the way you are coping with your problems. Someone will oneday see your talent and be able to help you, your photography will help you with your recovery, keep up the good work. You have a lot of good people around you that also is wonderful.
Emma Beesley I had a stroke about 4 years ago at the age of 33. I had depression and even suicidal thoughts every day for 12 months. But I’m on medication at the moment and the speech therapist said you have got APHASIA. I didn’t know what Aphasia is! Now, I’m driving again, I’m working again, I’m going to speech therapy and physio and I’m the President of the Maitland Aphasia Communication Group. Maybe you should see a clinical psychologist - they can help a lot. Good luck to you!!! š
Shelley Christie Hi I would love to talk with this amazing stroke survivor. I’m a stroke survivor from last year and it’s a constant struggle daily. And yes I don’t have any physical disabilities except when I’m so tired my left side becomes weak, so I don’t look like I had one either. I’ve had a few people say that - I actually had one person say are you sure you had a stroke.
It does impact you mentally and your family.
Please be kind to yourself I’m learning that now and it’s a hard gig having a stroke. I had heart surgery 17 days after the stroke as well. Please pm If you wish to talk š from one stroke survivor to another.
Linda Aitken Hi . Yes l can completely understand yr Confusion re acceptance.... & Most importantly the unexceptance from other people about my Stroke..
But u know what u Made it through the other side .. U are alive , U get to make choices , U are an Extremely Lucky Person to be here ..
Take that Luck & Run with it ..
We don't get many chances with our Lives ...
Jenny Sellars It is very common to have to find new friends after a stroke but that is not all bad. The new friends accept you as you are-not expect the old you back.
Graham Farley I read in your post pretty much what I suffered after my stroke, don’t allow anyone to push you past the speed that you are comfortable with in your recovery, I am now 5 years past my stroke and still have issues with speech, hand writing spelling co ordination and strong headaches etc.
Take one day at a time and use all resources offered from sites like this. My thoughts are this stroke happen for some reason it’s up to us to make the best of the opportunity to live again.
Anne Hazlewood I had a job, car and then two months later I was released from hospital. Now 7 years later I still can't seem to come to terms with anything. No one will ever understand even if they ever had a stroke which I hope they never do
Linda Worrall Dr Emma Finch has done some research in this area. Allied health professionals who specialise in stroke (neuropsychologist, speech pathologists) may be able to help. We have some other young people with stroke who have speech, spelling and reading problems in our Zoom aphasia group...see aphasia.org.au
Linda Johnston I have struggled through all of what you have mentioned and found focusing on movement a good place to start. Exceptance comes slowly along with progress. Suround yrself with a good support network who will understand the struggles and fatigue etc.
Ali Lindley Oh hun tap into all the services available to you physio speech “ot” therapies rehab so important and always ongoing improvements
Liane Patterson Speaking as the carer of a stroke survivor....Work on your mobility issues as much as you possibly can. Access physiotherapy & have the family know what your exercises are so that they can encourage you to do them. My mum had a stroke at the age of 75. She had surgery to save her life. Working on her mobility has kept her out of a Nursing Home for the last 4 years.
Anna Cauchi My husband had a stroke May last year and has aphasia , he’s looks fit and amazing, but many don’t see the reality of stroke and aphasia...keep going with your therapies...ensure your therapist align to you and your personality ....listen to your body, rely on your loved one for they will alway be there to support and love you and know your reality of stroke.....ā£ļø
Elaine Young When I had my stroke 7 years ago I did not know about pins and needles being a symptom. All the other things FAST I was able to do. I now have hemiparesis and often people accuse me of being drunk. My family are the worst. My husband understands my condition and is very wonderful. I do beat myself up a bit. It really hurts when my sister's and daughter don't accept my situation. I am about to turn 66.
Sherrin Dishon It is hard to accept having a stroke. It is a life changing event. I had depression and suicide thoughts and a complete change of character after. Its a very difficult time. Rest, see therapists and dont push yourself hard. I find yoga, deep breathing and meditation and magnesium baths really help.
Gail Garaty Sending big hugs. You are a survivor and you will have challenges but you will get through this. Take each day as it comes. My partner suffered a stroke 2 years ago and we continued to reach out to our allied health professionals and local support group when she was discharged from rehab. Our very best wishes for your journey of recovery š»š»
Kerry Williams It’s been 2 months since I had 2 strokes I walk and talk ok now but people are pushing me back to work mentally I’m not ready people don’t understand it’s very difficult
aine Yates Sending u love xx Have u thought about seeing an acquired brain injury psychologist? It might help to grieve the person/ life u had before the stroke? I personally found this helpful. I gave myself permission to cry & grieve for an hour every week for a period of time after my stroke. I then felt I could put my brave face on when I returned home 2 my family & friends. I could then start rebuilding my “new version” of myself.
Best of luck with your recovery xx
Adele FitzGerald This post really resonated with me on so many levels. ā¤ļø My stroke (TIA) was 9 months after my beautiful daughter was born, I was 29. Grieving the loss of who I used to be while raising a child was one of the hardest, most heart wrenching things I have had to do.
I am now 47 and I still have residual affects. Mainly short term memory, getting lost direction wise at times, especially when driving, as well as weakness and numbness on my left side.
Sounds ominous, but please trust me when I say it does get easier, and you will get through this. Allowing yourself to mourn what once was helps you move on to accepting that things may have changed....but who you are at your core is still very much the same.
People will judge you no matter what, so it is so important to focus on you and your beautiful family. Whatever YOU need to help you cope will always be the right answer.
I would suggest going online and searching through all the stroke support networks as a starting point. Each recovery style is so different, so don’t be afraid to try some and not be discouraged if it turns out not to be your thing.
Support from family and friends can help, but be brutally selective on who you surround yourself with at this time. You don’t have the energy for emotional drainers. Your time is precious, and keeping your emotional and physical energy up is vital.
I wish you all the best, and hope that you find some answers in one of the comments on here.
Take care. š
Ian Franklin Soldier on mate, your not alone, I work as a Drill Fitter in the mines and struggle every moment of everyday, just don't stop fighting
Nicole Howard I am 4 years post stroke. I was 42 when I had mine. I am now a completely different person. You have to be! But in many ways a better person! Fatigue is my major issue, I had a thalamic stroke, so the center of my brain. I have issues with concentration, fatigue, memory ( so bad ), cognitive functions, speech ( although much better now ) and understanding instructions. Very frustrating. I am still unable to work, it's like I need d batteries but I'm running on aaa batteries! It's all adjustments. Accepting you had a life changing event is huge, well done.. just remember every brain is different, your pace will be different, we all heal in different ways. Be patient with yourself, there is no right or wrong.
Karen Bayly I'd also add that other people's responses to your stroke are not yours to own or change. It is not reasonable to expect people to understand what it is like to live inside the body of a stroke survivor if they haven't experienced it. I know that the unintentionally hurtful things that people say are invalidating, but let go of the expectation of genuine understanding unless they are stroke professionals.
What I took away from my own experiences along these lines was to be even more considered in my interactions with others who are managing complexities in their life that I know only a little bit about and to ask thoughtful questions to learn more so I could be compassionate and supportive.
I ultimately realised that it hurts so much because I was still coming to terms with how challenging most things were for me, processing my own grieving emotions and that I needed to own my own emotions.
Kim Hadley Bless you, you have just described exactly what I experienced almost 10 years ago on August 17 2010. It was just as you described with people seeing the outside improved so expecting you to be back to normal and even make Christmas happen only a few months after! I want to give you hope and encouragement to just take your time to healing and let your brain make new pathways to whatever will be your best. I did a lot of natural therapies including nutritionals and Neural feedback therapy with my psychologist. It helped with sleep and connecting pathways to better and smoother muscles movement . I went back to work as a nurse part time 11 months after the stroke. I should have taken longer but I had the pressure you feel to "get back to normal" It has not been easy. It has been hard work and sometimes tears but throughout it all I just kept learning more and being kind to myself. Surround yourself with like minded "wellness" supporters. I wish you well my friend...
Pamela Butler I'm coming up to a year post stroke. I experience aphasia and am at times more emotionally fragile. I don't cope with stress or arguments. My writing abilities are returning. But it all takes time. Everyday is a new day and if things don't work out I've gone with the flow. I've had to choose who is around me as I can become drained and exhausted. Hope this helps. identity was an issue for me, but in time acceptance helped redefine myself.
Felipe Kunze Garcia I had a big stroke at 37 and have 2 daughters. I have issues reading,writing ,communicating in general, the usual fatigue, balance , memory ,noise sensitive and last but not least, emotionally sensitive.
It’s a huge gig having a stroke and keeping up with recovery plus being a functional member of your family.
Also get the comments about not looking like I had a stroke .
Thanks to hard work and lots of support from family and my manager at work, I am doing great, at least that’s what I tell myself.
Personally, I think that counseling/psychology sessions are incredibly helpful.
I will share 2 of my favourite words of encouragement: “I am enough”.. and “it happens to the best of us”...
Happy to chat anytime!
Steve Walsh Practice, practice, practice! Use memory aids like a diary, get allied health input to give you top ups for speech, memory and higher functioning and also Physio. You may also need counseling or social work too. Plan small goals and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Karen Bayly As well as advice from multiple Allied Health professionals, I found this a helpful introductory resource in processing things in my own mind in terms of where I was at, how I was feeling, and how to get to where I wanted to go. http://www.tbiguide.com/
