Why is plateau such a dirty word?

Adrian

Adrianon Sunday, November 1 2015

12 Comments

Hi Everyone,

There's a lot of emotion around this word that interests me. I was in a room full of people the other day, people who'd had a stroke or carers, and the word plateau was said like you were trying to get a bad taste out of your mouth.

Forget, if you can, for a moment any emotions you may have around the word or any "advice" from people who are involved in your recovery who mention the dreaded plateau and help me out here.

Before my stroke I was a keen bushwalker, these days I'm glad that I can still get out in the bush but my off track adventures are not what they used to be. I have walked in deep valleys, I've climbed mountains and I have to say a plateau isn't such a bad place to be. It is gentle terrain where you stop flogging yourself and think about your next move. When you are at the top of a mountain there's only one place to go, same goes for valleys.

In my stroke recovery I was springing up mountains like a mad Billy Goat but within two years that mad goat was eating soft grass on a gentle plateau. My recovery is what it is, I can flog myself for potentially more gain but it won't be a mountain of gains anymore it will be a small hill.

Part of this goes to my earlier question about acceptance. In life, pre-stroke, I wasn't worried about my life plateauing out, I guessed it would've had ups and downs but the middle ground was a gentle place to be.

Post-stroke I have made a recovery that involved hard work. Could I have worked harder? Possibly. Could I have bludged and got similar results? Probably not. I'm left with enough physical disability to make life sucky. And 9 years post-stroke I think a plateau is a realistic place to be. If I'm always wanting more I'm potentially missing out on being happier. I also accept that I will be with stroke for 40+ years, if I'm lucky, and I'll get older and things will fall apart as I age. That's natural.

I'm never going to be a concert pianist with a right hand that doesn't work so why should I aim for it? I have a hand a little girl can hold and that's enough.

Why is plateau such a dirty word?

Regards, Adrian.

12 Responses

02/11/2015 22:57

Adrian I first heard the word ' plateau ' used by medicos. Talking of stroke recovery. Recovery progresses and then plateaus out and recovery slows down. I call those times "ups and downs". Quite normal in recovery. I believe keep working and progress continues maybe at a slower rate. Only last week I chewed up a small Apple, the first since post stroke, all due to facial muscles that have returned to normal. One small Apple means a great win for me. jenny

05/11/2015 06:50

I think I hear what you are saying! Initially there are the really big gains, like being able to get into a pyjama shirt without a nurse, but as time goes along the big things don't happen any more. But you are consolidating a lot of tiny things that maybe other people notice but you don't.

05/11/2015 10:40

Hi Adrian,

I hear you and know where you are coming from. I just wish I could find enough balance to climb up or down to that damn plateau that always seems to be a rough or uneven track away.

05/11/2015 16:02

you never reach a plateau keep on working at it

05/11/2015 16:04

the harder you work the more you recover

08/11/2015 02:48

Yes..thankyou for your stories of recovery..I use that 'dirty word' a lot when people ask how my Husband is recovering as he doesn't seem to be progressing much at all six + Years on from Stroke. I now can see that maybe these "smallthings" he can do are recovery at a slower pace to what went before with bigger progresses. It is so frustrating for him that he doesn't seem to want to do any things as far as exercises any more and has regressed as far as walking is concerned. The medications make him very sleepy during the day and I have little energy to encourage him anymore. I have tried so hard to take him to as much Rehab. as I can possibly do and it is so hard when he doesn't show any interest in doing exercises and sleeps a lot during the day. If only I could find some thing for him to do that takes his interest to do during the day He waters the Lawn, does Find a Word and Scrabble and I take him to a social afternoon where he plays Gammey 0 and he really enjoys this. There is the Men's Shed also I want to take him to but he rejects this and I also take him out into the Community as much as I possibly can. He can't manage Jigsaws and doesn'enjoy reading. Any more ideas to create an interest in something new?

08/11/2015 04:38

Adrian, I love your message and have not much to say, except that at 21 years post stroke it really hits home with me. I myself have never been able to overcome my emotional lability, especially when things outside of my control but impinging deeply on me, happen. aLL FOR now, Pats

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