15.10.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath
The extension that had to be made at the house needed to be like a small apartment: bedroom, living area, and bathroom. All spacious enough so the wheelchair could move about easily.
19.09.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath
Coming back home had a sweet and bitter taste.
Coming back home used to be flavored by a familiar taste which was accented by cherished memories. However, this time those memories are more bitter than sweet, for they remind of who I used to be and emphasize the fact that I will never be that person again.
12.09.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath
Six months of rehab, a lot of progress. However, I still was not even a fade shadow of what I used to be.
I checked in as 100% paralyzed, now they rate me as 95% paralyzed (what does that even mean?)
06.09.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath
Eating; after the stroke, I was fed by tubes. That was HORRIBLE to me who enjoyed a delicious meal. I was crying from the thought that I may never again sink my teeth in a juicy, greasy hamburger or let my tongue linger around an exquisite bite of pizza.
29.08.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath
The first therapist to come along though was the speech therapist. Communication is going to be essential in rehabilitation, so it got the number one priority.
22.08.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath
A month in the hospital, still no answers. The doctors could not figure out or give an explanation on why this has happened to me.
15.08.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath episode 3
“Locked-In Syndrome,” “that is what it is called,” the doctor said. He explained that my upper brain still works perfectly, and so does my muscles. However, the messages do not go through to the muscles to make them move, and the tongue is also a muscle so that is why I cannot speak either.
07.08.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath episode 2
I could not move anymore. I could not even speak. A strange case of paralysis. They ran a spinal cord test, which also came back negative. Doctors were surrounding me going through a list of possible causes. I remember hearing one of them saying; “stroke,” followed by a remark; “it cannot be a stroke, she is too young and only people over forty get strokes.”
01.08.2017
Locked-in syndrome; my stroke aftermath episode 1
Looking back, it started with headaches and dizzy spells.
Like three to four months before having the stroke, I started having headaches all the time. A month before the stroke I began to have dizzy spells from time to time. As this got worse, I went to the doctor. He ran some tests, but none of them showed anything wrong. The doctor said the tests all came back ok, I am perfectly healthy and the headaches and dizziness must be caused by stress.
30.03.2017
Optimism is the key to open yourself up to all the better things in life. Positivism is the key to making all your dreams come true. Always be naively optimistic and always have contagiously positive attitude.
