In three years post-stroke,
I've acquired for recovery:
24 balls for gripping,
18 shower strips non-slipping,
14 finger flexors,
10 toe relaxers,
7 braces a-bracing,
6 shoes no lacing,
5 p i l l b o x s o r t e r s . . .
4 grab bars,
3 cooking aids,
2 walking canes,
And balance games to play with Wii!
And like the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song, the list could go on and on . . . just look at all this stuff!
I hate clutter. I hate being reminded of stroke everywhere I look around my house; so as soon as I think I've outgrown some piece of equipment, I put it aside for storage or throw it away.
MISTAKE. As I've progressed from one stage to the next, I've discovered how some of my old "excessories" could have been re-purposed for exercises at a higher skill level. I keep sending my poor husband into the loft to look in the "therapy bag" for some old brace it turns out I threw away months ago.
And that's just the truth of my life: Stroke is always in season.
