tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48240995805891025822024-03-18T20:57:54.570-07:00Up StrokeA survivor's experience of the recovery processMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-90916926551743538332015-12-18T10:54:00.000-08:002015-12-18T10:54:00.434-08:00Putting It All TogetherLast summer I “tried my hand” at rowing a boat. My husband Ian and I were staying with family at the Hood Canal in Washington State. I picked
my way carefully over the pebbled beach and climbed into the rowboat while Ian held it steady. He rowed away from shore and handed me the oars – one at a
time, of course, because I had to position my affected hand on the left oar.
I tried to row the boatMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-61059769592014699922015-12-11T05:00:00.000-08:002015-12-11T05:00:00.244-08:00Reflections
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." -Wizard of Oz
I concealed my affected hand behind a mirror while I watched
the reflections of my healthy hand open and close. This tricked my brain: As I
watched the reflection of my healthy hand, I had the sensation that my affected
hand mimicked the movement! But I couldn’t resist peaking behind the mirror,
where I saw the reality Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-92134892060592844512015-12-04T05:00:00.000-08:002015-12-04T05:00:04.186-08:00Mind Over Muscle
Pre-stroke I worked out listening to my iPod, thoughts
meandering over yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Post-stroke my mind needs to engage as much as my muscles. First, I relax the spastic muscles in the
area I want to exercise; second, I link my brain to the muscles I want to work
(harder with some than others); third, I put my core muscles in proper
position. Now I exercise, holdingMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-65837400755360361302015-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-27T05:00:05.353-08:00Coming From the Core
One of the first observations Eric made when analyzing my
walk was that my stomach muscles were not engaging. I've heard "Let your fingers do the walking,"
but "Let your belly do the walking?"
Many muscles, not just leg muscles, play a role in walking.
I was engaging only the powerful quadriceps on top of my thigh to swing my leg
forward from the hip. Eric wanted me instead to tightenMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-65167627442490916042015-11-20T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-20T05:00:02.482-08:00Incremental Improvement
I don’t want my recent posts to give the impression that
once Eric releases the trapped energy in a particular area of my body that it’s
cured. It isn’t. The tension can build again and the adaptive habits of the
past five years can reassert themselves.
When Eric works on me, I’m able to move correctly for a
limited number of repetitions, but my muscles fatigue quickly because they Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-15641067901140491292015-11-13T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-13T05:00:01.894-08:00As Above, So Below
I marvel at the connectedness of my arm and leg – how
working on my arm causes a reaction in my leg and vice versa. I’m told the body
is wired for efficiency – that the nervous system’s control mechanism for the
arm and leg, which perform essentially similar motions, is the same. Brain
damage makes you wish nature had built in system redundancy, but alas.
What this means is that I can’t Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-72780517684442363582015-11-06T05:00:00.000-08:002015-11-06T05:00:06.759-08:00On the Table: Re-coordination
Sometimes Eric and I spend our sessions in the massage room.
I lie on my back and he circles the table, moving each of my body parts into
its correct position. He does this over
and over again – jostling, rotating and pressing me into proper alignment.
The sessions are relaxing, but I don’t just lie there: I’m
an active participant, paying close attention to where he shifts my body. Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-43215335544419426062015-10-30T05:00:00.000-07:002015-10-30T05:00:03.313-07:00Eric the Closer
Two years ago I started working with a therapist I call Eric the Closer because he fine-tunes
me. When I asked him to label his brand of therapy, he paused. How do you
encapsulate his techniques?
Not really massage – energy
redistribution.
Not really strength-training –
recoordination.
Not really reeducation – a new
level of consciousness.
“I guess polarity
therapy,” he says.
Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-62521695144807364732015-10-23T08:45:00.000-07:002015-10-23T08:45:33.492-07:00Recovery Beyond Two Years
I am five years post-stroke. Two-and-a-half years ago I
started working with a new therapist. I hinted about the work we’re doing in Rehab From Rehab, but I’ve avoided specifics for two reasons:
1. I could not imagine how to write
about his techniques.
2. I didn’t want to report on
techniques that did not deliver results.
I’m heartened to state now that I have improved and there is
goodMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-32886729289145089812014-12-04T08:00:00.000-08:002014-12-04T08:00:03.097-08:00Gift Ideas for Survivors
This time last year I wrote about all the stroke-related
clutter I’ve collected in my house. So I recognize the irony now of writing a
post advocating the acquisition of still more stuff. But a couple purchases I
made recently have really improved my quality of life.
Food Trolley
I was making multiple trips to carry all my meal items
one-at-a-time from the kitchen and back. While multiple Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-68776060636961887912014-11-27T11:03:00.000-08:002014-12-18T10:27:55.215-08:00Two Disabled People & a Dog
Like me, my dad had a stroke that limits his
ability to walk. Like me, he resisted buying a mobility scooter but, once
he bought one, he loved it.
Dad also loves my dog – one of the few creatures on
the planet with whom he can still communicate. Most of all, he loves lakes and
waterfowl. My goal, since relocating him to Los Angeles after his stroke, has
been to put him in the presence Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-27988192025022124642014-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:002014-11-19T08:00:01.005-08:00A Bedtime Story
I always have loved to read in bed. I was the kid who hid
under the covers with a flashlight reading long after “lights out.” In
marriage, my tired husband complained: “How much longer are you going to have
that light on?”
After the stroke I tried to read in bed but, with one hand,
I couldn’t position the pillows comfortably behind my back; I got tired holding
the book open single-handed, andMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-61559891108992930962014-11-12T08:00:00.001-08:002014-11-12T08:00:04.798-08:00One Wedding and a Funeral
I took two significant trips this year – one to England to
attend a funeral, and the second to the East Coast to be in a wedding. Leaving
town means missing my four weekly therapy sessions, which keep my physical
discomfort to a minimum; so I’ve developed a strategy for dealing with muscle
stiffness while traveling.
Following my own advice (Travel Tips for Survivors), I stayed
in comfortableMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-48417189837444179892014-11-05T08:00:00.000-08:002014-11-05T08:00:10.371-08:00Mother's Little Helper
My mother has been my greatest cheerleader since my stroke, driving
me to therapy, holding my hand during Botox injections, and encouraging me when
I feel hopeless. Sometimes I feel she’s naively optimistic.
This same “can-do” attitude prompted her at age 71 to embark
on writing a non-fiction book about a program she participated in during
college. My mother admits that when she volunteered Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-20087025813391261912014-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:002014-10-29T16:35:09.065-07:00Balancing Recovery & Life
I think the hardest thing about a long and determined
recovery from a serious stroke is finding a balance between rehabilitation
efforts and living life. In the beginning, I spent six hours a day doing
prescribed exercises. I was afraid that if I didn’t do everything suggested, I
would not regain my lost functions.
One day I broke down in tears. “It’s impossible,” I wailed
to my husband. I Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-658477109703841452013-12-17T08:30:00.000-08:002013-12-17T08:45:00.205-08:00Twelve Days of RecoveryHMMM … Everybody now, SING!
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, Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-23995033910053982872013-10-26T14:55:00.000-07:002015-10-25T11:29:55.604-07:00Rehab From Rehab<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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I'm learning to walk all over again — again. This time, my
privately hired therapist and I have the same goal: to get me walking normally.
My therapist at the insurance-provided rehab hospital where
I spent 21 days in the weeks after my stroke had a different goal: to get me
functional. That meant walking however I could manage it. It Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-75964349054738900772013-10-08T09:00:00.000-07:002013-10-08T09:25:13.241-07:00On My Nerves<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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As a stroke survivor I have heard that to regain muscle
control, I have to forge neural pathways between an undamaged part of my brain
and the nerves that network through my muscles.
One tool I've used to facilitate innervation (nerve growth)
is Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation. In addition to receiving electrical
stimulation as a Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-27151711930426536292013-09-30T16:37:00.000-07:002013-09-30T16:37:33.585-07:00Get a Grip<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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One thing that continues to blow my mind is how the stroke
affected every part of my left-hand side — my toes, my intestines, my ear
canal, even my eyeball.
My left eyeball now gets irritated easily. When I first
tried to soothe it with eye drops, the drop plopped in one side of my eye and
rolled out the other. I had no blink reflex Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-286227640842014992013-08-27T09:10:00.000-07:002014-10-27T11:46:13.447-07:00Travel Tips for Survivors<!--[if !mso]>
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<![endif]-->I went to Europe for a month and have bounced back into my
normal routine at home within a couple of weeks. My therapists say the break
from rehab did my body good: My spine Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-18939288906997775092013-06-24T22:31:00.000-07:002013-06-24T22:31:06.115-07:00Carpe Diem<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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When I realized I wouldn't be able to ride a bicycle during
our upcoming vacation in France, my husband searched the Internet and found the
TravelScoot, a collapsible electric tricycle. Problem solved, I
thought. When my fellow travelers take their bikes off the canal boat to
cycle into the nearest village, I'll be able to join them. But Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-21979658659460012822013-06-02T10:30:00.000-07:002013-06-02T10:30:55.058-07:00Problems with Goals<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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In January I set three goals to be finished by the end of
June. I'm not going to achieve any of them.
The first goal was something I thought I should do
but realized I didn't want to do. I crossed it off my list. The stroke
has taught me not to waste time on things I don't want to do.
I put the second goal on hold because Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-90811227175662472322013-02-14T09:53:00.001-08:002015-10-25T11:25:41.133-07:00In 'N' Out<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Sometimes I notice that I hold my breath when I'm doing
something challenging. Pre-stroke I caught myself holding my breath whenever I changed
lanes on the freeway. Post-stroke I notice it most often while doing hand
exercises.
My occupational therapist used to command me to "BREATHE!"
My retort: "I can pick up this ball or I can Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-72058659438208965042013-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:002015-10-25T11:21:20.020-07:00Body Awareness<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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<![endif]-->Practicing yoga pre-stroke gave me a familiarity with the
mechanics of my body. I learned how
to roll and tuck my shoulder blades to open my chest. I learned how to stretch
my feet both wider and longer. I learned to balance my weight
not only side-to-side but back-to-front. I learned to be aware of the subtleties of my body.
In recovery I Marcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4824099580589102582.post-75313811610125346692013-01-14T18:16:00.000-08:002015-10-25T11:23:11.175-07:00Three Steps Back<!--[if !mso]>
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<![endif]-->In my recovery each advance has been hard-fought and has
brought new freedoms. Walking without a cane meant being able to carry items
from point A to point B. Stronger musclesMarcelle Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12677437160199036164noreply@blogger.com7