“800, 000 people in the U.S have strokes each year. It’s the number one cause of long-term disability”. Science and medicine have made it easier to keep people alive meaning millions are left with moderate to severe disability. Some have fully recovered and in others their recovery has plateaued. This quote and statement was from a November 23 New Yorker article entitled, Helping Hand, by Karen Russell. The article points out that some researchers believe patients who have had strokes had the biggest gains in stroke recovery the first three months post-stroke.
In contrast, Edward Taub, pioneered Constraint-Induced (CI) therapy and suggests there is “rewiring” of the brain and that CI has been found to be effective no matter how long ago the injury or illness occurred--two diverse points of view.
The point I’m trying to make is that no one really knows and every stroke is different. What I do know is I do not believe my recovery has plateaued. As I enter the 10th anniversary of my stroke, my biggest gains come when I put myself out of my comfort zone. I prefer doing new things versus being in a lab/clinical setting such as a rehab facility. For example, last weekend I went to Austin to be with my college/high school friends for our annual holiday event. I stayed in my friends “Casita”, complete with plush carpet and steps with no bannister. Because of the challenges the first night I debated checking into a hotel, however, while it was difficult for me I pushed through. Another example is about a month ago, on a beautiful, cool Sunday morning I craved going out to breakfast, but Bob was out of town. So I had to walk a half-mile by myself to a local restaurant with my walker. My goal is to find more out of my comfort zone things to do. Help me find “those things to do”.
