road to recovery

Bob recently relayed information from an article in the New York Times that suggested necessary activities for the road to stroke recovery it discussed three main areas to focus on: learning a new language, problem solving, and engaging in social activity.

I am working on learning Spanish and take lessons 2-3 times a week.  I wrote once before that stroke survivors are “world class problem solvers”. A recent example of this is when read an article about a woman in her 70’s that wins awards for swimming and a good friend of mine has a mother in her 90’s who swims twice a week.  I said to myself, “I can do this”. But, we no longer have a pool; so I had to “problem solve”.   Last week Donna and I checked out two pools that might be an option and fortunately my mother-in-law has a great pool so we tried it last Thursday.  Before swimming we had to assess the process and whether or not Donna could assist. She would need to help lower me onto the first step and then with the help of a bar in the middle of the steps I can lower myself the rest of the way.  I can get out but Donna has to lift me up after I put my leg brace back on.  I swam for over an hour and felt great.  To that end, I would add a fourth item to the road to stroke recovery:  exercise.  It is essential.

Regarding engaging in social activity, I generally always have something on the horizon. That way, I always have something to look forward to.  

worth the wait?

Please don’t misunderstand that just because my blog has been on a sabbatical for two months that I didn’t have anything to say.  I thought writing about more of my travels or accomplishments was getting to be tedious and no longer meeting the original objective of my blog which was to help stroke survivors in some fashion.

Having just crossed my 11 year anniversary of my stroke, I can summarize my situation by explaining what I can and cannot do and how I try to continue to stay challenged

I can:

·        travel domestic and Internationally with ease

·        get to the grocery store and back by myself

·        ride a stationary bicycle inside

·        plan for, shop and prepare meals

·        develop a marketing plan for my volunteer work

·        make dozens of cookies to support events with Donna’s help with packaging

·        take Spanish lessons three times week and perform associated homework

·        walk to nearby coffee shop/restaurant

·        walk to museums and parks in my neighborhood

·        perform all personal grooming

I cannot:

·        drive

·        bike outside by myself (My left-side neglect is so severe that I would likely miss traffic coming from the left).

·        walk on rough terrain alone

·        retain what I read comfortably and consistently resulting in poor memory retention

·        write or text without making tons of errors due to my poor vision and left neglect

·        Do any of this without bob.  11 years ago he vowed to see me succeed and teaches me how to have fun every day of my life and  that my identity is bigger than my circumstance

It is my belief that I have not plateaued and I am trying to turn my “cannots” into “cans” I recognize that I will never drive again.  Bring on Driverless cars!

There was a recent article in “Stroke” magazine stating that stroke survivors plateau in the first three months.  I call bullshit on this and am living proof that stroke survivors continue to evolve. It is all about the continuous remapping of the brain and neural networks. Come on brain research!

Last month I challenged myself by going go an art fair on my own. It was challenging because of the logistics and crowds, but I did it. The mantra for stroke survivors is continue to challenge yourself and those around you.

perpetuating a dream

Recently my sister-in-law and her husband perpetuated a dream of mine while challenging me physically by giving me a trip to Costa Rica last month. My dream is to one day speak Spanish fluently.  I started fulfilling this goal several years ago in Mexico while staying at a friend’s ranch for two weeks and taking daily lessons; where I learned the basics.   After this period I knew it was important to keep practicing so I attended meetups in Austin where we spoke Spanish over coffee and I had lessons via Skype three times a week.   In December 2016, I visited Guatemala for a total immersion experience. The Costa Rica trip was one month after Guatemala and I was anxious to see how and if I could apply my teachings.  It was the pinnacle because for the first time I was actually able to apply what I learned. Prior to the trip, most of my interactions were classroom based. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to apply it.  Here are reasons this trip was so special and influential:

My sister-law arranged for Spanish-speaking only guides

·        We were on a bird-watching trip as well and this allowed me to significantly increase my vocabulary

·        To get to some of the locations required getting into small planes and boats so I was constantly challenged physically.

·        I am maintaining Spanish with the lessons via Skype to continue my journey.

As Dull as it Gets

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could go to Antigua, Guatemala for 3 weeks for a total immersion Spanish school, but I did.  Why didn’t it cross my wildest dreams?  Because:

I had a severe stroke 10 years ago that left me unable to walk unassisted or use my left arm

I cannot walk on rough terrain

I cannot carry my own bags

I’m often forgetful and lose things

My husband worries about me too much.

I not used to being away from Bob and my family over the holidays

I was very fortunate that the timing of my classes coincided with friends needing to be in Antigua.  They helped me navigate the terrain while in my wheelchair. (Walking was not an option when outside the school; while in the wheelchair, I had to be in a constant wheelie to get over the bumps.)My friends were wonderful and I could not have done this without them.

When I arrived at the school, I got to my room with no towels, no toilet paper, and no phone at midnight, I immediately thought, I can’t do this.  These things were all fixed by morning.  I was there to learn Spanish and nothing was going to deter me from this goal.  The cost of the program included 4-6 hours of Spanish, and 3 meals a day, and my room.   When we were not attending class we were studying, eating, playing games such as Spanish Scrabble, enjoying the Antigua nightlife: restaurants, shopping, and attending cultural events,

An important point is Central America, like many places outside the U.S. is not at all handicap friendly.  At the school’s Christmas party, one of the students walking with a cane asked me if I knew how tough the terrain was in Antigua before I visited.  I indicated, “Yes, I had heard.””  And she said, “Boy are you brave.(That was a good moment. )

Thanks to this trip I have a big time travel bug, particularly outside the U.S. Fortunately, one month later is a planned trip to Costa Rica, thanks to my sister-in-law who understands my need to continue practicing Spanish.