Visits from friends & well-wishers always provide a welcome reprieve from hours of contemplation and loneliness but some visitors bring with them a breath of fresh air and a soothing salve just when you need it.
I received such a visitor just yesterday bearing gifts of wisdom and music well- researched and appropriate. My friend Ruth, a very intuitive therpapist, seemed to know, without words, what I needed at that very moment and lifted my mood from a state of weariness and defeat to hope and determination to complete this marathon that I am on.
I watched a video she brought me entitled 'The Hidden Side of Stroke' produced as an aid for stroke straining by Greater Manchester HIEC. It focussed on issues that may sometimes be missed or dismissed in medical and physiological post-stroke evaluations but which, nevertheless, are key to recovery.
There is nothing more disheartening than to have a seemingly insignificant symptom such as loss of appetite, being dismissed by a professional as non life-threatening when this has affected me on a day-o day basis, weakening me to the extent where I could not hold myself upright for more than 5minues.
Over the past weeks I have seen my physical stamina diminish to the extent where I could not sustain myself through my Tai Chi class or walk to the end of my very short road, when these small goals and achievements had been giving me hope and sustaining my will to fight on.
But today is a new day, a new dawn and with this I have a new strategy. I discovered, purely by chance that I could stomach Soya milk and this small discovery in itself has guided me towards a sustenance plan to reduce my debility.
I shall continue to unravel the hidden side of my stroke and share my discoveries but have one piece of advice for fellow travellers. Do not ignore or undermine what you believe to be a significant or real symptom, however, small or ridiculous it may seem. If it is affecting your ability to recover or function on a daily basis it needs to be acknowledged and addressed. I had this message reinforced by my Tai Chi teacher, Christina, who during her instructions asks us not to ignore but to acknowledge, areas of pain, restriction or discomfort. To acknowledge is to accept and to address.
I resume my journey now with renewed energy, confidence and vigour.
Thanks to my jewel of a friend, Ruth.
I received such a visitor just yesterday bearing gifts of wisdom and music well- researched and appropriate. My friend Ruth, a very intuitive therpapist, seemed to know, without words, what I needed at that very moment and lifted my mood from a state of weariness and defeat to hope and determination to complete this marathon that I am on.
I watched a video she brought me entitled 'The Hidden Side of Stroke' produced as an aid for stroke straining by Greater Manchester HIEC. It focussed on issues that may sometimes be missed or dismissed in medical and physiological post-stroke evaluations but which, nevertheless, are key to recovery.
There is nothing more disheartening than to have a seemingly insignificant symptom such as loss of appetite, being dismissed by a professional as non life-threatening when this has affected me on a day-o day basis, weakening me to the extent where I could not hold myself upright for more than 5minues.
Over the past weeks I have seen my physical stamina diminish to the extent where I could not sustain myself through my Tai Chi class or walk to the end of my very short road, when these small goals and achievements had been giving me hope and sustaining my will to fight on.
But today is a new day, a new dawn and with this I have a new strategy. I discovered, purely by chance that I could stomach Soya milk and this small discovery in itself has guided me towards a sustenance plan to reduce my debility.
I shall continue to unravel the hidden side of my stroke and share my discoveries but have one piece of advice for fellow travellers. Do not ignore or undermine what you believe to be a significant or real symptom, however, small or ridiculous it may seem. If it is affecting your ability to recover or function on a daily basis it needs to be acknowledged and addressed. I had this message reinforced by my Tai Chi teacher, Christina, who during her instructions asks us not to ignore but to acknowledge, areas of pain, restriction or discomfort. To acknowledge is to accept and to address.
I resume my journey now with renewed energy, confidence and vigour.
Thanks to my jewel of a friend, Ruth.
Hey! I'm so sorry...no. Have it a fabulous day! God & me...awesome.
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