21 Days After The Stroke

Science says it takes 21 days to learn a new habit or forgo an old one. Well, it’s been 21 days since I had my stroke and I’ve seen lot of improvements. It’s amazing how many tricks my brain had to re-learn in these 21 days. Lot of new pathways have been created in my brain and my synapses and neurons have been hard at work. I realize that everyone’s recovery from any brain injury is different and I do not take lightly the challenges that we all face. As I share a glimpse of my progress in this blog post, please be advised that it’s just that, a glimpse of reality. I still have many things to work through and some things might never get better. However, many things did get better and here’s some of what has happened in the past three weeks.

• I Lost My Wheelchair on Day 16

That was a bitter-sweet morning. I’ve been using the walker in therapy, but I still had the chair to help me get around and just like that they took it away. Currently, I can get around with the walker, but I need to take breaks often and after therapies, I’m totally wiped out. I’m taking multiple naps a day just to prepare my body for the next step. With more walking came more dizziness.  My left side is still weaker than the right side and might remain so, but it is definitely stronger than it was three weeks ago.
 

• I Now Only Get One Speech Therapy Session A Day

My first full day at the rehabilitation hospital, I received three speech therapy sessions. After that I received two therapy sessions daily. After about two weeks in rehabilitation, I started receiving only one speech therapy session a day. I have at least 80 to 90% of my speech abilities back (depending on the topic) but my pitch and tone can be very soft at times.
 

• I Got Funky Glasses on Day 10

After being at the rehabilitation hospital for a few days, I found out that the stroke had also affected my vision. My peripheral vision was affected. I also had double vision and blurry vision, which made me dizzy and aggravated my headaches. I saw an eye specialist and received an eyeglasses frame with some tape on it but without lenses. The tape blocks the parts of my eyes that are overworking so that the rest of the eye can learn to refocus. Visions therapy has been helpful. I’m not sure how long I will have to wear these empty glasses; I need to follow up with the eye specialist after I leave the hospital.
 

• My Body Is So Confused

I have been dealing with so many internal changes, including issues with my blood sugar and my blood pressure, as well as facial nerve pain.
 
The facial nerves that were affected by the stroke are the ones close to my nose and my mouth. I somehow now have an “extraordinary” nose and tongue. I smell things I didn’t smell before - sometimes smelling my own food is too overwhelming. I remember eating something that was not spicy and feeling like my tongue was on fire. Two weeks later, I’m craving more spicy food, go figure! My taste buds are just as confused as the rest of my body.
 
My blood sugar has stabilized and I’m finally off the finger pricks. I also had difficulty chewing and swallowing, especially on the left side, the side that was affected by the stroke. That has greatly improved as well.
 
My blood pressure has also stabilized, but now that I had a stroke, I will be taking baby aspirin for the rest of my life. I started other new medications as well while at the rehabilitation hospital and most of my symptoms seem to be under control. Quite a few specialists have been added to my follow-up treatment team and I’ll have to get used to that.
 

• It Only Took Me 4 Days To Write This Blogpost

The last blog post I wrote was about the same length as this one and took me almost ten days to write; this one only took me four days. That’s major progress. My processing speed has improved. However, if I’m reading a topic that I’m not familiar with, like an article in the newspaper for example, I must read it a few times to grasp the content.
 
I can organize my thoughts and answer questions or explain things, but the more thinking involved, the harder it is for me to produce the words on demands. For example, I can tell a story or relate something that happened earlier in the day with no problem at all. However, when presented with an issue that requires problem solving, I need more time to process the situation, think about solution, pick a course of action, then share that with others. The more thought process involved, the more time I needed.
 
I have also been very sensitive to sound and light. I get easily stimulated, which triggers my headaches. I’m glad to report that I have been making accommodations for myself and slowly learning to cope with stimuli.
 
The Good News: I will be leaving the rehabilitation hospital on December 15!
I will continue with my physical and occupational therapies once I get home.
The next big goal I’m working on is getting back to work and driving again.
 
Until next time, remember that you can teach an old brain some new tricks…so learn something new today!

Chou Hallegra
Self-Advocate & Ally to the differently ABLE
Founder of Grace & Hope Consulting, LLC
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