On Sunday morning at 1am I reached over to touch the tape player I had been listening to. I felt my neck snap, I immediately lost my arm and most of my voice. I had trouble getting my Mother's attention, she was in a different bedroom and by the time I did, I had lost my whole left side. I was lying on my bedroom floor, banging on my door, when she finally found me and got help.
At the age of 50 our whole world changed in an instant. 2 weeks in ICU (Totally out of it except a few clearer thinking moments), then 4 weeks in rehab, peg tube for 5 weeks and 3 & 1/2 months of outpatient therapy. Thanks to a very wonderful Mother, I continued to improve and recover.
I was never told exactly where my stroke hit, except I was told it was unrelated to my previous migraines (However, it surely was, coupled with a whiplash injury I got 10 years prior) because it happened so deep within my brain. My research indicates it was a vertabral brain stem hemmorhage. Drs. say hi blood pressure and stress, I am sure this is right, but still other factors had a hand.
I am very lucky, it could have been much worse but plenty bad enough for me! My Mother was told I would end up in a nursing home, which never happened. After PT/OT I was left to devise my own therapy, I was given no information about long-term post stroke rehab. I feel I was very creative reinventing rehabilitation but it took me a year to find any workable excercises or stroke information.
I was not online in those days. Then I found out about the NSA. The National Stroke Association and ordered their books. Most did not quench my thirst for information but I did find that the book,
"The Road Ahead, a stroke recovery guide" answered some of my questions.
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