#stroke survivors

[kylorenshighwaistedpants]

I’m only working out so I can lift all my friends in a hug at the same time.

Not pictured: my fucking very necessary cane lmao

[mmazzeroo]

Opinion | Here Be Mother of Dragons

Emilia Clarke has conquered her health issues. Now will Daenerys conquer the Seven Kingdoms?

"She says she is 100 percent now, after two aneurysms, and she is still able to joke that her brain surgery merely robbed her of her “good taste in men.”

“And I wonder why none of my exes have texted me,” she says, grinning. "

😂😂😂

[pjlowry]

When it comes to strokes and other forms of brain Injuries, there is a whole lot more going on below the surface.

PJ

[cripvideoproductions]

Stromies

I’m an independent filmmaker who makes films that are available for free on youtube with open captions and audio descriptions that star actors who are disabled in real life, to increase understanding...

The Facebook post for our guest blog for The Stromies! 

A fan of our film “A Stroke Of Endurance” who is a stroke survivor, recommended a podcast about The Stromies and the The Stromies Blog.  to Crip Video Productions. Then The Stromies kindly allowed our director Margot Cole to do a post about “A Stroke Of Endurance” for their blog here http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/182046036911/guest-blog-margot-of-stroke-of-endurance   about how the film specifically relates to stroke survivors.  Super Special thanks to the wonderful ladies at The Stromies! 

We hope our fans that have Facebook accounts will share this post and use the hashtags #CripVideoProductions and #AStrokeOfEndurance in your posts! 

[natasha-cole]

I love these men so much. ❤

[queenofacidrefluxandmelancholy]

My little (21 year old) brother had a stroke last week, and

I can’t put into words how I feel. I’m sad, yes, but I know with time he’ll be back to somewhat normal. It was in his thalamus, on the right side. I just miss him. He’s been in and out of sleep, which I know happens with thalamic stroke victims, as it regulates sleep. He can move his whole body though (while sleeping he moves a lot, as people do), and has been able to move his body the whole time he’s been in Columbia Pres in Manhattan. His words and state of alertness change, but with each passing day he regains more alertness. This morning, which was his 3rd day in the ICU at Columbia Presbyterian in Manhattan, he got up and was the most alert he’s been. His words were clear and normal, he was forming full sentences, using his hands (like he always does while talking, he is a new yorker, you know), he was eating by himself, and with the help of the nurse even walked to the bathroom. Eventually he fell back into his sleep, which most of the time is the half sleep, half awake state I was reading is common in these situations. His face sags a little on the left, but not too much. Even in this in between state, he very much wanted his glasses on, even when sleeping. He woke up for about 20 minutes today and wasn’t as clear or awake as this morning. I was telling him about how much our dad was eating yesterday and new frames for his glasses. He was awake and listening, but not replying, which I chalk up to being groggy, a little confused over the situation as a whole, and not being to able to properly speak or say what he wanted to. He did smile at something I said though.

They are moving him from the ICU to the stroke unit tonight, as they say he no longer needs the ICU.

My heart aches because I guess I just need a few answers from people who’ve gone through this. Were you or your loved one able to regain some sense of normalcy? Were you/your loved one stressed and confused, and did the stroke mess with your emotions, as I’ve read thalamic strokes can do? Is it good my brother is moving and speaking at times? Also, how did you/your loved one’s recovery go, how long did it take, and although I know it won’t be *quite* the same again, are you able to live a happy, fulfilling life?

There’s also the wrench of my brother having aspergers, so I imagine some of the grumpyness comes from that. Please, feel free to inbox me anything you know or have experienced.

[kylesdove]

do you think kyle would want to go back to school during or after his recovery, & what do you think that'd be like for him? i'm sorry you're not feeling well!

I’ve actually thought a LOT about this and unfortunately have come to a conclusion that’s way more devastating than anyone wants to hear.

Kyle still has a dream, a distant dream, of becoming an engineer and changing the world for the better. But for right now, anyway, that’s all it is: a very distant and untouchable dream.

When Kyle died and came back, it changed everything. Not just the fact that his abuse continued, he had learned to live with that and carry on despite it. But with his new struggles with speech, coordination, and overall independence, the idea of attending school is so outlandish he doesn’t even entertain it anymore (not without breaking down crying, at least).

His journey to heal and relearn how to live (including reteaching himself how to function physically, mentally, AND emotionally) has taken up the forefront of his mind. Every single day is a struggle just to get up, eat, wash, and try to find some enjoyment in some way before the pain catches up to him and he has to rest again.

From my experience working with stroke survivors, big, life-changing decisions like schooling and moving homes are so monumental, survivors don’t have the energy to expend trying to achieve them. They are oftentimes barely able to make it through the day without assistance from someone and therefore can’t imagine the ease of attending classes and sitting for hours on end with no breaks or personal tutors to help them comprehend lessons and slow the pace of their teaching to let them catch up.

There are so many obstacles between what they want and how much they can actually accomplish that their concerns become limited to what they can get done in a single day to still feel good.

I think, as much as Kyle’s abuse is talked about (and is of course a huge part of his trauma and who he is), his biggest concern (and what would be holding him back from attending school) would be his communication skills. Kyle was a talker before the accident, he used his words and when he was stripped of that ability, it was like how he felt with his mother was suddenly his everyday situation: unable to speak up for himself and unable to say how he felt about any given thing. The disconnect between his brain and his tongue is wide, but not impossible to cross. I’ve seen progress in my own life with people who practice every single day on speaking again, but it still takes years to even start being able to communicate short phrases and names, let alone construct full sentences.

So as much as I would love to see Kyle attend school again, and achieve his dream, I think his priority right now is learning to live in his new body and love himself despite the pain and struggle, and having a support system to help him with his speech and occupational therapy would be the best way to strengthen himself before attempting a change like that in his life.

Idk if this made ANY sense at all but it’s actually been on my heart for a while so thank you SO so much for this ask, I loved answering. 🩷