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agirl -> RE: In need of some advice or support... (11/1/2007 5:10:55 AM)
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I don't know if this helps but my daughter, who's only 23yrs and a single mother of a 5yr old, had three strokes in June this year, two small ones on the right and a larger one on the left.
At first she was paralysed down her right-hand side, couldn't walk, talk, eat , drink, tell the time or pee etc. Today, five months later, she can do all of those things, though not as well as before, to date.
The most difficult thing for the sufferer, especially in early days, is the shock and the sense of loss of *who they were before* and feelings of helplessness. These things DO diminish over time, and you really ARE in early days.
As Mercurialdame mentioned in her post about her friend, my daughter had thoughts and feelings of wishing the stroke had killed her rather than leaving her disabled in the way she was, but now, months later, is finding positive aspects to life again. Even five months on, it's STILL early days for us.....recovery continues for years.
The brain damage that occurs through stroke varies HUGELY and it can take quite a time to notice what is affected. The cells that are destroyed don't recover, so the brain has to make use of slightly less efficient cells to accomplish tasks and this takes time, and effort.
In my daughter's case, she's left with problems with memory, concentration and priority. The biggest problem, by far, is the acceptance, not only by her but by those that love her, that she will not be the same person she was before.
Some of the manifestations can be bewildering and upsetting. Stroke affects every single person differently and the uncertainties surrounding it and the lack of concrete answers make it uncharted territory, to a degree, in each case. I have read and read about stroke until I was dazed; informed myself about every possible outcome/recovery and STILL don't have FIRM conclusions. No-one can have those.
As Mercurialdame said, listen, but take what's said to you with a grain of salt, for now and remember that you have strengths that can carry you. for now, even if it's auto-pilot.
I'm a writer and wrote this a few days ago about my daughter and the experience of stroke.
Brain Attack at 23 yrs old
It didn’t hurt at all; the brain attack.
The sneaky insult to your mind
Robbed you of the life you knew
And left a mess of deficits
With a painless stroke.
Now you’re partly you, recovering,
And partly someone else, emerging,
Who can’t remember phone calls
Or appointments, and lets the washing up
Pile high with crusted debris,
And buys a necklace while the fridge
Stands empty, and can’t explain
No cereal for breakfast
Or clean knickers for your child.
Streams of caring experts
Chart your progress in a code
You struggle to decipher
From the letters flying back and forth.
Striato-capsular infarct is, in fact,
As bewildering as it sounds.
With regards, agirl
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