Trish, I have taken a couple of restorative yoga classes and I found them very soothing, so I am going to continue with those. It's a nice way to get myself out of the house.
Thanks for the reminder that it's a marathon, not a sprint!
I wish I could give you a timeline - I actually remember that was my initial desire, and I kept waiting and waiting and waiting to return to the same person who I was before. That never happened for me, and I learned a very, very important skill, having to do with adapting to the different circumstances, etc. that I now encountered.
Tapping into your adapting skills as well as your patience will help you a lot. Feed on whatever reserves you have; plus, however, you can gain “adapting skills”/respond to obstacles and hone more patience, go for it. For me, meditation and yoga help me with adapting (a daily thing for me) and patience, but everyone’s different. Some say prayer works for them. Some say jogging. Some say music. Again, it’s whatever works for you. Try on some different things, and something will feel like a good fit for you. When it does, go with that.
For me, progress was made - not the kind of progress that I wanted to see initially, but progress, nonetheless. And I should mention that: 1. It became very significant for me to measure my progress post-stroke vs. measuring my progress/comparing myself now to what I had before and/or what I could do before; and 2. I could see most of my progress by looking back “in chunks”, over a period of time, vs. day-by-day. All of a sudden, it hit me that I could do something that I couldn’t do just one month ago.
Someone explained it to me that recovery takes time and that it was more like a marathon, not a sprint. That change in my perspective helped me a great deal.
Yes your recovery is not a sprint there is no timeline no play book
Doctors seem to mostly care that we survived and dont seem to be too concerned about our recovery or what recovery means to us.
Ask yourself what recovery means to you? Some days for me it was can I make it to the corner and back or some bad days I would just try to walk down our driveway to get the mail.
Then later it was can I balance the check book that one was hard for me...
Then could I drive by myself to the drugstore and remember how to get back...I had my cell phone and it was only a mile. My husband I would follow me at first
I have to say that I did have to morn my old self and accept my new self. Even though when people see me they think I am the same but I am not as strong physically ( still doing PT) and forget lots of things, have pain on my left side, frequent head aches, cant stand loud noises or big groups, and tire easily but sometimes have trouble sleeping.
This site is great to vent and to check on your symptoms and your feelings
Oh also I cry at anything sad where I almost never cried before but they say thats normal so I just accept it and it freaks out my family but too bad....its the new me!
I also watch lots of funny movies and I like old movies and that kept my spirits up and I also got better at saying no to people its your time -
Angela
You explain and express it so well, thanks for helping us be each other voice and sharing what it is everyday for you.
It isn't a race it is one foot in front of another and sometimes just kick'in the can down the road. Well said physician are all about you survive, the rest of you life and recovery is one foot in front of another.