Thursday, 31 May 2012

May 2012 Updates


Hand Held Vacuum Cleaner

In my quest to lead as normal a life as I can at the moment, I have purchased a hand held rechargeable vacuum cleaner.
This enables me to clean the stairs steps and carpet edges and the like. It is only a small piece of household equipment, but it goes a long way to making me feel more functional.
I am slowly seeing improvements in my right hand, fingers and arm, but I know that even after nearly three years, I have a significant road to travel on my journey to recovery.

I seem to be busy doing something on most days now, well as much as my stamina will allow, I have been doing some of the paperwork for our local annual Bed Race, and my husband & I have taken on the Membership secretary's role at our local Cricket Club. These are important jobs, but come without any pressures and can be done at my leisure.

I attended the eye clinic at the hospital in the middle of the month and this time I managed to get down to the bottom of the eye chart and read it correctly and the pressure is ok. I go back in November to have photo's taken behind the eyes and if things are as they are now I will be discharged.

The following week I attended the hospital again, this time to have my resting splint re-moulded. I have been slightly concerned that my fingers have been bending under again, and after all the hard work that has been done to straighten them out I got quite anxious about it. Now it is fitting much better and I'm happy again!

I have also had an appointment with the Physio, and although I don't receive regular treatment, it is re-assuring that she is only a phone call or email away. I think that it is possible that at some point I may be referred for a second arthroscopy on my right knee. I had the first one three years ago, that can be the optimum time it may last, but my new style of walking probably doesn't help matters!

I have new exercises to do for the arm muscles and these can be done with my walking stick:
Sit on a chair facing a chair or stool of the same height. In both hands hold on to the upside down stick, (handle resting on the stool), at arms length and move the stick backwards & forwards and also from side to side. My weak hand, the right, has to be placed underneath the left hand but this exercise must be driven by the right hand. Keeping my back straight will improve the posture in my trunk and help the nerves in my neck.

I have learnt over time that you do not require expensive pieces of equipment but can be resourceful with common objects that can be found in the house.

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

BBC News 1st May 2012

Stroke survivors 'being denied best recovery chance'

By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Stroke survivors often need a range of rehab after leaving hospital

Many stroke survivors feel abandoned after they leave hospital and are being denied the chance to make the best recovery because of a lack of post-hospital care, a report suggests.

The Stroke Association review surveyed patients and carers across the UK and found survivors were facing a struggle.
Some went without regular assessments, or had difficulties seeing specialists.
The Department of Health admitted there was work to be done, but the government was focused on "driving up standards".
The report concluded local government and the NHS must do more to co-ordinate care.
'Abandoned' Emergency hospital services, such as access to scans and life-saving treatment, are generally perceived to have improved in recent years. This has meant that more and more people are surviving strokes.

Case study

Ann Frewer has had to rely on others since she had a stroke in November last year.
The 75-year-old former nurse, who is a widow, was released from hospital without a care plan or any follow-up appointments.
"I was told to ask my neighbours for help, and if it had not been for their kindness, I would be sitting at home on my own, starving to death, as I cannot walk more than 150 yards.
"Sometimes I hear this called 'care in the community'. The reality is that it's more like sending you to prison. If you are on your own, it's more like solitary confinement."

There are now more than 1m stroke survivors in the UK, but 300,000 of those are living with moderate or severe disabilities.

Jon Barrick, of the Stroke Association, said it was clear more had to be done to help them after the charity received evidence from more than 2,000 patients and carers.
"Many stroke survivors tell us that after all the effort to save their lives, they then feel abandoned when they return home.
"The NHS and local authorities are failing in their responsibilities."
Phil Gray, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, agreed there was a problem.
He said: "We are really concerned about what happens to stroke survivors after they leave hospital.
"There is clear evidence that a significant lack of investment has led to a complete, or at least substantial, absence of services in many parts of the country."

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Friday, 27 April 2012

Step Out 2012

Step out Rowntree Park, York

27/5/2012

Venue: Rowntree Park, York, YO23 1JQ

Type: Special Event

Step Out is the national event to raise awareness and funds for The Stroke Association, and to have a great time in the process!
There are many ways to Step Out, and the events are suitable for all ages and abilities.

Visit Rowntree Park on Sunday 27 May for a free day of 20th Anniversary celebrations. The day will include a Zumbathon, live entertainment, blood pressure checks, cake sales and much more.

The main focus of the day is the sponsored charity walk. Put your best foot forward for stroke and choose to do a 100 step walk within the park, a 1.5 mile walk along the river (with a flight of stairs) or a bigger challenge on our treadmills within the park. To take part in the 'Step out' sponsored walk you can enter online for just £5.

The warm up for the walks begins at 11:30 am, ready for the walks to kick off at midday.
But it doesn't stop there, there are many other activities during the day to get the whole family involved, including face painting, children’s activities, blood pressure guidance and refreshments.

There will be Zumba dancing from 11:00am–4:00pm. This is an exhilarating, effective, easy to follow, Latin-inspired, calorie burning dance party!
'Sponsor a Balloon' (biodegradable) for £3 that will be released on the day, in memory or to celebrate life after stroke.

Step Out is a fun walking event for the whole family and will be at several locations throughout the year.

I am going to participate in the above event & hope to complete the 1.5 miles event.

Monday, 23 April 2012

Aftercare

Today I visited the Physio at hospital which is the first time in a couple of months. After a general catchup on my progress we discussed the difficulties that I am now experiencing with my right knee and how exercises may be of benefit.

The knee sometimes can feel very painful and at other times I can find it difficult to walk. I have noticed that when I am walking downstairs the knee can lean to the right. After a lot of effort, and at times pain, I have learnt to walk downstairs one foot in front of the other, but I have been advised to tempoary suspend this method that we all take for granted and return to the "one step at a time" method: bad leg first then place the good leg on the same step. This is obviously very disappointing, but I have to accept that it should only be as a temporary measure.

Exercises 20th April 2012

The Physio directed me through the exercises and then wrote them up for me for reference.

I have been advised how to test out straight leg raises in three different positions, noting which are difficult or prove painful, and also how to execute hamstring knee curls and exercises for glutes.

These are to be done three times a day and I return to the physio in around eight weeks to discuss my findings.


Stright Leg Raise at 2 o'clock


Exercise for Glutes

The Straight Leg Raises are to be done at three different positions: Straight, (12.00), 10.00 and 2.00 positions. My Left leg, good leg, has to be kept straight and flat whilst I complete a 2" raise with my bad leg, Right leg.
I must only do one of these exercises, (eg:12.00), at a time and have been advised to execute that one three times a day for three days, moving on to the next position for three days etc.
A hard bed or floor would be the best place to undertake this work.

Exrecises for Glutes (Gluteal muscles) can be accomplished either standing or lying:
To achieve these I can choose either option:
Stand at the kitchen counter or sideboard/table keep my good leg straight and move the bad leg backwards, keeping it straight and foot pointed.

Exercises for Hamstrings are to be done sitting on a chair with a pair of stretchy lycra tights tied around it and around a chair that is facing. The idea is to push out the bad leg and pull it backwards feeling the resistance of the tights. In a more conventional way these stretches can be achieved by using bands or simply holding out the leg straight and positioning the body over it, rather like "chin to knee".

I am in no way advocating that these exercises should be undertaken by anyone and they should only be undertaken on advice from a professional. These have been tailor made to meet my specific needs with improvised apparatus/kit as I do not use the facilities of a gym.
This form of aftercare is not necessary for every stroke patient, but this will help my muscles during a time when I can be more immobile than I would like or want.

It will be three years in July since I had my stroke and recovery is still being accomplised, sometimes slower than I would like, but with the support that I recieve on all levels I still remain focussed to achieve as much recovery as possible.

Thursday, 12 April 2012

Sip It For Stroke: 7th April 2012

Throughout spring, The Stroke Association are encouraging people to organise a Sip for Stroke event and help stroke survivors and their families.
With this in mind I decided to host a coffee morning on Easter Saturday.

Ten friends helped with the running of the event and a meeting was held beforehand to sort out job allocation. On the previous day we set out the room and priced all the goods which had been donated, stalls included: bring & buy, cakes, raffle, "guess the name of the dolly" and books. Three ladies were tasked with refreshments.
Our local M.P. agreed to attend in his capacity as Vice Chair of the All Paliamentary Group On Stroke.

More goods and produce were brought on the day and the event raised £509.80.

The organising of the event proved to be quite a stressful time for me, even though my friends were all there for support. Before I had my Stroke, I thrived on this type of event and fundraising and I felt that it should have been a very easy task. During the week leading up to it I found that I couldn't switch my mind away from it and my head started to "thud" again. I can only describe the feeling as if I had got off a fairground ride and although my body had stopped my head keeps travelling.

Thanfully, with all the planning and all the goods being donated, a magnificent amount was raised for The Stroke Association.
Thank you to everyone who attended or assisted in any way.

Every year an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke. Of all people who suffer from a stroke, about a third are likely to die within the first 10 days, about a third are likely to make a recovery within one month and about a third are likely to be left disabled and needing rehabilitation.
Stroke has a greater disability impact than any other medical condition. A quarter of a million people are living with long-term disability as a result of stroke in the UK.
The Stroke Association is the only UK wide charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages.
The Stroke Association funds research into prevention, treatment and better methods of rehabilitation, and helps stroke patients and their families directly through its Life After Stroke Services.

March

Frozen beach & sea at Riga

Riga March 2012

Granny duties

March proved to be a busy month with trips to Riga, Latvia and to London.

Every year we go on an organised trip from our local Cricket Club and this year it was a party of 26 - the largest one ever.

The big challenge for this trip was the 4.30a.m. pick up something which I had never encountered before and this was of slight concern. In the days leading up to the day of departure I tried to get as much rest as possible and just had to look on as my husband got everything ready and packed. We keep a check list for such events so we do not forget essentials, making sure that I have enough medication.

I still find airports to be quite stressful, especially going through check in and security and moving from one queue to another along with a lot of other people. Although I am more mobile these days, I have made the decision to book wheelchair assistance, not only does this keep me more calm but aids my husband who has to sort out all the documents and make sure that I am ok.

Flying over Riga was pretty spectacular as the sea was frozen, and there was the last of the snow and ice in the city also, which meant that the main river was frozen over. We travelled to their seaside by train one day and marvelled at men sitting on the middle of the frozen river boring holes in the ice to fish!

Two weeks after returning from Riga we travelled to London to be with our family and new granddaughter for the weekend. On the Saturday afternoon we went to the theatre to see "Warhorse". A busy, but very rewarding weekend.

On the day we were due to return from London, I became unwell with swollen neck glands and sore throat, something which I have been experiencing for over 30 years when I get tired or run down. This laid me quite low for around a week and eventually I went to see my G.P. who gave me a check up but did not think that it was appropriate to prescribe any medication for this. I have also been experiencing a problem with my right knee, which has meant that walking has been very difficult, I do not think that this is Stroke- related, but rather something to do with a problem that I had surgery for only a couple of months before the Stroke. I am now waiting for a referral to see the Physio at the local hospital.

All in all a very good month, with lots of good memories.

As I have said before: "A Stroke is not the end of life but just the beginning of a new way of life"

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Maintenance

As you will know, if you have read my blog in full, during the Christmas & New Year period I was experiencing great discomfort in my left shoulder and arm. This was particularly distressing as this side of my body is "my good side" and in turn meant that I couldn't assist during the festivities as much as I would like or have wanted.

I tried "over the counter" pain relief gel to apply to the affected areas, but to no purpose, and eventually went to see my G.P. who referred me back to see my physiotherapist at hospital. The appointment took a while to come through, but after one 45 minute treatment immediately felt the benefit.

After a general chat about my progress and the effects of the Botox, the treatment which involved a tennis ball began. Aids that are so simple, cost very little and are in every home can make all the difference if used in the correct way.
The treatment was to get me to rest over the treatment couch, with my head supported by my left arm whilst resting on a pillow. This opens up the shoulder blade, allowing the muscles to relax. Once in the correct position, the physio' rolled a tennis ball up and down each side of my spine and up each side of my neck going over my shoulder. My husband was shown this technique and it is something that we can confidently do as soon as discomfort may develop.

My husband and I have just returned from a four night break to Riga, Latvia as part of a group from the local cricket club. I have done quite a lot of walking, by my current standards, and have learnt to assist my legs in their daily recovery by applying a sustained jet of hot water on them and then massaging them.

The battle to recovery is still very much on-going, but I have learnt various techniques which I can put to good use to help me maintain a relatively pain free continuation.

NB: The right arm should be fully extended and straight and the body relaxed.

Addendum to Botox 2

I had my 2nd series of Botox on February 2nd and to date, it has not made any further significant improvement to my fingers. However, since then I have been bemoaning the fact that I have had some pains and discomfort in the inside elbow joint. Then on March 6th I noticed that I could hold out my arm and this was a truly wonderful feeling. I have been practicing this movement daily since this latest milestone and I can now hold the arm out and straight for 10 seconds. I try to repeat this movement 2 or 3 times but do not get hung up about it if I can't.