Stroke Hope Stroke Recovery

Stroke Hope

Stroke Recovery

by Daniel Bryan Jones

Copyright Statement

Copyright by Daniel Bryan Jones.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording, photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Publisher Statement

Stroke Hope Stroke Awareness is published by Daniel Bryan Jones.

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

LECTURE 1

LECTURE 2

LECTURE 3

LECTURE 4

LECTURE 5

LECTURE 6

LECTURE 7

About the Author

Foreword

Little steps – baby steps. That’s how you deal with your ruined, wreck of a body after you’ve had a Stroke. Three steps forward, then another three – you’re just beginning to think that you’re making progress, then you push it too far and fast and you’re back to the beginning, back to where you started.

There’s a board game that we have in the U.K. – Snakes and Ladders – I expect you guys have something similar in the U.S. The chequered board is littered with images of ladders and serpents. You throw the die and move your counter the appropriate number of squares on the board. Sometimes, you are lucky and land on a square with a ladder – hooray! Up, up, up you go, just one more throw of the die and you will win the game and everyone cheers! But there’s that big old snake with the wicked eyes; he’s watching you, his mouth snarling red and wide, baring poisonous fangs and he’s just before the square that declares you the winner! Land on him and you’ll know all about it – down, down, down right back to where you started and everyone laughs.

And it’s the laughter that makes a difference, or the utter absence of it, when you tread on a bad square and a Stroke strikes. No one laughs, they weep. They do their best, they really do, not to let you see their tears. But you know – you know, you really do, you see the anguish in their worried eyes. The hospital visit is over and your visitors leave – and that’s when their tears will come. Tears of despair – tears of fear.

And you will weep too – the difference is that you, physically, cannot wipe your tears away. The kind nurse will do it for you – she’ll wipe the dripping snot from your nose – the dribbling drool from your mouth too.

Oh, there’s nothing like the utter shock of a Stroke to make you aware of everything that you have lost. Independence, dignity, you cannot even communicate – not with a tongue that is too thick for your mouth. A tongue that is unable to go to the right places in your palette to form coherent words – and don’t forget those lips that sit, stuck in a gross parody of a smile. You are back to being a baby, more helpless than a baby – you cannot even shit, or piss without assistance. And as for walking, forget it – feeding yourself – nope, you cannot raise a cup to your mouth. You cannot even squeeze your wife’s hand or return her kiss.

Stroke Hope Stroke Recovery is the third book in a remarkable series. In the first book, Stroke Hope Stroke Awareness, Danny talks about his own journey after a massive Stroke in 2006. He talks about everything, everything that the earth shattering deal that having a Stroke means. Danny is a teacher and he teaches us that a Stroke can Strike anyone, at any time. Strokes are not picky – none of us are exempt. Strokes are a great social leveler – a Stroke can Strike the homeless man sleeping in a shop doorway – a Stroke can Strike the Queen of England, or the President of the United States.

Danny didn’t have to do a lot of research for Stroke Hope Stroke Awareness – his knowledge is first hand. And this first book is not just for those inflicted by a Stroke – it’s invaluable for caregivers too.

The book documents Danny’s life and his own journey back to recovery – back to reclaiming his life. It’s an intriguing read. On the way, Danny gives out a wealth of information concerning the medical profession and how he was able to work with highly skilled doctors. This knowledge was acquired at one of the world’s leading Stroke recovery centres.

When talking about people who are seriously sick, we speak of them as victims and as suffering. He is a victim of Multiple Sclerosis, He suffers with Diabetes, He is the victim of a Stroke. Through the pages of Danny’s remarkable book we see that Danny is neither a sufferer nor a victim – neither is he a fighter. Another term misappropriated to those who are sick. How can you fight an unpredictable enemy that ravages your body? Danny has learnt to work with the results of his Stroke, a little more each day, sometimes resting, sometimes pushing.

He talks about the emotional effect that having a Stroke had on his life. He talks about the spiritual effect that his Stroke had on his life, too. He talks about how people who have had, or will have, Strokes – how they can deal with the wreckage left by the enemy and regain control of their lives.

Stroke – it’s a gentle word isn’t it? We stroke our kitten, our dog, our pony – it’s that A in front of the word stroke— that’s what does it. She/he has had a Stroke and we know immediately that it has nothing to do with kindness and gentleness. A Stroke connotes violence – a sudden and shocking blow. Perhaps the word A Strike would be better.

Many of us know someone who’s had a Stroke – if we don’t, then it’s more than likely that we soon will. A Stroke does not just strike down the elderly – a Stroke can, and does, strike down someone in the prime of his or her life.

So what’s going on here – why, in the U.S. and across Europe are we seeing, and hearing of, so many people having Strokes? The way we choose to live has a lot to answer for. Stress – working hard, playing hard, cheating on your wife, your wife cheating on you, emotional stress, divorce, or you can’t pay the bills. All of these are factors that can raise the blood pressure – so get yours checked out. High cholesterol diets; laziness. Okay, have a Big Mac, but not every day. Try walking to Mcdonald’s instead of driving – get off your fat butt and get some exercise. You don’t have to join an expensive gym – rediscover the pleasure of walking, looking at stuff. It doesn’t have to be a hike – just, maybe 100 yards a day. Get out of breath – get your heart pumping and breathe! You can have cholesterol laden stuffed crust pizza – but make it a treat, say, once a week. Learn about nutrition – dull, I know. An extra-large tub of Hagen das is not your friend – experiment with chopped fruit, a sliced banana mixed with a spoonful of natural yoghurt and runny, golden honey from the bees is delicious. But you know all this, don’t you? Really, you do – you’ve just got into the habit of ignoring the good advice from nutritionists – I know they bug you, but listen, please.

And learn how to be still. Emotionally, spiritually – I’m not talking about being still while you slob out on the couch watching television. I’m talking about learning how to concentrate your mind and be calm. Learn how to meditate; take a yoga class. Go to the countryside, the ocean, the park, or a garden and just breathe.

Danny addresses the issue of lifestyle in his second book – Stroke Hope Stroke Prevention. Danny addresses us all, explicitly. How to avoid having a Stroke in the first place – yes, it can be done. Don’t ignore worrying aspects of your health. Danny ignored the signs of elevated temperature, cold sweats and shaking – had he gone for a medical checkup then, undoubtedly, his doctor would have spotted the likelihood of trouble on the way.

And if you’ve already had a Stroke, Danny talks about the importance of staying active. Listen to your Physical Therapist – we all cringe at that phrase use it, or lose it, but it really is a fact. Keep yourself busy, and if you’ve had a Stroke, the same applies. You must work at regaining, and maintaining your mobility.

And this second book in the series is for caregivers, too. The table of contents reads like a manual on Strokes – and that’s exactly what it is. Be vigilant; be aware. This book, like the first, is a valuable resource.

And so we come to this third book in the Stroke Hope series. Stroke Hope Stroke Recovery. In his preface, Danny tells of how he had wished that there had been such a book – when he had his massive Stroke in 2006. Danny Jones’ Stroke Trilogy is that book.

So what delights are in store for those of us who will have a Stroke?

What do you know about Aphasia? Not a lot, I bet – I didn’t know about it either. Aphasia is caused by a brain injury to the left hand side of the brain – it’s in the area that controls the processing, production and understanding of speech and language. If you have Aphasia after a Stroke, you are going to have to go through an intensive relearning process. You’ll have to relearn everything you once knew, and took for granted, about speech; from understanding about tone and context – how to understand if someone is angry, happy, making a joke. And you’ll have to learn, once again, how to say the sounds to make words. Where to place your tongue in your mouth – the shape you have to make with your lips, how you move your jaw.

How about driving – getting behind the wheel again? We are all motorized these days. Our cars are essential to our lifestyles and it is an important part of our post Stroke recovery plan to recognise that we may not be safe to be on the road. This happened to Danny, and after one road traffic accident that could have been a whole lot worse, he had to make the decision that he really was not fit to get behind the wheel. The Stroke affected Danny’s vision – looking straight ahead is fine for him – 20 X 20 in fact. It’s Danny’s peripheral vision that is the problem.

You may lose the ability to judge space and time – your reaction time may be off kilter. Your decision timing might be flawed. When, behind the wheel of goodness knows how many pounds of metal, you need to have an absolute knowledge of what is going on around your vehicle at every moment in time. Your decision about whether you are fit to drive has to come from you – be honest with yourself.

Keep in touch with your health – you don’t have to become a hypochondriac, but there are some regular health check-ups which need to be carried out in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and check for signs of stroke symptoms. Some of these preventive measures are controlling smoking habits, checking blood pressures, controlling alcohol consumption, keeping the cholesterol in check, regular exercises, not getting depressed and controlling diabetes or any other diseases.

To sum up the overall theme of Danny Jones’ remarkable trilogy, I think that Danny is talking about allowing yourself time to heal. Work with, embrace what has happened to you – you may not agree with every word that Danny has written, but there is real wisdom here. He leads you to the practical help that you are entitled to. The emotional help that such a drastic, shattering change in body image can bring and the sort of physical guidance that you will need to regain your strength and stay healthy.

And believe it or not, having had a Stroke does not mean that your life is over. A chapter in your life may be over – a way of life may be over – it’s all going to be very different from now on – Danny Jones’ Stroke trilogy will point you in the right direction. You can, and will, learn to laugh and love life again.

Billierosie – November 11th 2014

Preface

I suffered a massive stroke in July of 2006. This book took nine years and $3 million to write. I was one of the lucky ones. I was extremely lucky to have had excellent medical insurance through my wife's union; without it I would most likely still reside in a state run facility. Instead, I was able to spend a year and a half, following my stroke, in one of the world's finest brain injury hospitals. I was also able to work with some of the best stroke recovery therapists in the country and to be directly exposed to world class cutting-edge stroke recovery therapies every day.

Now, nine years later, I feel compelled to share this vast pool of personal knowledge and experience with others who have been unfortunately thrust into a lifetime of dealing with post-stroke recovery. In this third book of the Stroke Hope series, dealing with the number