StrokeSurvivorBlog

He is making steady progress in his stroke recovery and doing things he didn’t think possible.Today in physical therapy they had him kneel on a mat and then raise his right knee so he was balancing on his right foot and left knee.  It took 3 therapists to steady him for the kneeling maneuver and it completely exhausted him, but he did it. They said the knee therapy is the most difficult for a stroke survivor to perfect.

He is learning how to roll over from his left side to his right side and push himself up in a sitting position. His affected arm weighs about 25 lbs. so he must pull his arm over his chest otherwise it will weigh him down and make it more difficult to move.

He can do almost all his transfers from a sitting to standing position by himself with very little assistance, but we are always there with our hand on his gait belt to catch him if he gets off balance. Before, we had to pull him up, but now he can push himself up using his right arm.

The new ankle foot orthotic (AFO) has helped so much for all the walking maneuvers because it’s lightweight enough for him to lift his hip to swing his foot into position. The new thing he must learn to do is to lift his left knee to move his leg instead of lifting the hip. It’s amazing how heavy his leg is when the brain doesn’t tell it to move.

When he was taking a shower today, he asked what was on his foot. Here it was the water from the shower head spraying his foot. This indicates a stronger sensation of the nerves.

I know this all sounds so minor and sometimes Steve thinks these are just insignificant improvements. But all these little things are necessary for the big things to occur in stroke rehabilitation.

Today was his first time on a stationary bike, and as he was pedaling he had to concentrate on keeping his left knee from falling. Even though his right leg was doing the motoring, it was good for balance and the left leg muscles too.

His attitude is very good and he jokes around all the time, and sometimes he is very emotional and cries easily.

The swelling in the left leg is down but he is back on a diuretic. He’s been nibbling on some Easter candy which was probably the cause of the swelling.

The right brain stroke has affected his bladder somewhat, so he is still dependent upon someone helping him with all toileting needs. And sometimes he can’t function when he has the urge to do so.

Steve’s breathing is sometimes very labored…almost asthma-like, and we’ve been told that the stroke could have affected his lungs.

He’s been have reoccurring headaches which are relieved with pain medication, but as soon as it wears off, he needs more. This has been going on for about a week now, and we’re not sure what’s causing them.

It’s been very quiet in rehab because there are only 4 patients on the whole floor. That will change very quickly with more knee surgery patients coming in this week. But during this slow time the therapists have a lot of extra time to spend with Steve and they are making the most of this additional week he has there.

“All things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

Other Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for the healing of the right brain connection to the nerves on the left side of his body.

2. Pray for the healing of all incontinence.

3. Pray for his lungs to become strong and work properly so he can breathe easier.

4. Pray for healing of the source of his headaches

5. Pray that he will be continually filled with encouragement, grace and peace

6. Pray that his body and mindset will be strengthened to do the “impossible” maneuvers

7. Please pray that my family and I will continue to be filled with strength, grace and peace to do what needs to be done to help Steve in his recovery.

Thank you again for all your prayers, calls, cards, visits and encouragement. They mean so much to us and we feel so blessed by the outpouring of love we have received. I pray that you will receive a hundred-fold what you have given to us.