StrokeSurvivorBlog

A lighted cane has given Steve peace of mind when he has to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Sometimes he’d stay up late and have to walk upstairs unassisted. When he got to the bedroom, he didn’t want turn on the bedroom light and wake me up, so he struggled by himself in the [...]

Finding the right doctor may take perseverance and patience, but don’t give up. After months of going to numerous doctors, we finally found two who have the knowledge, expertise and personality that we were looking for. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief that we have a team of health-care professionals who truly desire to increase Steve’s longevity and quality [...]

Walkie talkies (or two-way radio) provide a way to communicate with one another while still giving you your “space”. We use them everyday around the house when I’m upstairs and Steve is down, or if I’m inside and he’s out. We take our Midland walkie talkies grocery shopping so Steve can ride a scooter and check out the store [...]

In the hour-long appointment we had with Steve’s new cardiologist, Dr. Rider, he addressed each one of Steve’s heart health issues, which included peripheral artery disease (PAD), coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure (CHF), and atrial fibrillation. He recommended that Steve take a stress test to determine the condition of his heart right now. He hasn’t had a stress test since 2000, [...]

Last Friday we met with Steve’s new cardiologist, Dr. James Rider, who was highly recommended by our new internist, Dr. Ed Bongiorno. I can’t stress to you enough how important it is to find the right doctor that you feel comfortable with. Even though Steve has been seen by at least 20-25 different doctors since his stroke, we did not [...]

When Steve had his stroke in February 2008, I was warned by other caregivers and many health care professionals to take care of myself or I would get worn out. What good would I be to Steve in that condition? Dozens of friends and family offered their help to give me respite by saying, “If [...]

The right adaptive furniture can make living at home a little easier, and helps reduce the frustration for those who can’t use both hands to do things. For example, something as simple as reading the newspaper was very frustrating for Steve, because he couldn’t properly balance it on his lap or turn the pages without everything falling on [...]