StrokeSurvivorBlog

A homemade wheelchair ramp designed for our SUV saved us a lot of money and it works great. Last year we bought a power wheelchair for Steve, but we didn’t have a way to get it into the back of our SUV–a 2002 Ford Excursion. The rear hatch on the truck doesn’t lift up high [...]

Is it possible to get victory over disability? It’s hard to overcome the physical and emotional losses that come with stroke. Depression and discouragement are always knocking at the door, and so many stroke survivors invite them in because they feel so hopeless and useless. But we can choose to think on the negative or [...]

Steve and I recently celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary at the restaurant where we went on our first date. It brought back many memories of those early days when we were only teenagers madly in love with one another. For over forty years Steve provided a good life for me and our four daughters. He [...]

The thought of being a burden is a concern for many stroke survivors including my husband, Steve, who feels like he’s such a huge burden to me. But yet I don’t feel like he is. I have to be very careful not to show my frustration to him when things become difficult for me. Sometimes [...]

Recovering from a stroke is hard enough without the complications of congestive heart failure. Just when we thought Steve’s heart condition was under control, he started having problems with CHF again. The symptoms he’s having are: severe swelling in his legs water retention weight gain shortness of breath cough bloating in the upper stomach area, [...]

I learned by “trial and error” how to care for a stroke survivor when my husband, Steve, had a massive stroke which completely disabled him. When he was in the hospital under the care of therapists and nurses, I observed what they did. However, nothing really prepared me for the daunting responsibility of caregiving until [...]

May is Stroke Awareness Month. This is a good time to learn how bodywork can play a valuable role in helping to prevent stroke in those who are most vulnerable, and help victims recover with dignity. Of the five million stroke survivors in the United States, more than three million have some resulting disability or [...]