Stroke Survivor Blog

Spontaneous grief can come at unexpected times when something triggers a memory. A fellow caregiver told me that in putting away the Christmas ornaments today, she decided to rearrange the large storage closet that holds their clothes as well as seasonal stuff.  Shoved in the back of the closet, she came across a stack of [...]

Sexual intimacy after stroke is challenging for many stroke survivors and their spouses. They miss the closeness of making love the way they enjoyed pre-stroke. Most husbands feel like they have failed as lovers if they can’t meet the sexual needs of their wives. This attacks at the very core of their self-esteem and worth. [...]

Steve often mentioned that it would be nice to have a lap tray for his electric wheelchair…something he could use to write on or as a table to eat off of. When I did a search for wheelchair lap trays, the only reasonable ones I could find were for manual wheelchairs, but nothing suitable for [...]

Caregiver grief is not something we often talk about. Usually the focus is on the stroke survivor and what they have lost. But consider the caregiver who has given up their life to care for a loved one. They may feel it’s selfish to grieve the life they once had and the freedom they once [...]

In the last year I have not written as many posts on this blog as I did before, because I was determined to write only things that would give hope and encouragement. And to be honest with you, Steve’s condition was regressing and there wasn’t much positive or uplifting news to share, so I said [...]

House repairs and maintenance are things that my husband used to do before he had his stroke in February 2008. As a former home builder, Steve always did a fantastic job of maintaining our home. He designed it and built it in 1978, and knew how to fix anything that went wrong. But since his [...]

Mobility has become increasingly more difficult for Steve because of swelling and leg pain. As a result, he doesn’t get enough exercise, so it’s getting harder for him to walk. We have a recumbent bike but he can only pedal on it for about 3-5 minutes before getting worn out, so he doesn’t like it. [...]