Stroke Recovery steps
I wish I had kept a diary as Colin suggests, because that way a survivor can give new survivors a better picture of what progress in like. I’ve decided to summarise my experience as follows:
Stage 1 minimum 2 months.....realising what has happened and coming to terms with it. Inability to stand, use stroke arm or turn in bed. Fuddled head. Learning to stand and sit in a chair. Learning to wash and shave using one hand. Learning to walk using hand rails, learning to go up and down steps.
Stage 2. Post stroke support at home. Six weeks. Physio at home and exercises. Constant repetition required. Furniture walking in house (using furniture as an aid to balance). Learning to get upstairs.Walking with a frame. Experience of first visit to a supermarket (terrifying). Falls and wobbles.
Stage 3. A year. Weekly physio at hospital. Learning to walk outside with frame. Walking inside house without frame. Graduating from frame to stick for walking outside. First attempts at baking. Buying kitchen equipment to make life easier. First attempts to peel potatoes etc.,
Stage four. A year. Going to post stroke exercise class once a week. Building on skills acquired so far. Walking outside every day and trying to improve distance. Learning to get up from falls. Having first bath and getting out afterwards by myself (gave this up for showers later in the year as body getting older) Getting FES machine to assist walking.
Stage five. Two years. Going to weekly exercise classes for seniors three times a week. Pushing myself further. Classes stopped in year three due to pandemic. Regression experienced after second mild stroke so some earlier home exercises repeated. Classes due to resume May.
This is a rough indicator of my recovery timescale. Improvements will vary according to type and severity of stroke, age etc., I hope this reassures some people that you can improve and progress.