I feel so sorry for those of you who had a stroke in 2020. Back in 2015 we got some follow up. Nowhere near enough, but it was something.
covid has, exactly what you say,messed everything up.
I have several mantras. Two of which say:
no two strokes are the same.
no one can make us better, we have to do that ourselves.
My cat is Sooty Oscarthemagnificent. He adopted us in September 2017. We havent had any previous pets. I am besoted with my cat. He came as a mangy, hungry and cold fellow. He is big and i think he is really a small puma. His teeth and claws are frighteningly big. But he is gentle with us. He sits on my lap most days, quite a balancing act. He is nocturnal. And is waiting on our doorstep at daybreak each morning. He knows he is the boss and he humours his human slaves. He has been marvellous company when we are on our own. And during my eleven days in hospital, he was fantastic to Rosemary. I have been converted to a right animal lover. If you read the monthly "your cat" he is the back page article in October 2019.
Well I don't know about where you live but it has been glorious sunshine since I got up this morning. Walking was a joy although the sun was in my eyes for part of the walk!!!! I am not going to complain; it won't be long before we are in the clutches of winter and missing the sun.
I hope you have manage a walk today.
I think your mantras are spot on. I have already started planning my walking for after my op. I expect I will hve to start all over again, but I don't mind. I have done it once I can do it again!!!!
Your cat looks a fine fellow and matches his name!!! Yes Tinks is the boss here, she is curled up in front of the window with the sun streaming down on her. Woe betide me if I disturb her. She was a rescue cat and the RSPCA think she was on the streets scavenging for at lease a year before they took her in.
Most of the follow up from my stroke was done over the phone, but the ladies from the stroke association were very nice, and I know if needs be I can ring them.
I live in rural Essex. Yes Essex does have a rural part, nestling up to Constable country. Having boasted about the dry nature here, it was raining at 9am. I determined that i will walk this morning. I mean i WILL walk. So i did my other chores and checked out my rain coat. By 10am chores were done and off i went. The clouds dispersed and it was fine. About one mile. So much faster than yesterday. I will supress the aches and pains.
after yesterdays single walk, i noticed how my trunk exercises were slightly easier. Most promising. Tomorrow i will do one more mile, tuesday might be shorter because i will leave the car and walk to the hairdressers.
todays walk was quiet, less traffic as its sunday and the railway line is closed for repairs. My garden borders the line. Only four trains an hour, but it seems so quiet without them.
Thank you for encouraging my walks. Our stroke damage is initially brain only and walking allows brain rest .
Do you have any idea when your op will come along ?
Sooty stayed indoors until 4am. Now he is back again and has returned to his hideaway behind the small settee. Isnt it amazing how cats make a den anywhere ? He has a wicker basket to curl up to and is using a small pile of books for a pillow. We have carpets everywhere. I much prefer to see him but at least i know he is safe and warm. And of course he can hear his food bowls move from about a hundred yards.
another plus about walking....it has reminded me to smile.
Colin that is fabulous. Especially the bit about reminding you to smile. I think it was Spike Milligan who wrote a poem about smiling being contagious... so true yet simple. If I have encouraged you to walk, then I am deighted. And I really believe the distance covered really does not matter. It is the joy of being outside that has such a knock on effect!
I did my usual walk in the sunshine this morning (I live in Tennyson country). It was simply a joy to be alive! and with putting the clocks back I was walking really early; boots on and walking by 7am.
My op is the week before Christmas and I should be home in time for Christmas eve, all things being equal! I just need to keep out of everyone's way until then. Don't want to catch Covid and run the risk of the op being put off!!!!
Sooty sounds so like Tinks. A beautiful basket, yet seeps anywhere but!!!!! She was asleep in front of the log burner but I think it proved to be a tad too warm. Although that doesn't usually put her off. She often sleeps in the greenhouse in the height of summer ha ha
Back in the days after stroke, i noted how much improvement I felt if i smiled. Natural smile, fake smile, forced smile, false smIle or whatever, they all made me feel better. I have since read that smiles tell the brain all is well so the brain then spreads the joy.
Yes, i must go steady. It is so hard to restrain myself. I might drive to the other end of the village then walk from there. I live at the western edge of the village and the railway cant be crossed until i walk the half mile to the station. The best walks are to the South, from the centre.
i do potter in the garden six days of the week.
you have reminded me about surviving a stroke. How i would think 'i have survived' . It was a close run thing.
it is such early days for you. Your sight is compromised, which is something i avoided. Counted my blessings.
i am impressed with your ability to be up and out by 7am. I do well to make it by 9am. I have a list of essential routines, pinned on the wall of my study.
i am walking in street shoes. My hiking boots have shrunk, ha ha, when i have done twenty walks i will consider some boots. My shoes are all Hotter shoes,with the insoles removed and replaced with orthotics. Its not cheap in stroke recovery ! And Hotters retail shop has closed. Does anything last.
Sooty is still nocturnal. He has an impressive fur coat. He doesnt go for the warmest spots. Last night he applied for an entrance pass at 10.30pm and he is still indoors now. He has the run of the bungalow, after all it is his house and we are just tenants. Or staff.
just two more routine chores then its walkies. Day three.
Lovely to read your story I am in total agreement that a good walk is the best medicine. I had to learn to walk again after my stroke - it was a struggle and I appreciate every step I take and just being outside and seeing different things is so good keeping the brain active. You are a true superstar the amount you are walking is an inspiration to everyone.
Yes smiles are amazing and they really do make you feel better.
I think being positive is also good. Acknowledging your survival and being grateful for it is a positive reaction and I think that in itself makes you feel good. I remind myself every day how lucky I am despite my poor sight.
Don't be impressed by my early rising! Getting up early is just one of my habits. I like to get stuff done in a morning and especially love to walk early. I am not usually up this late, but the change in clocks has knocked me a bit off kilter!!! I also don't have routine tasks which take up time. I am afraid I had 40 years of being governed by bells so when I retired from teaching I was determined to be a little less structured. Everyone has a way of living that suits them and their situation.
It's funny how everyone is different. I couldn't walk without my boots. I bought this pair for a walking holiday I went on to Mull January 2019. I am pretty hard on boots and have had many pairs since I got into walking in the 70s. I've always had a winter and summer pair but invariably prefer my heavier winter ones.
But hey Day 3 of walking ???? That is tremendous. I got a tad wet today as I had made the schoolgirl error of not taking a waterproof and it started raining after I had walked a mile. But my walk was still great and I so enjoy them. I think being out in the countryside just lifts my spirits.
Right I must go to bed otherwise I shall not get up in time to walk!!!
Yes indeed, i have done a modest walk for three days in a row. All because of your positive and cheery post.
day three was good. Rosemary came too. And we discovered that our railway station building , having been derelict for thirty years, is being rebuilt as tea rooms and craft centre. The guys doing the work have just arrived on site. And then we met neighbours from the new bungalows. I had better slow down or all this excitement will floor me.
day four will be walkies. I am getting a hair cut so i will walk to and fro. I have driven the past few times.
I do hope lots of fellow SS are reading your words. By walking, many other joints and muscles are getting in to action. It is as though my brain has lifted its sights above a parapet and decided it must join in.
About eight million years ago, when i was young, i would only do walks using my hiking boots. They cost a lot and were heavy and not that comfortable. I shall buy a modern pair, boots have come a long way. Might have to wait for corona to pass, but i will get something somehow.
Hi Colin, you know how I like to put in my sticky beak ... my husband has tried lots of walking boots over the years, and he finds Timberland the most comfortable. You may need to spend some time getting the sizing right, he usually takes a UK 11, European 45, but often in Timberland he has a 46, but once you've fathomed out the sizing you can order with confidence!! He never pays full price, only buys them in the sale or Outlet, which is year-round and not restricted to specific seasons. They're usually good quality and he swears by them! Good luck. I've walked down to our village mobile Post Office this morning, (and got caught in a shower for good measure ?☔️). Doubt I'll manage a second walk today, especially now that the woodburner is alight, why would I venture out ?
If you didnt have glue on you beak then this forum would be a less happy place.
I think size 11 would be good for me if I put both feet in one boot.
Now I thought I was in Essex and you were up in the posh parts of East Anglia. So how come he searches for reduced price ?? Isnt that a speciality in rural Essex.
Not sure if Timberland have removable insoles to accommodate orthotics, I know that Hotter shoes have this facility. I had a couple of pairs of Timberland walking boots, but I'm very hard on footwear and just massacre everything I wear ?. My Hotter walking shoes are still going strong after about 4 years, and they sometimes get used in the garden too if I can't be bothered to get my wellies on!
If you look online and put Timberland outlet into your browser it will take you straight to the reduced items. Happy hunting and happy hiking!!
??♂️???♂️? (why can't emojis be made to scale!! wowza, giant boots ?)
footwear that is not Hotter, i still slide the orthotics in and often its fine. Including welly boots. I just like Hotter and know what to buy in their range. Some hotter shoes do not have removable soles.
I am so ignorant on shopping. I think i probably want hiking shoes and i didnt grasp thats different from hiking boots. I wish i could have my brain back from pre stroke. At least that old model worked.
Hi, I had my sroke in June '19, as you say, I was one of the lucky ones. I admire you now walking up to 8 miles a day. I can only manage 1 1/2 miles at most. Any more, I cant do much the following day.
Am just grateful I am still able to get outside in the fresh air, albeit with a stick, but at least its excercise.