Ive been lucky really.... - My experience of surviving a stroke.

Earlier this year, I had a stroke, and my life changed dramatically. Tracy stroke survivor selfie There was a very loud whooshing sound in my ear, and my year-old I felt blessed and lucky to be alive, but I was still having some I've had two falls since I've been home, both due to being off-balance.
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Jill Bolte Taylor Neuroanatomist. Jill Bolte Taylor's website Book: TED Speaker Personal profile. Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened — and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery. Why you should listen One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor's brain exploded. My stroke of insight Posted Mar More news and ideas from Jill Bolte Taylor.

By the time the police and ambulance crew arrived, I was holding onto our bedframe for dear life. When the paramedics started taking my vitals, I attempted to explain that my eyes felt crossed, but I could hardly speak. The medic told me that my blood pressure was high and that my blood sugar was normal, when all of a sudden I started to feel my legs and arms tingle.

They were numb and very limp. I lost control of my bladder and was sweating so much that my clothes were soaked through. By the time I got from my room to the ambulance, I could not speak at all. My face was tingling, my body was limp, and I was sweating and vomiting uncontrollably. The hospital is only a minute ride from my home but I have no recollection of the journey. The next thing I remember is waking up in the [emergency room] and seeing my husband, my parents, and my brother by my side. After the initial neurological testing, the doctors told me that everything seemed to be normal.

I had no classic stroke signs, such as a drooping face. I was administered meclizine to stop the dizziness and Zofran to stop the nausea. When the doctors were looking at me, I was curled up in a ball on my left side. I had my eyes closed and was gripping onto the hospital bed.

The doctors did not think it was a stroke at first, and they told my family about 10—15 different things that it could be, the last being a stroke. This all changed a couple of hours later, when I suffered another stroke. It felt as though everything was repeating. My husband was with me, but the rest of my family had taken my son home for the day. All I could think about was the thought of losing him. The spinning and vomiting continued throughout the night, growing ever more intense till I was begging and screaming for medication to knock me out.

At that time, I remember hanging off of the bed in my husband's arms, and every time he took a breath, it made my symptoms intensify. I finally fell asleep and awoke a few hours later.


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I was told that I had experienced two strokes in the cerebellum area of my brain. This area controls balance and accounts for just 2—5 percent of strokes happening today. I had had a vertebral artery dissection with a pseudo aneurysm that caused the stroke. By this point, I'd had several evaluations and my emotions were running wild. I felt blessed and lucky to be alive, but I was still having some horrible thoughts.

Will I die tonight? Where will my son be? Will I ever get back to work? Will I have another stroke? I instantly felt that my life had taken a different turn. I panicked, wondering when the medication would wear off; I was still very off-balance and dizzy. I tried to read my phone or iPad, and I realized that my vision was not the same. My eyes were fluttering and I constantly saw spots and flashes. Ten days after the strokes had occurred, I was still in hospital. My physical symptoms included hand and leg weakness on my right side, vision issues, short-term memory loss, constant nausea, neck pain, dizziness, lack of balance, no appetite, cluttered speech, and intermittent ear ringing.

I was set to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility, but I wanted to get home to my family. My best friend is a nurse, and she very bluntly told me that if I went home, I would not thrive. This was going to be an extremely emotional decision, but I knew I had to go. I set myself the target of being released on March 24, — my husband's 50th birthday.

During my stay, I received occupational, physical, speech, and cognitive therapy for 3—4 hours per day. The Kessler Institute was amazing, but I was homesick, confused, depressed, and anxious, even though I knew that I was blessed to still be alive. While I was on the neurological therapy floor, with many others who had suffered severe brain injuries, I started to question why.

Why did I survive?

Why am I here? Why did I get this lucky? I quickly grew more depressed and now realize that I was experiencing what is sometimes referred to as survivor's guilt. I experienced right side peripheral vision loss, which was almost a blessing as I was unable to look at the many others around me suffering. I was emotionally exhausted at this point. I felt that my mind needed to heal for my body to follow.

I spent time with Reiki healing specialists and even joined tai chi classes, both of which helped my emotional state. However, my physical symptoms were not improving and I felt more alone than ever. Please have patience with my memory. Try to think of me as if my brain were in a cast.

Repeating tasks in the same sequence is a rehabilitation strategy. Coaching me, suggesting other options or asking what you can do to help may help me figure it out. Taking over and doing it for me will not be constructive and it will make me feel inadequate. It may also be an indication that I need to take a break. You may not be able to help me do something if helping requires me to frequently interrupt what I am doing to give you directives.

I work best on my own , one step at a time and at my own pace. If I repeat actions, like checking to see if the doors are locked or the stove is turned off, it may seem like I have OCD — obsessive-compulsive disorder — but I may not. It may be that I am having trouble registering what I am doing in my brain. It can also be a cue that I need to stop and rest. If I seem sensitive, it could be emotional lability as a result of the injury or it may be a reflection of the extraordinary effort it takes to do things now.

We need cheerleaders now, as we start over, just like children do when they are growing up. Please help me and encourage all efforts. I am doing the best I can. We are learning more and more about the amazing brain and there are remarkable stories about healing in the news every day. No one can know for certain what our potential is. We need Hope to be able to employ the many, many coping mechanisms, accommodations and strategies needed to navigate our new lives.

Everything single thing in our lives is extraordinarily difficult for us now. It would be easy to give up without Hope. Click here for more information about the book. Everyone is in my Prayers, I really hope that my Family will read this article, and my Prayer for everyone is that they have Understanding and Loving-Kindness around them. I am so glad that I was given a link to this website last year, I was going through tough times and still going through some tough things.

This website helped me through some really tough Life Stuff.

Lost & Found: What Brain Injury Survivors Want You to Know | BrainLine

Things are getting better, I just got to have Faith and take one day at a time sometimes one Moment at a time. I had a massive TBI 2 years ago am I still struggle with the symptoms of it: Its a struggle, and I don't know anyone near me with a TBI, so it's hard to explain to people why I struggle to recall information and have a hard time concentrating. I hope to find a group with people who are struggling to recover after a TBI, so we can support each other.

I had to start from scratch, no drive to the heart for ten minutes, etc, etc; I have just begun to learn again. I started with learning to play the piano self taught, no medical help whatsoever, just left to die. Very little appeared to stick, but since the end of July things are looking up and I have re-joined the modern world, what a mess this country is in! However studies are going very well now.

Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk

Twenty minutes french in the morning 5: Finish the day with a nice gentle stroll. Finally tune into Radio three or Classic Fm, Also not to forget two trips to Hove and Patcham for two hours singing popular songs from my era? My dad has a traumatic brain injury and I never quite understand why he's always mad. This clears it up a bit. Thank you so much. What a fantastic article my husband has a hypoxic brain injury and I can totally relate to how he must feel reading this article, thanks for sharing this.

I found this article and I love it, I have been dealing with my issues for over 3 years now and have found some of the tips that were in this article the hard way after many fights with friends and family. I wish I had found this site sooner as it would have been a tremendous help to me and my recovery process. My biggest struggle is the fact that despite what I show, I have almost no control over what happens. I used to be proactive and ready for everything that happened, I could make plans that rarely had issues.

Our Daughter has been diagnosed With autoimmune encephalitis, You will have to excuse me I've signed up for so many of these types of sites. But this is one of the best reads I have ever read thank you so much looking forward to interacting Thank you so much. To not be treated as child, stupid or incapable are also gifts. Such hurtful words are damaging, on several levels!! Find some tenderness from one human being to another.

In the big picture, that is what I truly need. Everyone is in my Prayers, I have to try to make it to group again, and keep researching ways to help for Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness. Getting momentum again after life circumstances is difficult. Got to keep moving even if it is just small things in the beginning. Just know that you are not alone. So good that there are good informative websites like this one and give as many links out as you can. My Prayer for Everyone to have Understanding and Caring around them.

Told very high probability CTE stage 3. There are only 4. Seen my father in law die from alzimers. I know people try to b encouraging by saying u look good, or ur eating today or what ever. And to some point they r right. I do but not like I used to. I avoid people and conversations at all cost. My marriage has suffered greatly. Think she takes it personally.

This note from the wife of a stroke victim will tell you the vital symptoms before it’s too late

I spend most of my time alone. I like it like that. I live on boarder of state forest and the animals have become my friends. I feed them every day. They wait for me to get up and come home from work.

'My face was tingling, my body was limp'

I love my raccoons. They come up and take food from my hands and just sit next to me and eat. One just held my hand last nite. It made me happy when not much else does.

My stroke of insight

The only good thing about this is that I told a few of my family members and we have gotten closer and spend much more time together. I hide it the best I can. I average 2 concussions a year and they just right it off to that. As long as I can compete on a high level to do so. It keeps me going. Something I look forward to. I get evaluated every off season. C what this off season brings. Idk what my point was. I guess maybe to try to reconnect with family. My husband had a very bad stroke 4 years ago, unable to use his left leg and arm couldn't walk and it also affected his brain and one eye is blind.

He is not able to walk and do things but right now he struggles with understand, trips because he doesn't lift his leg high enough and falls down a lot. I have taken care of everything for years and I am finding myself getting so frustrated with him all the time. I've confessed that to him and I know he cannot help it. I would like some advice as my emotions are getting the best of me. I no longer work and trying to stay on top of everything but I can see so much of it falls my the wayside it gets harder and harder to keep a positive attitude and keep going.

So true I suffer from both TBI and PTSD as a result of post concussion disorder, several tragedy's I struggle every day since put on social security disability, I love to work I loved to be a carpenter or did I now sit in my make shift shop trying to build bird houses. I also enjoyed working, loved my job! Would give almost anything to be back. My mind is still there. I just have a difficult time bringing it out. My 57 yr old father suffered a giant Subarachnoid Hemorrhage on Feb 11th and survived. The damage is severe and has caused cognitive and physical disabilities.

He Remains in the hospital. I am his only child, he has no spouse and the limited neuro-rehabilitation facilities have denied him access to their care. I feel that the progress he has made so far is incredible, compared to the grim prognosis I was first given. I will not give up advocating his rights and will continue to provide him with love, patience and respect throughout this journey. ABI needs more awarness and hospital staff needs to be educated on the different care needs of this population. Still needing help for my son 43,before wreak and what they called small brain bleed, has changed him,it's scary to watch my son go from loving husband and father to sometimes a stranger, his thoughts are not right, he was a hard worker now can't hold a job because he thinks people there are not who they are,says Mom I see what there doing, their trying to put spells on me,talking witchcraft and spaceships.

Please give us some kind of help, neuro doctor saying he is physio, now that's not my son. No one is helping us. My son got what the doctor said was a small brain bleed, but he isn't the same, wife can't understand she says it's all in his head,but he can't work has strange thoughts, really strange, it's scary, he isn't my son,thinking he see the same people everywhere, doesn't like to go to stores,even has his 15 yr old scared of him.

What could be going on, Can't get him help. What a great and complete article to refer to regularly. Social success is probably the hardest issue in a recovery. Hi, my son wrecked a motorcycle in He wasn't expected to live 3 days. His brain was bleeding everywhere and nothing the Drs. A lot of prayers and we have been home 2 yrs.

He has a gap where he remembers some things and not others. He doesn't remember 12 grade or graduation and is stuck at age 17 most the time but remembers working. He has a lot of anger and anxiety. Any ideas on how I help him I feel lost an alone in this and I know he's hurting.