Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

road trip - stroke rehab

I just took my last vacation days this year, use them or lose them. 4 days off to visit a friend in Utah I haven't seen for 20 years. 2.5 days driving there, 2 driving days back. The last time I did extended driving I would put my left arm at the 11 o'clock position, only possible at the start of an on ramp to the Interstate.  This turned out to be too high functioning for my ability, I had to quiet down my spastic lats, biceps and keep my spastic fingers clenched.  With tremendous concentration I could drive for 20-30 seconds at a time just using my left arm. Which lead to a different approach this time. I put my left hand at the 7 o'clock position and just let it relax there for hours, leaving a corner of my mind aware of it and feeling the sensations sending signals back. With this I could easily reach over and get the turn signal with my right hand. With more concentration I could drink my coffee. This required using a straw since tipping your head back and looking down your nose is not a good idea. 6 hours the first night, 9 hours the second day, 10 hours the 3rd day. This led to lots of mental discussions with myself ranging from discussions I need to have with the women in my life to mundane things like where is the next rest area. The return trip was more interesting, I wanted to see the Glenwood canyon on Interstate 70 in daylight in Colorado since my previous trip put me thru there at night.  Lovely scenery taking US6/191 down to I70. Started snowing all the way thru the canyon. Sun came out at the end, saw the Amtrak train snaking thru the canyon and I was hooked on taking it sometime. Started worrying when I saw these signs

All CMVs must chain up (commercial motor vehicles)

MM84

 Luckily it never changed to all vehicles. I crawled up and down the passes at 40 mph. Day 1 on the return 15.5 hours. Day 2 14 hours.

I spent lots of time figuring out how to position my left arm as straight as possible or relaxing it. I would either sit on the thumb and let the fingers dangle over the seat edge or get it in the 7 o'clock position on the steering wheel, trying to relax the bicep and lats so it doesn't pull off the wheel. If I was stopped I could wedge my arm between the seat and the door.

With 7 million survivors in the US there are probably at least 6 million of them former drivers. Your doctor and therapist should have therapies for everything I listed here with an evidence-based background. I should never be followed.

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2 comments:

  1. barbpolanDecember 13, 2012 at 10:56 AM

    As usual, you are just crazy.

    I can drive 45 minutes max on the highway before I feel too dangerous to go on - the thought of getting stuck on the side of the road (accident or breakdown) makes me very anxious.

    I don't even try to do anything w my left arm except keep it out from under the shoulder belt.

    I have a gadget my husband found online that diverts the directional control over to my right/usable side; using it is not second nature for me yet, but allows me to safely turn the directionals on/off.

    How did your mulling about women go?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oc1deanDecember 13, 2012 at 12:46 PM

      Ah women, never to be understood, I will be buying that turn signal thingy soon

      Delete

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