It's a milestone

In the past week or two, I've been walking without any pole or cane at home and at the Challenge Center.  Also, I "graduated" from one-on-one physical therapy to a group class once a week. It's a milestone in the long journey of a stroke. For those keeping score at home, I past the 500 day point.

I have a lot to be thankful for each day. As we near Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for all the PTs, OTs, and speech therapists at Alvarado Hospital who worked to strengthen and stretch my right arm, leg and noodle in the first 6 months.  I'm grateful to the Challenge Center for existing, for all the wonderful PTs that helped me with my gait and balance (with a little comic relief thrown in), and the new friends I've met there in various stages of their healing.  Most of all, Larry-sweetie for everything every day!

Artist Robert Thome at Alvarado

Robert Thome made his way around the painting class at Alvarado Hospital on Friday afternoon in his signature black gaucho hat, long dark braid and white dress shirt.

Stopping his motorized wheelchair at each student’s desk, he coached and encouraged as they created their own version of his painting of a cherry tree branch in bloom.

“That’s right,” he told one student as she added a stroke of brown to the branch taking form on her canvas. “Now start to add flowers wherever it feels right to you. This is your interpretation. Every artist has their own style.”

Robert Thome is an inspiration.  He said to just copy what you see.  I said I was a good copy artist.  He said, from there, you can paint your dreams like Salvador Dali.  Wow!

My painting is on the left and his that I'm copying from is on the right.

Lighthouse painting

My first landscape, a lighthouse, on my largest canvas, 8 x 12 inches. My aunt Deb says, "I love the SKY and the lighthouse brown streaks (which the realist in me says is rust) but it reminds me of Birch wood."

The realist in me says that first step out the door must be a doozy!

Purple Orchids

    

I painted some greeting cards on Saturday afternoon.  They were purple orchids from the latest worksheets I purchased from Laura, my instructor/teacher/mentor.

Later, I opened my mail.  We got a card from my parents for our anniversary.  Freaky!

Happy Anniversary?

June 3rd marked my one year anniversary of my stroke.  It seems weird like celebrating a person's death. Brain cells died, but then I was reborn, had to learn how to walk and talk again.  I commemorated it by selling my VW Beetle to a neighbor.

And apparently I share it with National Donut Day!

Tie a yellow ribbon

My nephew, Ryan, was deployed to Iraq on Wednesday, May 25th. Kimmy (his mother, my sister) gave me a call to let me know that he arrived in Baghdad on Friday and would fly by helicopter to the base (he's a tank mechanic).  When I talked to him last weekend, he said he was excited, nervous, and it probably wouldn't hit him until later.  He'll most likely be in Iraq for the full year.  Our little man grew up fast.   

Picture taken on July 4th, 1995

May is Stroke Awareness Month

Nancy (from Art class) is also the editor of  THE SAVVY SURVIVOR, a publication of the SDRI COMEBACKERS NEURO CLUB which meets at Alvarado Hospital in the Rehab Center.  She interviewed me for their spotlight and it was published in the May newsletter:

Madelyn doesn’t fit the profile of a person likely to have a stroke. She is 47 years old, with normal blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol. She’s athletic and a vegan. However, on June 3, 2010, in the middle of the day, Madelyn was having trouble typing and went home from work early, took a nap and was reading.  Her husband, Larry, came in and saw she was upset and couldn’t talk or stand. Her face was noticeably drooping on the right side and she couldn't answer his questions. Somehow he knew it was a stroke. He called 911 and they took her by ambulance to Alvarado Hospital. Madelyn said she remained conscious and confident that the stroke wasn’t life affecting. She laughed as she said that, acknowledging that Larry was not as confident as she was. There, she was fortunate to be treated by neurologist Sean Evans, MD. He told her that her stroke was caused by a dissection of the carotid artery, normally caused by an auto or surfing accident.  He told her that it was an unusual fluke, only happens to one person in San Diego a year, and that she was the lucky one.

At the time of her stroke, Madelyn was working two jobs:  the All Vegan store and as a real estate assistant helping three realtors. She just resigned at the All Vegan store so she could work more hours at the real estate office. The agents have had three different assistants since Madelyn’s stroke and have a new-found appreciation for how much she did.

Despite some remaining stroke effects, Madelyn is making tremendous strides in her recovery. Her stroke was a left brain stroke, which affected her right side and speech. She has expressive aphasia, sometimes not thinking of the word she wants to use. To improve her speech, she challenged herself with Dr. Seuss’ tongue twisters. She’s put together 500-piece jigsaw puzzles to work the “noodle” (mind).  Her walking has progressed from being in a wheel-chair to hemi-walker to using a walking stick. Madelyn had to relearn to write with her left hand by checking out grammar school books from the library on how to print and write cursive. While still an inpatient, Leo Madrid introduced Madelyn to Laura McCormick’s art ability class. That happened within the first three weeks after her stroke. From that day on, Laura told Madelyn that she had a natural talent—even with her left hand. The fact is that she never painted since high school. Madelyn continues to be a star pupil in after-care art sessions.

For Christmas, the class painted poinsettias on glass plates and Madelyn decided to hand paint a poinsettia on her Christmas cards. She intended to paint “a few”.  Over the month of December, “a few” turned out to be 20 hand painted cards.

Madelyn’s enthusiasm for recovery has taken her to the Challenge Center gym in La Mesa. She attends a class there that helps participants relearn balance. She enjoys the physical exercise as well as the social aspect of the Challenge Center. Another member, Pete, told her that things take time and a stroke teaches you patience.

She finds the interaction with other stroke survivors inspiring. Seeing their progress has enabled Madelyn to say “I don’t have a crystal ball, but it helps me to keep a positive attitude, to see the progress of people a few years after their strokes.” She has learned focus on the here and now. Her final thought: “Right now, I am sitting with one of my cats on my lap and life feels good.”

May Day 2011

Succulents in the "Utah" bed remind me of may poles.

Folk Art painting

This time, I went to Art class with Nancy. There were three of us, so Laura the instructor was able to give us some one-on-one.  When we didn't like how something turned out, she had some good pointers and remedies.

The pear was primed with yellow and then we could paint the edges with the one-stroke technique (two colors on one brush.)  The grapes were primed with white and I had to go over them a couple of times because the colors weren't right.  The leaves were primed with white, too, and I painted them on my first try, woo-hoo!

It's just a little bit late for Pi day, 03/14.

Laughing Unicorn

I found a rock in the backyard to use as my "gratitude rock" where every time I touch this rock, I'm going to think of something that I'm grateful for.  I looked at it and saw the image of a laughing unicorn.  It also makes me think of the last therapy session where Tiffany had me go as fast as I could on the elliptical. She said, "You're a runner. When is the last time you ran?  That's what your capable of."  I pictured myself as Secretariat and just ran and ran. Or as a laughing unicorn.

Better than ever!

My two therapists and Tiffany at the Challenge Center are tuning my walking.   I need to strengthen my left hip abductor, my lower abs, and my knee rather than locking it out (ligaments).  I have an anterior tilt to my pelvis and have to tuck it in ("hi-beams").  I'm going to walk better than ever!

Enough about therapy, lorikeets are a hoot!  Like Puffin on catnip, lorikeets have a fondness for nectar. (This photo was taken back in 2005 when my sister, niece and nephew came out to visit.)

Law of Attraction

I watched "The Secret" again.  I watched it with a friend when it first came out (2006).

You place your order with the universe: Ask
Have unwavering faith:  Believe
Feeling good puts yourself in the Frequency of what it is you are wanting, generate the feeling:  Receive

So now I'm thinking more positive thoughts.  I wrote down what I'm thankful for, what I appreciate, what I C-A-N do and what I aspire to achieve.  Adopt a attitude of gratitude.

• I will walk fast and unaided
• My balance keeps improving
• I will walk around lake Murray
• My spasticity lessens every day
• the AFO is only temporary, I won't need it
• I will eat with my right hand
• my body is capable of a lot!

I thought of another one that night:  I am brave.  I was attracting the negative "I'm afraid of" when it came to balance and my foot turning under/in.  "Brave" is better.

"Energy flows where attention goes."

Mini Roses memo clip

Laura the instructor made over 150 blocks for other painting classes that she teaches, whoa! She did a lot of sanding. The block is only an inch and a half square.  

Can you tell it's a rose? I couldn't do the third level of petals, couldn't be more detailed with the left hand. We used #6 brushes which are about 1/4-inches wide. Usually we use #12 (1/2-inch) and 3/4-inch brushes.  

The bottom picture shows more of the detail and is in better focus.

Going to UCSD to see Dr. Evans & students

Larry and I went to UCSD in La Jolla to see the students of Dr. Evans. When we arrived, there was a reserved space for us.  Larry took a picture of the sign, but sadly no others (the battery died). In the auditorium, Dr. Mark Kritchevsky, another doctor and teacher, had me sign a waiver that I agreed to having it podcasted (audio only).

The auditorium had seating for 200 and was about half full.  There were two big projection screens up front on either side, one to display his slides and the other, a close-up of the three chairs where we sat. The students were all pretty young and in their first year of Medical school. Dr. Evans said that they wouldn't be tested on anything today, a day off, woo-hoo!

There were two patients, me and an older women with a neurological ailment. We were up front in guest chairs with arms and casters. Dr. Evans introduced me first. He's a fast talker to one who has experienced a stroke.  There was only a hour to get through a lot of material.  He asked me some questions like "describe what you see" and "stand up and walk around" while he described my brace and my progress. I added that the brain needed a lot of sleep in the beginning to repair.  I do remember one question in particular.  When he asked me what was the most difficult, I said fastening my bra from behind with my non-dominate hand. He said every 16-year-old boy has the same challenge, that got a laugh. There was time for one student question which I had a little trouble with because it was long. My brain only handles short, concise questions. I think it was how Larry and I handled being asked the same questions over and over. You gotta do what the doctor asks you and sometimes, in the early days, you have good days and bad.

I traded places (Chinese fire drill) and the Doctor told the other woman's story. That was fascinating, too.  He wrapped up by saying that there was no cause for my stroke.  I was healthy with no classic risk factors: High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes. He invited students to come down for more questions. One guy who studied strokes at UCLA wanted to know symptoms leading up to the stroke. Answer: Two weeks before: Fatigued walking Josie, migraines, what I now know was a TIA two days before (he said that's consistent with a dissection). There was a psychology student sitting in on the class and she asked what doctors did to motivate me and I said it was the therapists. I only saw the physiatrist for 5 minutes just to check in, no pain. My motivation was that I wanted to get better and in the beginning I didn't know how long that would be. Being productive with my non-dominate hand (painting) helped, too.

[ This post was completed in 4 sections.  I first emailed my mom, aunt, and a friend about the morning.  I then pasted the email to this blog and described the setting in more detail and saved it.  The next day, I added the picture from Larry's camera and more descriptions like finding out Dr. Mark's name by googling UCSD's neurology department and seeing a video of him (lucky break) and more details that I remembered.  Only then did I publish it and the next day added this chronology. ]

Hummingbirds

In Art class this week, we painted birds. I chose the hummingbirds and Nancy chose to do blue birds. I just painted on wax paper (and photographed the two sheets together). I wish I could show you Nancy's blue birds. She's really talented!

I actually asked Larry to go to Michael's after the Challenge Center last week to see what they had for bird worksheets. My art teacher had a different version and she goes a lot for bargains like the canvases for 10 cents. Note to self:  it was too much to go to M's after my workout, but my brain likes to think otherwise.

A monarch butterfly in the clouds

I had Art class on Thursday last. I chose to paint on canvas (Nancy chose a keepsake box). It's about 4-inches square. I covered the canvas in light blue paint (it had to be covered because Laura picked up the canvases with decorations on them for 10 cents versus $4.00 blank).

I practiced the butterfly in white and purple paints.  When it came time to paint on the canvas, I didn't like the way it came out and painted over it TWICE.  I said I was too tired and would work on it at home.  ( I didn't sleep well the past couple of nights because my doctor upped my dose of Baclofen.  Apparently it can make you sleepy OR it can interfere with your sleep, have you sleeping lighter, as it did with me.)  

This monarch butterfly idea came about from a NPR article I read on November 22nd.  I could only remember that it was an artist's website at the bottom of the article, but not what the story was about or when.  I slept on it, turned on the computer, went to the NPR website, and did what I do for aphasia: talk it out.  It was on NPR.  There was a link at the bottom of the page.  It was animated.  There was a old guy (a young scientist, it turns out). And it just came to me that it was about people who cannot walk in a straight line.  I even got a book recommendation out of it, but I didn't remember that. The website I remembered, the extraordinary animations and drawings of Benjamin Arthur and "the billion bug highway" are at http://vocaleyes.com/benarthur/animation3.html.

My memory was not affected (right brain) and apparently I keep have to keep reminding myself of that.   

2011: The Year of Recovery

Larry is dubbing this the year of recovery. I can get behind that.

A cliché, I know, but I'm actually going to join a gym, the Challenge Center. After my stroke, I have to exercise regularly. My doctor just increased my dosage of Baclofen, so I'm optimistic that it will allow me to exercise with little pain and more mobility. Too much exercise and it's just like muscle soreness. I used to get sore in stretch class, so it's like that and I can't overdue it.

I'm actually excited to be going because they'll do an assessment with a physical therapist and I will have goals to achieve. I can't get any more specific because I don't know what is possible in what time frame. I just know it's a long process that takes patiences.