Getting Better or Waiting to Die?

A major hurdle for Stroke Survivors is reading, so I've started to do audio blog entries for them. It makes it easier for them to hear the information over and over again.

They can listen to the blog or download the mp3.

I know in my case while recovering, reading was so hard I would have to nap after reading just a page or two.

So I'm going to try this out and see what response I get.

The website is, www.thrivingsurvivor.com/stroke_audio_blog.html

Telling the Truth

As I continue to help Stroke Survivors and their Caregivers I started with something very basic but very nessessary, Telling the Truth to your advantage. That's the title. This advise could speed up recovery and it's good advise to the non-caregiver as well.

http://www.thrivingsurvivor.com/Caregivers.html

Stroke Books big Day

Yesterday was a big day for me. The website for my book from my publisher was up and running.
A long list of people had been waiting to read my book, “I had a Stroke, didn't like it so I got rid of it”.
E Mails started coming in from my very patient waiters and they wanted to let my know they had ordered the book. Thanks.
My number one theme in life with this book is to Motivate Stroke Survivors and their Caregivers. I have no other reason to do all this work unless I can spread the word. This link will take you there, http://www.trafford.com/07-2960
For all of you that read my book and think it will help others ( survivors and caregivers ) please spread the word and also let me know your thoughts. As always I will do my best to answer questions so let me know.
http://www.trafford.com/07-2960

5 New Videos on Stroke

I'm always happy to answer questions about Stroke Recovery since mine was so complete.  I've produced 5 new videos answering some very basis questions about recovery and I hope they've helpful.  

Some survivors have trouble reading as my father did and I most certainly did at the beginning of my stroke recovery.  Video seems like the perfect way to get information across to the survivor and also the caregiver.  They can watch it together.  

Follow the link to my new website, Thriving Survivor.

Your feedback would be very helpful.

New Website

Announcing my new website, Thriving Survivor.com  which I have just starting building.  The theme is " Motivating Stroke Survivors and their Caregivers".  Exciting will be the integration of written articles, audio, mp3 downloads and videos in each post.  This should make it easier for all to chose what best suits them.  

This is just the beginning of the new website and I'd appreciate some feedback if you have the time.

Book Update

The latest update about my book.

Remember to fill in the form to be notified.

I want to Die

 I don't get a lot of e mails with such sentiments to start my day off with but it does happen. This statement comes from a stroke survivor who's in a nursing home and is paralyzed down one side. No further details were shared so everything is speculation. Assuming anything is too dangerous so my reply would have to be based on what I know to be true, at least for myself.

Too many people take a statement like that and go on endlessly telling everyone what he or she should do in this and that case. It would be great if they were a therapist or doctor but likely their not, they have an opinion and their willing to share it. That's fine.

Years ago I learned something interesting about complaints. Their not there because the person want's to complain. Complaints are a request for more information all be it sometimes in a loud fiery voice. So I ask myself what does he really what?

Look at the statement; “I want to die.” Does he really or is that all he can think about doing in the situation he finds himself? If he could find away to get better even if it's little by little wouldn't he change “I want to die” to “I want to live”? I think so.

The request for more information was loud and clear to me. Help me get out of this situation, make my life better, worth living.

I've written him back and asked him to read over what I've written or listen to all my audios on my blog. I hope he does. They might inspire him to change his mind. I know he's requesting a copy of my book which is soon to be out. So while we all wait for revisions to be put in place we can all ask ourselves one thing, are my complaints requests for more information? If they're not complaints for complaints sake what outcome would we like to see when we get our request for more information granted? This is the thought I will leave you to think about.

Secret of Recover

I just wrote and article on stroke recovery and placed it on my website.  It comes with a down loadable audio for those who prefer to listen.  Here's the link  www.jimpettitt.com

Motivation

Things are getting exciting around home these days. My "proof" copy on my book "I had a Stroke" is being sent to me for my approval. Once I say "Yes" to the proof my publisher with set in motion the on-demand-printing and will alert bookstores world wide about it's availability.

Now you know why I'm excited.

The primary reason for writing this book is to help stroke survivors and their caregivers. With each chapter dealing with a challenge and solution I believe stroke survivors can use parts of it or all of it to move forward in their recovery. Even just the mindset I used to recover can make a huge difference.

I read a study which confirms my postive mindset so follow the link and see what the experts found.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/321/7268/1051

I had a Stroke - Book

My book is about how I took myself off the "Not expected to live" list and returned to work six months later is about to be published. To be notified when you can get your copy for yourself or your loved one follow the link and fill in the form on the first page of my website.

http://www.jimpettitt.com/

Second Good Day

What do reality game shows, the Olympics and having a stroke have in common? Also where is the loneliest place on earth? Listen in and you'll find out!

Asking Advice

A woman E Mailed me looking for advice for her mother who'd just had a stroke. Paralysis on the left side, speech problems and swallowing problems are her major challenges. In this audio I deal with her request for advice.

Just press play

A Good Plan

Starting from my fourth day of my stroke I knew I couldn't just lay around waiting for something, a miracle to happen, I had to be active. That's a good trick when your not in charge of the left side of your body.

For the full audio story, click the button below.

Good News

Good News comes in may forms, often disguised as something else. Most often we think good news comes as a surprise like walking into a room and everyone shouts out Happy Birthday. More often it comes when we reflex back and realize a trying event was good news hidden,the silver lining in a black cloud.

The full story, click the player below.

Claw Hand

Pre-Therapy for your stroke Claw Hand. No you don't have to wait around for the therapist to work on your hand muscles and avoid the Claw Hand.

The full story, click the player below.

Day Four

Day four is a great day of change for me. The most important part of Stroke Therapy is attitude. Having a good one. Sounds good but what's the "nut and bolts" to having a good attitude. Let's start off with the first tiny step.

The full story, click the player below.

Depression

Let's have some fun with depression. I'm kidding! Stroke therapy will run into it time and time again. People who have strokes and brain injuries are subject to depression and so are their caregivers. So let's not swept this under the carpet, instead let's deal with it head on.

The full story, click the player below.

Having my Stroke

Let's start at the beginning, the day I had my stroke.

The full story, click the player below.

Information Paralysis

Ever learned so much that your head hurts? Like a student who is cramming for a test. Not paying full attention to the class subject day in and day out. It's a busy, distracting life we all lead. Suddenly the test day is tomorrow and you suspect you don't have enough information stored in your brain to pass the test.

“I can't write the test till I know everything!”, you say to yourself. The crash cramming begins. It's going to be a late night filled with all the bad things to keep you studying. Coffee, cigarettes, fast food and candy to give you that sugar buzz. By morning you know everything and it's all stored somewhere in your brain.

Now comes the test and you can't find a single answer. You know you know all the right answers but there's so much information to choice from it take too long to make a decision. You end up testing and justifying all the stuff you crammed into your head before writing your answer. Too long and you fail the test. Brain freeze!

I've talked to a lot of people who know all about their loved ones stroke. They've read books and doctors notes on the net. Talked to others and their experiences to the point that they know so much they sound like doctors. Next they justify why they or their loved ones progress is so slow or nonexistent. This thinking will get them nowhere fast. Not the route I would personally choose and I didn't.

First being able to speak like a doctor don't mean you're a doctor. You ask a doctor of an opinion and you get one, you get an opinion. It's not carve into a stone tablet. My family doctor knows a lot more that I do about medicine but he doesn't know everything. That's not his job. My doctor job is to point me in the right direction and together we working on making me better.

Second start justifying how you or your loved one can start getting better despite all the known negative information you know.

Third, use HOPE. How One Progresses Eventually. H.O.P.E. So if you're reading this I know you or your loved one is getting better. Infact we all use H.O.P.E. weather we know it or not. The only difference is the speed at which we use it. Negative thoughts and justifications slow things down. Positive thoughts speed them up. Guess what, you can't get a speeding ticket for speeding up the postive thoughts!

Finally, the only way to get to a happier future is to have a happier and positive day. This Day! Have a little H.O.P.E. Give it a little tune up by resting the “all consuming” doctor knowledge running around your brain and take charge of the patient side of your life. For the “Doctor Wanabees” give yourself a better bedside manner. Give your patient a full dose of H.O.P.E. This is the quickest way to unfreeze the “Information Paralysis”.

Me and My Brain

This is my brain, can you see the stroke?

For the full audio version, click the player below.

Having a stroke is like seeing a blue screen come up on your monitor saying your computer had a critical error and apologizes for having to shut down. When you reboot nothing happens!

Most home computer users haven’t the faintest idea how to fix the problem and if it continues not to turn on they take it to the shop and have an expert fix it.

If the hard disk is fried or the board is toasty you have to spend some money on fixing it or replacing it. Unfortunately you can’t do that with your brain. You’re stuck with it for the rest of your life. One per customer and please keep the line moving.

I’ve always thought a computer is patterned after a brain. Every piece of information gets stored somewhere. We have 5 senses or ways of looking at the information with links to other already known information and how it relates back so the brain is the ultimate search engine.

This revelation gives me a lot of hope. While areas of my brain no longer work many do and might contain the information I need to get mobile and talking again. In fact get it all back.

As a kid we’re told that we only use 10% of our brain. Science just doesn’t really know what the other 90% is doing. I think those percentages have changed over the years but still a lot is unknown about the workings of the brain.

Computers with bad sectors on the hard drive can in some cases be worked around. It might be slower but it’s better that nothing at all.
This it my theory I came up with in my hospital bed between therapy sessions and sleep sessions. The life I’ve known is at a full stop so I took the opportunity to let my imagination come up with alterative ways to get better.

It dawned on me words I can’t say I can think. Words I think I can’t spell. So thought, speech and spelling for one word is in different sectors in my brain. How computer like! A work around must be possible.

A runner would say this is the point where they “ Hit the Wall “. They either give up or push through to the finish line. Finishing first is not the point. The point is finishing!

So here I am at the wall. I didn’t know I’d entered a race but I’m in it just the same. Stop or Go the decision is up to me. I can’t take the computer back to the store I'll just have to work with it and fix it.

Just to make everything a little more interesting at this point I don’t know the route or where the finish line is. All I know is when my brain and I cross that finish line I will be very happy with my recovery.

I’ll keep looking for ways of doing the seemingly impossible. Do what I know I can’t and get what I supposedly can’t reach.

Reprogramming is now in session.