I have my contact info in my blog. So I
was not surprised that I recently received an email from a lady named
Grace, and this is what she said:
Hi - I like your blog, but it's hard to
read because of the "ink stain" (the wallpaper of your
blog). As a stroke
survivor, any visual distraction can be hard to deal with.
Thank you, Grace, for that comment. In an effort to
satisfy all my readers, I changed the wallpaper.
Here is what my blog looked like before:
Here is my blog now:
I chose the first wallpaper because it made me feel like I was a columnist for the newspaper again. I chose the latter wallpaper because of Grace.
But that email gave me an idea. How many other people didn't read my blog because of the ink stain? As Grace put it, "any visual distraction can be hard to deal with."
I don't have visual distractions in that way, from wallpaper with ink stains, but right after my stroke, my friend took me to "Avatar," the 3-D movie. When we sat down, I put on the 3-D glasses that the theater provided and the movie began, but I immediately had a headache and dizziness, and took off the 3-D glasses. My headache and dizziness stopped. After about 10 minutes, I put the glasses on again, testing myself, and the headache and dizziness resumed.
I sat for over an hour putting the glasses on--and off--at first, thinking it was an anomaly, but I couldn't chalk it up to a mere coincidence. The headache and dizziness always returned when I watched the film with the glasses. Eventually, I closed my eyes for the rest of the lengthy movie and listened, but I missed much in the high-action film. But at least, the headache and dizziness didn't return. The stroke, somehow, was the reason, disabling indeed.
I received another email recently that said: "I have no filters on what I'm saying. I always say something hurtful." The email was signed Anonymous and I won't reveal the address, but it looked ordinary enough,
like joe@yahoo.com. (Sorry, "joe," if you're reading this post). So back to Anonymous. I have that problem, too. If people brush too close to me in a store, I'll say, "Ex-CUSE ME!" Anyway, it's very displeasing to me, and to the person, if they even heard me.
Are stroke survivors having these problems? The question is rhetorical. Of course they are about 800,000 strokes a year worldwide. They may be not having the exact stroke "side effects" I just mentioned, depending on the extent of brain damage and where the damage occurred, but trust me. Hardly anyone gets a stroke and comes away unscathed. So Grace and Anonymous, and to all the other stroke survivors out there, onward and upward. Like I say in the description to my blog, I have two options: live with the stroke or... well, you know the alternative.
But that email gave me an idea. How many other people didn't read my blog because of the ink stain? As Grace put it, "any visual distraction can be hard to deal with."
I don't have visual distractions in that way, from wallpaper with ink stains, but right after my stroke, my friend took me to "Avatar," the 3-D movie. When we sat down, I put on the 3-D glasses that the theater provided and the movie began, but I immediately had a headache and dizziness, and took off the 3-D glasses. My headache and dizziness stopped. After about 10 minutes, I put the glasses on again, testing myself, and the headache and dizziness resumed.
I sat for over an hour putting the glasses on--and off--at first, thinking it was an anomaly, but I couldn't chalk it up to a mere coincidence. The headache and dizziness always returned when I watched the film with the glasses. Eventually, I closed my eyes for the rest of the lengthy movie and listened, but I missed much in the high-action film. But at least, the headache and dizziness didn't return. The stroke, somehow, was the reason, disabling indeed.
I received another email recently that said: "I have no filters on what I'm saying. I always say something hurtful." The email was signed Anonymous and I won't reveal the address, but it looked ordinary enough,
Are stroke survivors having these problems? The question is rhetorical. Of course they are about 800,000 strokes a year worldwide. They may be not having the exact stroke "side effects" I just mentioned, depending on the extent of brain damage and where the damage occurred, but trust me. Hardly anyone gets a stroke and comes away unscathed. So Grace and Anonymous, and to all the other stroke survivors out there, onward and upward. Like I say in the description to my blog, I have two options: live with the stroke or... well, you know the alternative.
Thank you so much for the change!
ReplyDeleteThank YOU so much for telling me.
ReplyDeleteA quibble, the 800,000 is US strokes, around 15 million a year worldwide, with 11 million survivors.
ReplyDeleteI had mine exactly one month before yours...March 8, 2009. I was 35, and just informed that J&J was laying me off in 7 months. I actually had to return after 6 months or my severance could have been affected...I propped my head up on my desk for 3 weeks until the layoff, nobody would even talk to me except two or three people (one being my mother)...it was strange. And it's been quite a journey since, so I understand what you have gone through!
ReplyDeleteI had mine exactly one month before yours...March 8, 2009. I was 35, and just informed that J&J was laying me off in 7 months. I actually had to return after 6 months or my severance could have been affected...I propped my head up on my desk for 3 weeks until the layoff, nobody would even talk to me except two or three people (one being my mother)...it was strange. And it's been quite a journey since, so I understand what you have gone through!
ReplyDeleteLike Grace I have a similar problem with any distractions. I personally prefer a soft white. I can only be on the internet so long, so please don't change again for me. I have turned the brightness and the white on my TV as low as possible. There are little things that do help, for instance I bought a keyboard with large letters.
ReplyDeleteI too find brightness a problem, so low light on iPad and phone really do help - although driving at night in the dark is really tough. I struggle with tiredness and then trying to stop my mouth going into overdrive at these times. But we are here to tell the tale which is a plus
ReplyDeleteScotland x