I live a life of peacefulness. I'm not rich and don't want to be. I am a Goodwill addict. And I've never accepted the stroke fully, but I'm close, getting to recognize that I am competing with myself--one more step to climb, yet another minute on the bike, an additional hour standing.
I have solitude now, but I'm not lonely. When it's quiet in my apartment, I am thinking all the time--of this blog, another book to read, another book to write. And the ten things I learned about living as a stroke survivor. Here they are:
1. I find people staring at me, like an oddity of sorts among the "normals." I used to return their stare, angry and maniacal, but now, I like myself enough to not care.
2. I'm worthwhile, making a contribution, albeit small, to society at large, by giving my knowledge about strokes to anybody who affords me the opportunity to speak. There is always a stroke group who loves to hear the stories behind a stroke survivorship.
3. I pursue my love of reading to keep my brain at optimum level. If my eyes tire and can't read the words on the page, I use audiotapes.
4. I always use the computer since I am a writer. But you don't have to be a writer to stay in touch with the world via the computer, with CNN or Google news, for example. My iPhone and my iPad do the same thing.
5. The last cry for help was the last. Having Life Alert, a direct connection to the emergency crew by pushing a button on a necklace that's always around my neck, makes me and my sons more comfortable. The cell phone, if it's charged, works the same by calling "911." (The operative word is "charged"!)
6. Most of my falls were in my kitchen. But now, I bought a used wheelchair and a new cushion that I keep in my kitchen to prevent falling--sit, retrieve, and stand.
7. I speak from the gut now to medical professionals, telling them, for example, if they missed a question on the "new patient" form or if they don't let me finish my thought, always preceded by, "With all due respect...."
8. I like to be organized to simplify my life and to accommodate all my OCD (which many stroke survivors have) tendencies. So I have a file cabinet and a desk which I bought at Goodwill for $15.
9. I set the alarm on my iPhone when I have to take medication by speaking to Siri, the intelligent personal assistant that comes with Apple products. It takes the guesswork out of remembering. I also set the alarm to keep from napping longer to avoid insomnia at night.
10. I live each day with appreciation for the love of my sons, their respective significant others, and the friends I have obtained coast-to-coast in America and around the world.
As I say in the intro to the blog, "I don't embrace the stroke -- not now, not ever -- but I accept it
because I have two options: live with the stroke or... well, you know
the alternative."
I am here, alive, and trying my damnedest to keep it that way for a long time.
Wake-up time. If you're going to have surgery in the near or distant future, please read this post.
As common, a little history first.
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| Blood clot |
Blood clots are a solemn reminder of just how fragile the human body is. Blood clots usually appear in your legs and are called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the
most common type of blood clot after surgery. They typically remain in
the legs, but can break free and begin to move through the blood stream, like to the lungs or brain, known as an embolism. I had two blood clot experiences as a stroke survivor, and with both, the hospital kept me for a week each time. You might think that doctors and nurses are obsessed by blood clots, but this event is serious business. And the obsession is valid.
Blood clots can lead to a stroke, another name for an embolism that travels to the brain. Strokes can result in long-term disabilities including slurred speech, an inability to speak, one-sided weakness, and facial drooping, for example.
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| Pulmonary embolism |
A pulmonary embolism means one clot landed up in your lungs, causing possible pain and severe shortness of breath, resulting in death for 30%.
Clots are often associated with surgery. The reason is, the person is lying still during the procedure and potentially for many hours post-surgery. (Blood clots, as mentioned in my blog, can also form when an person is motionless for long periods of time, such as during airplane ride a long car trip. http://stroketales.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2013-07-01T00:00:00-04:00&updated-max=2013-08-01T00:00:00-04:00&max-results=2)
The type of surgery you are
having can also increase the risk of having blood clots after the
procedure. If your surgery requires your arteries, veins, or tendons to be cut or
repaired, the risk of a blood clot is higher because your body works to
stop bleeding by forming clots.
The risk factors for blood clots both during and after surgery may include:
- History of Blood Clots: If you have had a blood clot in the past, your are more likely to have one in the future.
- Genetics: If your family is prone to clots, you may be, too.
- Atrial Fibrillation: Patients with an irregular heart beat have an increased risk of forming blood clots.
- Pregnancy: The chance of blood clots increase as the body makes blood clot faster in preparation for child birth.
- Cancer: Some types of cancer make blood clot more easily.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): One known side effect of HRT is the increased risk of forming blood clots.
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Prolonged
Immobility which include the time during anesthesia and recovering
- Heart Valve Issues people with replacement heart
valves or heart valve problems have a higher risk of forming clots that
can then travel to the lungs or brain.
After surgery, if you are able, get up and move during your recovery, one of the ways
to prevent blood clots. Staying well hydrated by drinking ample amounts
of water can also reduce your risk of forming clots, too.
One treatment for blood clots post surgery is heparin, a medication that is given by
injection or by IV to prevent the formation of clots, to reduce the clots that already formed, or to keep the blood clots from getting larger. Another is Coumadin, or the generic Warfarin, given to help the body remove a clot from the bloodstream.
In cases where there
is a high risk of the clot moving to the lungs or brain, especially after surgery, a device called an
inferior vena cava filter (or Greenfield Filter) may be placed, which acts like a tiny porous vessel, catching clots before they can damage the lungs or brain. A small
incision in the groin or neck is how the filter is put into
place in the inferior vena cava. But the blood clots can break off and go to your lungs or brain anyway. That is how I had a pulmonary embolism. The filter can catch all, but sometimes not everything.
So you really have to hope for the best because the cold truth is, you never know what's gonna bite you in the ass next.
