Life//Adventures

month

July 2011

21 posts

remors3-deactivated20110811-dea asked: I read your page in Look whilst on the plane yesterday, I had to keep myself from crying in public :-( you're so beautiful and it's really sad that something that bad happened to you. I'm really glad to hear you're getting better and I hope that continues to happen! :-) xx

dericulous asked: I'm a 34 year old young lady. i had my 1st stroke when I was 25, and it came as such a shock. But I was determined I'd get better. I learnt to walk again by he time 6 wks were up-having been told I'd never walk again-bloody doctors, always giving you te worst news possible!!!!
I wa determined to get married & have a child by the time I was 30-all of which I achieved....

bbarroso asked: Hi Beckie:
I have read "Different Strokes" "Survivor's Stories" and found yours. I am a
stroke survivor myself and though I have never posted a thing on Different Strokes
I usually read the stories.
My story began on April 9, 2005. At that time I was 52.
I was having breakfast and found that my upper lip felt numb and that I began

Something amazing just happened. I was stretching my hand out and gave it a quick massage before straightening my index finger out. When I let go I somehow managed to keep it out for about 5 seconds!! I know this might sound like nothing to you but it’s one of first times (sometimes it happens in the morning when I first wake up with every finger) I’ve had it straight without it being...

Botox party for one

Over the last few months my leg splint has really been hurting me, ive been getting really wierd pressure points on the bottom of my foot and blusters from where the splint rubs, my foot has even been twisting out of it as I’m doing my exercises/walking. After seeing my consultant he said it wasn’t the splint that was the problem it was the high tone in my calf muscle pushing my foot...

I wrote a few posts back about having the hole in my heart closed and after a meeting with the clinical team Ive decided to enter the clinical trial, I’m not sure if I want to be in the closure group or the medical group. I really want the hole closed as it would take away the major risk factor of this ever happening again (something I know I couldn’t handle) but the thought of having...

Virgin still havnt pulled their finger out and turned on our broadband so I have a heap of things to tell you about yet again, but for now go out and buy (or at least flick through) Look Magazine to read a journalists take of this blog, it’s kind of an overview of my recovery and I think they’ve handled it incredibly well, although my stroke was not caused by a bleed it was a clot (the...

I went to Eastbourne today with my friend Amy and my mum to try out the not-so-easy on the eye splint (posted below) it’s called a saeboflex and could potentially help my brain learn to release the hand. At the moment I have a reasonably good grip but have been panicking about the very little release but today i have learnt that it is the same neurological pathway that tells the muscles to...

I'm ready for my close up...

Last wednesday 2 very lovely people from Princess Productions came to see me for the day. They are hoping to produce a BBC3 series about young people who are going through something usually associated with older people, Enter me. They had contacted Different Strokes (who are seemingly determined to turn me into a celebrity) and were sent this blog. After a few phone calls with a lovely lady called...

Just to clarify, change in taste can be a side effect of stroke. I think lack of appetite is too but I’m not 100% sure but taste is to do with the braincells that die being the ones that recognise certain tastes. Lack of appetite may also be down to my tablets but again, I don’t really know all of the facts about that and currently don’t have the Internet in my flat to research...

I’ve lost my appetite again, it’s so annoying! When I first came out of hospital my taste was really strange so I didn’t like half the things I was so used to eating but it slowly got better and I was eating properly again. Now my taste is fine but I just don’t fancy ANYTHING it’s so scary because it’s so important I get all my vitamins and proteins and other...

These boots were made for walking...

I’ve managed to keep up my walking everyday so I’m really pleased with myself! the furthest I’ve gone on western road is to natwest but I know I can go further, I just need to get used to having so many people around. I’ve been to the beach a couple more times (and managed to get sunburnt every time!) which is getting easier and is further than natwest but there’s...

Yesterday for the first time since feb 27th, when I massively failed to walk to work, I left the house by myself!! I’m sure I would have done this earlier except the stairs up to my front door at the old house prevented me from getting my walking frame in and out alone. (something I plan on leaving behind as soon as I pluck up the courage to man up) it was very strange being out alone,...

As some of you may know one of the reasons the doctors think I may have had a stroke is to do with a tiny hole in my heart, this hole is needed when we are still in the womb and with the majority of us (I think about 70%) they close as we grow up. For one in seven of us they may never heal. Normally this hole will not affect your health (unless you are unlucky like me!!) I went to see my heart...

I also moved house on Sunday into an amazing new flat. It’s a 4th floor 2 bed that I’m sharing with 2 friends just outside the centre of town. It’s the perfect location for giving me motivation to get out and practice walking with the nearest shops well within my walking ability and I even managed a half hour each way walk to the beach on Tuesday which I plan to make a regular...

I have so much to write about but my mac is broke and my new flat has no Internet so phone and 3G it is! I went to see Tom founder ofthe charity ARNI on Monday. I was very nervous as having seen his website I was aware he would push me to my edge - something I wanted but none the less worried about, where was my edge? he has previously got stroke survivors who have not walked since their stroke...

I had my review meeting yesterday to assess how well I am doing at achieving my goals. Long story short I havnt acieved any of my goals yet however I am very close to being able to lose my stick indoors and can almost reach the bus stop closest to my house & would infact be able to reach it if I didn;t have to worry about walking back. As I am moving house these goals have been...

mini stroke facts.

Strokes, which are caused by a blood clot in the brain, are the third biggest killer in the UK, trailing behind only cancer and heart disease. Every day in the UK, nearly 200 people die from a stroke and thousands more are left disabled. The number of new cases each year stands at around 100,000; it costs the NHS £2.3 billion a year to treat and look after stroke victims. Read...