Happy World Stroke Day!

It's World Stroke Day!

Let's use this day to spread awareness about stroke and to celebrate strokies. Go on, give your favorite one a hug. It's their day too!

To everyone who I have had the pleasure of speaking/texting/meeting through unfortunate circumstance, THANK YOU! You continue to inspire me every day.

Amanda, I salute you.
Amber, I salute you.
Ava and Shana, I salute you.
Carrington, I salute you.
David, I salute you.
Elizabeth, John and Jack, I salute you.
Erin, I salute you.
Farah, I salute you.
Heidi, I salute you.
Jim, I salute you.
Jodi, I salute you.
Katie, I salute you.
Kat, I salute you.
Kiara, I salute you.
Lauren, I salute you.
Lena, I salute you.
Melissa, I salute you.
M Daniels, I salute you.
Mira WhiteGirl, I salute you.
Nicole, I salute you.
Paul, I salute you.
Rama, I salute you.
Stacy, I salute you.
Tamara, I salute you.
Tim, I salute you.

Affordable Care Act...But At What Cost?

I don't have a permanent job. I freelance. I temp. I have to pay for health insurance like so many of us. The Affordable Care Act was meant to provide QUALITY care to those in the same position as myself but it is failing. I pay over $500 a month for my coverage. For this amount, what do you think I get?
I should get a spa with my coverage. Mani pedis for free. A massage. No, for over $500 a month, I get to go to a clinic style office. I can't see my neurologist. I can't see my hematologist. I go to a clinic style office that isn't the cleanest. I see doctors who are "affiliated with ___ hospital" but I can't go to that hospital. Only two hospitals are covered in my plan. One in my borough and one in another borough where NO ONE dares go. I have to stay in the dusty musty not so clean clinic and pray I don't get sick from being in the room. I can't even see the doctor when I want. I have to wait months for an appointment to be with someone who doesn't know my history and asks more about what happened to me for selfish curiosities  than treating me.

Does this sound ok to you? Does this sound like what over $500 a month should get you or even $200 a month should get you or even ANYONE should get? Everyone has the right to clean places to be cared for. Everyone. Why is this such an issue?
My boyfriend went to see his new Primary Care doctor today. He was so excited to use his health care to be able to actually go and see a doctor and when he got there he was met with unsanitary conditions and even worse, medical waste gloves in the restroom in plain view for anyone to touch or take. What is going on here?? We're supposed to be getting better, living a healthier lifestyle but how can we when we can't even see people who will take our insurance? Hospitals like NYU are resorting to only taking corporate plans. I couldn't even see a doc there if I wanted to. Affordable Care Act participants shouldn't be made to feel like they are being swept under the rug. We pay more for insurance than people who are covered through their employment. Shouldn't we be treated like people too?

Talk About Your Medicines Month

October is The American Recall Center's "Talk About Your Medicines Month" so I thought I would tell you a little something about when I used to be on Warfarin that almost got me in serious health trouble. I got the flu in 2011. Ugh, as if recovering from a stroke wasn't enough, I had to deal with fever, chills and nausea from something that made me feel 10x worse as I was recovering. You know if you've got the flu, you don't feel like eating. Your favorite thing in the world could be sitting in front of you laced in gold and you wouldn't touch it. This was the case with me. I felt so weak and sick that I didn't even want to eat and I didn't think I was doing harm to myself. I wasn't eating anything with Vitamin K...but I also wasn't eating at all (aside from a cup of tea or sip of broth). I still took my Warfarin as usual but what I didn't realize was that I was actually hurting my body.
I mustered up the strength to get my blood checked as I did twice a week while I was on my thinners and the nurse came in after pricking me with wide eyes. She said my blood had become pretty much like water and asked me what I was doing. I told her about my illness and she didn't even let me finish.

"Go out and eat everything you can." she said.
"Even greens?" I asked inquisitively.

She nodded which made me the happiest and the saddest girl in the world. On the plus, I got a free pass for the first time in several months. I was able to eat anything I wanted. On the other hand, I was sick. I didn't realize that not eating was so dangerous when you were taking Warfarin. People don't talk about what happens when you're sick and you get sick with something else. How does this affect our dosage and our bodies? Thank goodness I went to the doctor when I did otherwise I could have done serious damage to my kidney and liver not to mention my heart. If you even have something as small as a cold, talk to your doctors. Tell them you don't have an appetite. Your dosage may be tweaked during that time to help you heal. Even if you think it's an insignificant change, it's better to be safe than sorry!

For information on The American Recall Center including an article on Xarelto, a medicine to prevent stroke and clots, click HERE

Magic Helps Strokies Recover?

Interesting. I'm curious to see what you guys have to say about this.
Apparently practicing magic motivates strokies to improve their memory and motor skills.

"Practising magic motivates people recovering from strokes to improve their memory and motor skills. It also helps to build confidence and fight depression, reports Lorna Stewart."-BBC

I have several problems with that quote above. First of all, do we need motivation? I'm pretty sure we all want to get back to being ourselves. Second of all improving memory...obviously ANYONE would want to improve their memory. I kind of take a bit of offense to the way this is worded but I could just be too sensitive. Form your own opinion haha.

Anyway, check out the link to the article and let me know what you think about this form of therapy. At the end of the day, whatever gets you motivated and excited without having to do frustrating exercises should be the takeaway from all this. I would do this in a sec. Improve myself AND impress my friends at the end of the day. Win win situation.

Send Some Comfort To Tiny Strokies

Ava and her Mom Shana are starting a WONDERFUL new tradition. Ava suffered a bilateral stroke in 2013 when she was less than a year old. She is continuing to make progress every day and is growing into a beautiful little lady! Mom Shana is starting a strokiversary tradition to help other tiny strokies. If you know someone who has suffered a stroke, you know how important it is to feel soft comforting fabric against the skin. Please read all about it below and pass along to others who may want to help! Let's help turn negatives into positives!
#teamava

Ava's Quilt

From Shana:

We've decided that we want to start a new tradition on Ava's strokeaversary every year and it all started with this quilt.
While we were in the ICU with Ava our nurses brought this quilt in to Ava. It was a quilt donated to the PICU by volunteers. It meant so much to us! Maybe handmade items don't mean as much to everyone but they do us. This sweet little quilt changed Ava's hospital room from a cold, scary, impersonal space to a cozy, inviting space.
That being said, we want to donate as many quilts as possible every year on January 14th, Ava's strokeaversary.
I would love it if all of you would join us! You have 3 months to whip up a little quilt of love to donate.
If you would like to join us, message me on Swim Ava Swim! and I'll give you our address to mail your quilt to.
Don't quilt? You can also help by donating to buy fabric or just mail me fabric!
I can't wait till Ava can deliver these quilts to the hospital so they may brighten someone's dark day.

You can learn all about Ava on her Facebook page Swim Ava Swim!

Some Morning Inspiration

Remember, small victories :)

"Every day is different, and some days are better than others, but no matter how challenging the day, I get up and live it."-Muhammad Ali