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

Title Help/Writing Therapy

So, I'm writing a stroke play and I can't for the life of me come up with a witty title! It's about a young woman named Darla, a strokie, one year out.

Who has a cool name? So far I have "Darla's Dream" but I know I can do better. Some play on word action, something neuron like or whatnot.
...I'm not making much sense am I?
Have you guys written anything as part of your recovery? Any strokie artists out there? I'm looking for you too! Do you have a poem, a haiku, a painting, something you would like to share? Comment and let me know. I will post it!

A Beautiful Gift...

Yesterday, I went to pick out some new frames downtown. I was trying on pair after pair squinting at the mirror since I am blind as a bat without my own when an old man walked in the store. He asked if someone could help him with his prescription. As soon as he spoke, my ears perked up. He sounded EXACTLY like my grandfather who passed away in 2001. I didn't turn around. I just listened to his voice and looked in the mirror with a pair of frames I had tried on carefully trying to make out his silhouette as best I could. He even looked like my grandfather. I kept hoping that he would keep talking and then just as quickly as he appeared, he left the store leaving a big smile on my face and a warm feeling in my chest. After 13 years, I was able to see and hear my grandfather again!

I know this isn't a stroke post but it's something that truly made my heart smile. Just a reminder that sometimes the greatest gifts can come from the unknown...

I Think I'm Ready To Share...

For those of you who don't know, I am a Playwright. I just received my MFA this past May and couldn't be happier. I started this journey post stroke never expecting that I would be part of an Inaugural Playwriting class of TWO. Sometimes I still find myself in sheer shock of how much I've learned in the past two years. I am truly grateful for getting this far and wouldn't change anything about it. I gladly take everything, the good and bad experiences, the whole package.

I've tinkered with the idea of writing a stroke play but haven't really been struck by inspiration until today. I'm pretty nervous but I'm going to face this challenge head on. I can do this. In September, I'll be applying for the EST/Sloan Project to get a grant to write this. Cross your fingers and toes for me!
This has the potential to reach a brand new audience of people and to teach others about young people and stroke.

I'm pretty excited. :)