Skip to main content

…MR STICKYFINGERS (sort of) BOWS OUT FOR A WHILE…

so glad your feeling so good now, I laughed at the chocolates you gave your physio I only mainly had the one I didnt give her anything, I just talked my daughter into naming one of her twins after her , they were boy/girls and when she said what she wanted to call the boy I asked her could I have the girl called after the Physio and she said yes ,it was three years after my stroke but we kept in touch..
hope you find out what caused your stroke, I know what caused mine damn Chemo ,finished it at 4 had stroke at 7.....keep looking after yourself.
 
...thanks for your kind words kenn... they are so appreciated... naming a child after a person that has helped you in a time of need is way better than some boxes of chocolates!... well done on that one lol!...

...and yes... it would be good to know what caused my stroke but I guess that I've just got to wait to see what they do for me next... my poor dear wife confessed to me yesterday in the car that she worries whether or not I'm okay whenever she goes out to Bingo for 3-4 hours all the time... I hate it that she has to worry about me like that all the time... it's so unfair to her... she's supposed to be there totally enjoying herself after all... I felt awful when she told me that because when she gets home the first thing that she does is call out to me to see if I answer when she walks in the back door... God love that dear wonderful lady... I am truly blessed methinks!...

...oh well... I have to look on the bright side... at least I'm still here and intend to be for a long long time ahead... lol!... I mean... what else am I to do?... keep on smiling and keep on keeping on eh?... lol!... cheers.
 
.
...I have asked my GP as to whether I can have any other sort of tests to find out the cause of my stroke and she has told me that she is going to contact my Neurologist and will get back to me with it... she did say that I may have to have a camera shoved up a vein somewhere in my groin area... (Sticky winces at the sound of that)... and then running it up to my heart to take some happy snaps of the inside of my heart... (I really hate the thought of anything happening near the love spuds... hopefully it's not shoved in quite so close to them)... I can't recall what kind of operation that it's called but apparently you're awake for it and you can actually watch the TV monitor to see inside your own heart!... bloody incredible methinks!...

To be honest Mr S. I dont think I would want to put myself through another 8 hours of something like that, even to find out the 'why'. You say you seem to have plateaued as far as exercise is concerned, I would be careful not to be doing TOO much. Sometimes its just time that heals and we can't really quicken time. If they say something will take 6 months, it will probably take 6 months or possibly longer. You might have to add the word patience to your repertoire :). You seem to have done or are doing, all the right things, to get back to what you were like before. But as I'll repeat, some things just physically take time. Its great that you are driving again, but you should also be a bit careful with how much effort you expend in the garden. This might sound contradictory to when I was encouraging you to exercise, exercise and exercise some more, during your rehab, but now that you have pretty good movement back, you dont want to overdo things and possibly risk a heart attack.

Slowly, slowly catchee monkey :) http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/75182-Slowly-slowly-catchy-monkey

Interesting to read that you now have more sensitivity on the left side, there is so much about the brain that we/they dont know about. Keep on the move, but dont overdo things. Thanks for the updates Mr S. its great to read about your journey and how you have responded to that major setback in such a positive way. Keep us in the loop please. Thanks, or Cheers :).
 
To be honest Mr S. I dont think I would want to put myself through another 8 hours of something like that, even to find out the 'why'. You say you seem to have plateaued as far as exercise is concerned, I would be careful not to be doing TOO much. Sometimes its just time that heals and we can't really quicken time. If they say something will take 6 months, it will probably take 6 months or possibly longer. You might have to add the word patience to your repertoire :). You seem to have done or are doing, all the right things, to get back to what you were like before. But as I'll repeat, some things just physically take time. Its great that you are driving again, but you should also be a bit careful with how much effort you expend in the garden. This might sound contradictory to when I was encouraging you to exercise, exercise and exercise some more, during your rehab, but now that you have pretty good movement back, you dont want to overdo things and possibly risk a heart attack.

Slowly, slowly catchee monkey :) http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/75182-Slowly-slowly-catchy-monkey

Interesting to read that you now have more sensitivity on the left side, there is so much about the brain that we/they dont know about. Keep on the move, but dont overdo things. Thanks for the updates Mr S. its great to read about your journey and how you have responded to that major setback in such a positive way. Keep us in the loop please. Thanks, or Cheers :).


...haha!... me adding the word 'patience' to my repertoire... if only I was a gifted enough person to say that I could do that!... my trouble tedfthis my good friend is that I've been a 'fidgit-arse' my whole life... it's very rarely that I can sit down and do nothing whatsoever lol!... the only time that I can do that is when I do my artwork etc... but since the stroke I have slowed down immensely under Doctors orders to be honest but yet even still my sweet darling wife keeps on telling me to take things easier when I'm trying to do too much in one day out in the garden for instance lol!...

...you are so right about the length of time to recover though... it is going to take a quite a few months to regain my muscle strength etc... I can see that so clearly now... I've just got to accept that as you say... that left hand and left foot super sensitivity of mine is a mind baffling little thing for sure but as you are saying... the mind is a mysterious thing isn't it?...

...that link was very interesting by the way lol!... anyhow my friend... thanks for posting and I will keep you informed on any new developments in my recovery for sure... cheers.
 
I'm OK on the patience front, whereas I never used to have any, when I was younger, perhaps we do mellow with age. The word I have the biggest problem with now, is "moderation", especially where sugar/lollies/biscuits/cakes etc are concerned. I can't understand people who can eat a couple of Tim Tams, they sell them in packets of 9, 10 or 11 for a reason :). I can't eat 2, or I eat the whole packet, so I have to eat none, or the lot. I'm kind of an all or nothing person. If I buy a large double-decker lamington sponge, I eat it all in one night, which makes keeping my weight in check, hard work, so its easier just not to buy them, because I know if I buy them, I'm buying them to eat.

I'm glad you are listening to she who must be obeyed, I used to love Rumpole of the Bailey :).
 
...I'm soooooo happy at the moment!!!!... this morning I was doing my usual exercises with my left arm/hand/wrist and fingers exercises whereas I am supposed try and straighten my left elbow and hold my hand out in the 'halt' position like this...

hand 1.jpg ...and move it to this position...hand 2.jpg...by rotating my wrist to the left...



...I've FINALLY managed to fully straighten my elbow out completely!!!!... I've finally managed to hold my arm out fully straight while holding my hand in the 'halt' position... I'm so bloody stoked!... they gave me that exercise to do on the second day of my stroke going back close to 4 months ago and told me that it was very important that I achieve that goal... that means that apart from achieving full muscle strength in that left arm I am almost achieving full recovery of that arm... unfortunately... from the 'halt' position with my hand as illustrated above I can only turn my hand to about a 45 degree angle and can't rotate it around to a fully 'open palm' position like below yet...
hands.jpg


...this is a great goal that I set myself from day dot and I finally achieved it... I'm so damn proud of myself!... I can't wait to see my Physio Doctor in a few weeks... I've tried to get it to that stage before I have to go to her and I managed it a few weeks earlier than planned lol!...persistence sure pays off doesn't it?... repetition repetition repetition repetition saves the day eh?... now all I've got to do is keep trying to turn that wrist until I reach the 'open palms' position and I'll be totally stoked...

...I'm still trying to master the walk with my left leg and foot but that is proving so much more difficult... it's more to do with precision of movement more so that repetition because each step is basically different with different terrains and surfaces... (before my stroke I had never once thought about the mechanics of simply being able to walk)...

...anyhow... as I say... I am so happy today... I know that it's not groundbreaking news in effect but it is at least a milestone for me... and I will still keep trying to flex that wrist until I can do it... (especially before I see that Doctor in a few weeks lol!)...but I really still do need to put more effort to bring my leg and foot up to speed too lol!... time heals as they say... well... that's my update for today... *happy happy joy joy!... happy happy joy!**... cheers.:joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::biggrin:
 
I'm OK on the patience front, whereas I never used to have any, when I was younger, perhaps we do mellow with age. The word I have the biggest problem with now, is "moderation", especially where sugar/lollies/biscuits/cakes etc are concerned. I can't understand people who can eat a couple of Tim Tams, they sell them in packets of 9, 10 or 11 for a reason :). I can't eat 2, or I eat the whole packet, so I have to eat none, or the lot. I'm kind of an all or nothing person. If I buy a large double-decker lamington sponge, I eat it all in one night, which makes keeping my weight in check, hard work, so its easier just not to buy them, because I know if I buy them, I'm buying them to eat.

I'm glad you are listening to she who must be obeyed, I used to love Rumpole of the Bailey :).


...haha!... Rumpole of the Bailey... what a great show lol!... yes tedfthis... 'moderation' is sometimes harder than my hardest exercises lol!... but don't worry... my sweet darling wife keeps me in check everyday when it comes my intake of foods and drink... I'm happy with that though... it keeps me honest lol!... cheers.
 
Wow Mr S! great strides today ... and the operative word for you is ... YET! because with all the huge effort and well-deserved successes you've had we've now come to realise - there is no stopping you :) Congratulations!!

now I expect Mrs S is probably getting tired of youputting your hand up

hand-1-jpg.49128


and calling halt to her shenanigans

so keep practicing that twist so you can call Halt and then invite her for the next dance ;)
hand-2-jpg.49129



(which is how I view that hand reaching out and turning - to grab her hand and lead her a merry dance! lol
 
Wow Mr S! great strides today ... and the operative word for you is ... YET! because with all the huge effort and well-deserved successes you've had we've now come to realise - there is no stopping you :) Congratulations!!

now I expect Mrs S is probably getting tired of you putting your hand up and calling halt to her shenanigans so keep practicing that twist so you can call Halt and then invite her for the next dance ;)(which is how I view that hand reaching out and turning - to grab her hand and lead her a merry dance! lol

...thanks crimmy... hahaha!... I like that 'invite her for the next dance' scenario that you put... I never thought of it like that lol!... the trouble is that I have two left feet when it comes to dancing and would probably render her a cripple by the end of it lolol!... cheers.
 
...thanks crimmy... hahaha!... I like that 'invite her for the next dance' scenario that you put... I never thought of it like that lol!... the trouble is that I have two left feet when it comes to dancing and would probably render her a cripple by the end of it lolol!... cheers.
practice makes perfect Mr S - you should know that by now ;)
 
...I'm soooooo happy at the moment!!!!... this morning I was doing my usual exercises with my left arm/hand/wrist and fingers exercises whereas I am supposed try and straighten my left elbow and hold my hand out in the 'halt' position like this...

View attachment 49128 ...and move it to this position...View attachment 49129...by rotating my wrist to the left...



...I've FINALLY managed to fully straighten my elbow out completely!!!!... I've finally managed to hold my arm out fully straight while holding my hand in the 'halt' position... I'm so bloody stoked!... they gave me that exercise to do on the second day of my stroke going back close to 4 months ago and told me that it was very important that I achieve that goal... that means that apart from achieving full muscle strength in that left arm I am almost achieving full recovery of that arm... unfortunately... from the 'halt' position with my hand as illustrated above I can only turn my hand to about a 45 degree angle and can't rotate it around to a fully 'open palm' position like below yet...
View attachment 49131


...this is a great goal that I set myself from day dot and I finally achieved it... I'm so damn proud of myself!... I can't wait to see my Physio Doctor in a few weeks... I've tried to get it to that stage before I have to go to her and I managed it a few weeks earlier than planned lol!...persistence sure pays off doesn't it?... repetition repetition repetition repetition saves the day eh?... now all I've got to do is keep trying to turn that wrist until I reach the 'open palms' position and I'll be totally stoked...

...I'm still trying to master the walk with my left leg and foot but that is proving so much more difficult... it's more to do with precision of movement more so that repetition because each step is basically different with different terrains and surfaces... (before my stroke I had never once thought about the mechanics of simply being able to walk)...

...anyhow... as I say... I am so happy today... I know that it's not groundbreaking news in effect but it is at least a milestone for me... and I will still keep trying to flex that wrist until I can do it... (especially before I see that Doctor in a few weeks lol!)...but I really still do need to put more effort to bring my leg and foot up to speed too lol!... time heals as they say... well... that's my update for today... *happy happy joy joy!... happy happy joy!**... cheers.:joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::biggrin:
I remember when you first started this thread. What a blow. And now this. CONGRATULATIONS Mr. Sticky, and thanks for sharing your story.
 
I remember when you first started this thread. What a blow. And now this. CONGRATULATIONS Mr. Sticky, and thanks for sharing your story.

...thankyou Bluefin my friend... it has become a 'story' or a 'journey' so far up until this point hasn't it?... it's quite surprising that this thread has reached 12 pages because it was only started because I thought everyone should be informed that I wouldn't be coming here for a while as a courtesy to be honest... I have been quite surprised on just how much interest that people showed to me about my stroke and recovery process...

...several people have sent me personal PM's to let me know about family members or friends that have had strokes and how it affected them... it's quite an eye-opener to see how much your stroke not only affects you but your family etc... I have been extremely humbled about the whole thing up until now...

...it's so comforting to know just how many caring and kind members that we have on this great website... I been on other websites before this whereas people would kick you while you're down and be quite cruel about it... so yeah... very humbling indeed!... thanks for your post Bluefin... it's very much appreciated... cheers.
 
...I'm soooooo happy at the moment!!!!... this morning I was doing my usual exercises with my left arm/hand/wrist and fingers exercises whereas I am supposed try and straighten my left elbow and hold my hand out in the 'halt' position like this...

...I've FINALLY managed to fully straighten my elbow out completely!!!!... I've finally managed to hold my arm out fully straight while holding my hand in the 'halt' position... I'm so bloody stoked!... they gave me that exercise to do on the second day of my stroke going back close to 4 months ago and told me that it was very important that I achieve that goal... that means that apart from achieving full muscle strength in that left arm I am almost achieving full recovery of that arm... unfortunately... from the 'halt' position with my hand as illustrated above I can only turn my hand to about a 45 degree angle and can't rotate it around to a fully 'open palm' position like below yet...

...this is a great goal that I set myself from day dot and I finally achieved it... I'm so damn proud of myself!... I can't wait to see my Physio Doctor in a few weeks... I've tried to get it to that stage before I have to go to her and I managed it a few weeks earlier than planned lol!...persistence sure pays off doesn't it?... repetition repetition repetition repetition saves the day eh?... now all I've got to do is keep trying to turn that wrist until I reach the 'open palms' position and I'll be totally stoked...

...I'm still trying to master the walk with my left leg and foot but that is proving so much more difficult... it's more to do with precision of movement more so that repetition because each step is basically different with different terrains and surfaces... (before my stroke I had never once thought about the mechanics of simply being able to walk)...

...anyhow... as I say... I am so happy today... I know that it's not groundbreaking news in effect but it is at least a milestone for me... and I will still keep trying to flex that wrist until I can do it... (especially before I see that Doctor in a few weeks lol!)...but I really still do need to put more effort to bring my leg and foot up to speed too lol!... time heals as they say... well... that's my update for today... *happy happy joy joy!... happy happy joy!**... cheers.:joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::biggrin:


Congrats Mr S. Your doctor will be gobsmacked about your progress. Do you find it harder to walk down hill, than up hill? Many years ago, in different years, I had a cartilage removed from each knee. Each time and also when I had the knee replacements, I had to literally learn how to walk again. Logic told me that walking uphill would be much harder and more painful than walking downhill, but on all occasions, I found the downhill walking, much harder. Underground coal mines are a health hazard :) in more ways than one.

Keep up the good work and 12 pages should show you how much you are appreciated and how much sharing your story and fightback from adversity has been appreciated.
 
...thankyou Bluefin my friend... it has become a 'story' or a 'journey' so far up until this point hasn't it?... it's quite surprising that this thread has reached 12 pages because it was only started because I thought everyone should be informed that I wouldn't be coming here for a while as a courtesy to be honest... I have been quite surprised on just how much interest that people showed to me about my stroke and recovery process...

...several people have sent me personal PM's to let me know about family members or friends that have had strokes and how it affected them... it's quite an eye-opener to see how much your stroke not only affects you but your family etc... I have been extremely humbled about the whole thing up until now...

...it's so comforting to know just how many caring and kind members that we have on this great website... I been on other websites before this whereas people would kick you while you're down and be quite cruel about it... so yeah... very humbling indeed!... thanks for your post Bluefin... it's very much appreciated... cheers.
You're welcome and ditto to your reply. :)
 
Congrats Mr S. Your doctor will be gobsmacked about your progress. Do you find it harder to walk down hill, than up hill? Many years ago, in different years, I had a cartilage removed from each knee. Each time and also when I had the knee replacements, I had to literally learn how to walk again. Logic told me that walking uphill would be much harder and more painful than walking downhill, but on all occasions, I found the downhill walking, much harder. Underground coal mines are a health hazard :) in more ways than one.

Keep up the good work and 12 pages should show you how much you are appreciated and how much sharing your story and fightback from adversity has been appreciated.


...hey tedfthis... I'm the same as you with the uphill/downhill thing... when my sweet darling wife and I go out anywhere we tend to hold hands when walking together... (yeah... I know... how old-fashioned... how 'girly' for a man to be doing that some people would say lol!)... but we've always done it... when I'm walking on a level surface I'm usually always in total control of my steps and try to walk as precise as I can to make myself adhere to the lessons that I have to do in order to fully recover... when I'm walking uphill I tend to 'edge' my way up it... sort of like I'm walking up a set of 2 inch high steps so to speak...

...but when I'm walking downhill it is a different matter altogether... when I walk down an incline or a set of steps I seem to have to reassess each and every step each time... I have to make a 3D calculation as to the distance that I need to step down each time... it's so annoying and I seem a tad bit nervous with each downward step because I feel like I'm going to topple over if I miscalculate even one of the steps...

...sometimes I mis-step and do a two-step sort of shuffle to retain my balance... when my darling wife and I are holding hands and I mis-step and do that double shuffle thing she quickly steadies her hand and pushes upwards with it to help me regain that temporary loss of balance God love her... it always seems that I have to take longer steps to correct myself on downhill surfaces... I guess that it's just a matter of practice until I do it with ease and naturally... but as I see it... at least I am walking and that's what counts lol!...

...I sympathise about your knee replacements tedfthis... I've been told that they are the worse and most painful operations to have so that must've been hell for you... thanks for the kind words as per usual my friend... cheers.
 
I am so happy for you @Mr Stickyfingers. What remarkable progress you have made. Like someone said there was no doubt that you would be able to get through this. :):):)

Keep being you @Mr Stickyfingers!!! I love reading your posts and I love your attitude!!! You feel the good vibes and warmth from your posts. It is infectious!!! Keep up the great work!!! :thumbsup:...cheers! ;)

...oh wow... thankyou Lucas... that's so kind of you to say that!... I don't really know what to say besides 'thankyou'... cheers.
 
...hey tedfthis... I'm the same as you with the uphill/downhill thing...

...I sympathise about your knee replacements tedfthis... I've been told that they are the worse and most painful operations to have so that must've been hell for you... thanks for the kind words as per usual my friend... cheers.

It must be a brain thing, like I said, logic told me that it ought to be harder walking uphill than downhill, but it was the other way around, a bit weird. The brain seems to still be the great unknown, about the body.

As for surgery, I think any major surgery has pain at the time. They gave me 10 Oxycontin when I left the hospital and I only ended up taking 9 of them. I dont like to take too much of that kind of stuff, I was on Tramadol for years, for the pain. I researched the knee replacements on Google and You Tube, before the operations and the fact that they basically saw your legs in half is a bit daunting :). Cut off at the knees, so to speak :). What I also found, was that a lot of people had one knee done and found it so painful, that they didnt go and get the 2nd knee done. I wanted to eliminate that option, thats why one of the 1st things I asked my surgeon was would he please do them both at the same time. Fortunately, the Gods smiled on me and he said he preferred to do both at the same time. Again, my logic was, one lot of pain, one hospital stay, one lot of inconvenience, one lot of rehab, plus I didnt have much option about the exercising, if I hadnt have done the work, I wouldnt have ever gotten mobile again. There are some brilliant surgeons out there, we truly live in the lucky country.
 
Back
Top