The Truth about the Plateau in Stroke Recovery

The Truth about the Plateau in Stroke Recovery

As a stroke survivor, you may have heard someone say, “You’ve reached a plateau,” or “You’re plateauing.” A plateau is high flat land, so what does it have to do with your stroke recovery?

What does a plateau have to do with stroke recovery?

Immediately after you have a stroke is when everything is at the very worst. You may be paralyzed, confused, and unable to speak. Each day you get better as your brain heals, recovering from the shock of the stroke. The progress in the first few weeks or months is often rapid— a steadily upward line on the recovery chart.

But then the slope of that line may start to grow more horizontal. The change doesn’t come as fast or as spontaneously. As that line flattens out, you’ll start to hear about a plateau in your progress. After you’ve reached it, it may feel like you’re stuck—unable to climb any higher. Therapists may start to suggest your therapy will end. Doctors might say this is the best you’ll ever be. And you know what? They might be right— if you believe them. Continue reading “The Truth about the Plateau in Stroke Recovery”

Executive Dysfunction after Brain Injury

Executive dysfunction
after brain injury

Executive dysfunction is a term for the range of cognitive, emotional and behavioural difficulties which often occur after injury to the frontal lobes of the brain. Impairment of executive functions is common after acquired brain injury and has a profound effect on many aspects of everyday life.

This page what executive functions are, why they are so important and which part of the brain is responsible for controlling them. It then provides an overview of the causes, effects, assessment and rehabilitation of executive dysfunction. Some general coping strategies are also suggested to help brain injury survivors to compensate for impairments. Continue reading “Executive Dysfunction after Brain Injury”

Left Brain was Damaged

Since my left brain was damaged it could not recognize letters, or how letters fit together to create a sound, or be able to form that word I was always trying to get out. Hemispheres of our brain process information in uniquely different ways. Both sides work together with every action we undertake. Our left brain thrives on details. It houses our language center, using words to communicate about anything and everything that happens in our lives. Our right mind interprets nonverbal language and pays more attention to the subtle cues of language, including tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. Our left brain understands the details of forming sentences and the meaning of the words we use.

www.stroke-buster.com

Rauch

Desert plain. It was a windy day, so windy it was almost violent.

“Come,” said the teacher. He was asking me to walk against the wind’s blowing. So I did.

“What is it like to walk against the wind?” he asked.

“It’s a struggle,” I replied.

“In the language of Scripture,” he said, “the word for wind is ruach. But it has another meaning; it also means the Spirit. In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit is the Holy Wind. So what happens if you walk against the wind?” Continue reading “Rauch”

Frontal Lobe Injury Long Term Effects

Frontal Lobe Brain Injury Long Term Effects.
April 28, 2016
Any serious injury to the body can have significant ant lasting effects. However, traumatic brain injuries bring with them an even more profound set of challenges. This is true because they can have an overarching effect on a person’s ability to think, communicate, and connect with the world.

Nearly two percent of the American population, as many as 5.3 million people, today are living with the permanently disabling effects of traumatic brain injury. Considering the many dangers that abound in our fast-paced environment, this relatively small percentage is a testament to the body’s built-in defenses that, in most circumstances, protect the brain. Continue reading “Frontal Lobe Injury Long Term Effects”

Speechless – 4

Throughout the next 12 hours, a nurse came to my bed, checking my vital signs and other neuro checks required every 30 minutes. It was about 2 AM, I was in the ICU.  The ICU nurses were very diligent in their efforts to make sure I had not lapsed back into a worsened state from the earlier attack on my brain.  They were extremely patient with their queries: What was my name? What was my birthday? Could I feel this prick on my right foot and arm?  Where was I?  Who was that in the chair by my bedside? And sure, I knew all the answers in my head.  The yes/no questions, I could just nod my head.  But sometimes they needed words and words were just not coming out of my mouth.  At best, my answers were garbled versions of yes and no, or one-word answers that they accepted, but it did not sound right to me.  I was physically doing better but I was speechless.  I could not move my tongue and my mouth properly, the words did not want to come out.  How in the hell was I going to communicate? Continue reading “Speechless – 4”

Brain/ Gut Connection

Author: Denise Angelle Kinsley | November 23, 2016
Did you know that the brain-gut connection is at the core of our overall well-being?

Remember that visceral “gut feeling” you had when you decided to walk down one road instead of the other? What about those butterflies in your stomach that took off before you spoke up in class for the first time? Scientists are learning that the intimate relationship between the gut and the brain is bidirectional; your brain sends butterflies to your stomach and your gut relays its state of anxiety to the brain. Continue reading “Brain/ Gut Connection”