Saturday News

Contents of This Week Saturday News ▶︎ November 28st / 2015

• Definition: Pediatric Stroke

Pediatric stroke is a stroke that happens in children or adolescents. Stroke affects about 6 in 100,000 children. Stroke is a leading cause of death in children in the U.S. Stroke is different in children and newborns than it is in adults. Children have hemorrhagic strokes as often as they have ischemic strokes, while adults are more likely to have ischemic strokes. Sixty percent of pediatric strokes occur in boys. Causes of stroke are also different in children than they are in adults. A longer definition comes from Wikipedia.

• Video: Pediatric Stroke

       - Helping Kids Recover from Pediatric Strokes
       - Identifying Strokes in Children with Moyamoya Disease
       - Strokes: Recognizing them in Children | Keeping Kids Healthy
       - Teen Stroke Victim Finds Voice at Children's Hospital of Michigan
       - Parents of Daughter who Suffered Pre-natal Stroke Fear Cuts to Special
            Education Threaten Children With Disabilities
      - Girl's Miracle Stroke Recovery at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
      - Samantha Para and the Boston Celtics - Helping Children's Hospital
            Boston
      - Faces of Stroke Ambassador: Bailey

• Headline Blog: Pediatric Stroke
• The Yin and the Yang of Vaccinations and Strokes
• Day 8, I Am Thankful for my Children
• DIY Medical Treatment
• Shrinkage
• FROZEN: A Message about Siblings of Critically-ill Children
• One Parent, Two Parents and Child Well-Being
• I Would Go Stark Raving Mad
• Too Much Salt Can Threaten the Young
• Welcome to the Revolution.
• The Best Therapy I Ever Had... JACK!

• Eclectic Stuff: Many articles from many Guest Bloggers about Stroke
• Blog by Nick
• Education, Education, Education (+ Anxiety)
• Bumps in the Road
• Making Cookies Can Be like Speech Therapy for Aphasia
• Incremental Improvement

• Weekly Columnists
• Musing: Pediatric Strokes - More Common Than Most People Think
• Sunday Wednesday Stroke Survival: To California, I Went
• Caregiver: Me
• Jester: Some Good Thoughts For Balance
• TED Talks - Melissa Fleming: The Story of Two Survivors
• Rick Mercer Report: Sturgeon Fishing & To-Do List
• Laid-Back Admin: No Post This Week

• Daily Comics: For Better Or For Worse, Dilbert, Mayes, Doonesbury

• Future Topics in SSTattler

     Saturday News | Future Topic
     --------------+------------------------------------------
     Dec/26/2015   | Christmas
     Dec/19/2015   | CADASIL Syndrome
     Dec/12/2015   | Stroke and Dementia
     Dec/05/2015   | Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) 

Definition: Pediatric Stroke

SSTattler was no "definition" in Saturday, October 06, 2012 Saturdays News - Pre-Natal & Kids had Stroke.  This a re-publish titled "Pediatric Stroke" with a definition by Wikipedia and links by the National Stroke Association and Health & Stroke Foundation. Unfortunately there is limiting information on paediatric stroke Wikipedia but you have to read at least Cerebral infarction, Brain schema, Intracranial hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage.

Pediatric Stroke From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pediatric stroke is a stroke that happens in children or adolescents. Stroke affects about 6 in 100,000 children. Stroke is a leading cause of death in children in the U.S.

Stroke is different in children and newborns than it is in adults. Children have hemorrhagic strokes as often as they have ischemic strokes, while adults are more likely to have ischemic strokes. Sixty percent of pediatric strokes occur in boys. Causes of stroke are also different in children than they are in adults.

Types of Strokes

Video: Pediatric Stroke

Helping Kids Recover from Pediatric Strokes

Uploaded on Sep 14, 2010

Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a brain mapping technique that's been around for 25 years, Dr. Adam Kirton of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine is taking an old technology in a new direction to treat children who've suffered a stroke at or near birth. His research is being conducted at the Alberta Children's Hospital's Pediatric TMS laboratory, the only one of it's kind in Canada.

Read the full story in our magazine.

Standard YouTube License @ UCalgaryMedicine

Headline Blog: Pediatric Stroke

Definition: Blog (noun). Add new material to or regularly update to a blog. (≃1990s: blog shortening of weblog)

The Yin and the Yang of Vaccinations and Strokes

Joyce Hoffman
The Tales of a Stroke Patient

Apr 27, 2014

Vaccines have been hurrah-ed as one of medicine's top success stories which have eliminated a host of dastardly diseases in the US. And stroke in childhood is very rare, affecting about 6 in 100,000 per year, according to the National Stroke Association. So what's the connection between vaccinations and strokes? It all comes down to the ying and the yang.

The Yin

In an article entitled “Vaccine-induced strokes on the rise among young people,” published by Natural News, Heidi Stevenson writes that vaccinations are “the elephant in the room” when it comes to a factor for so many younger people getting strokes.

In October 2007, the American Academy of Neurology published a report and found that “between the years of 1993 and 2005, the stroke rate among individuals under the age of 55 increased by more than 44 percent.” Many health professionals said lack of exercise and poor dietary habits might play a factor as well. But vaccines might contribute, too, says Stevenson, with causing seizures and strokes in the young as well.

Day 8, I Am Thankful for my Children

Diana Smith
Beyond Reality

November 8, 2015

These two happy campers are mine. I have one more that was not with us on this trip.

My daughter is probably the only person on this planet that understands me. Since I don’t have any very close friends, she is the closest thing I have to a confidant. She helps me with financial decisions, organization, and important reminders. That might seem like a lot of responsibility to put on her, but she thrives on chaos. She needs my diversion at times. I can take care of myself independently, and fix my mistakes as I go. It is nice not to make as many as I could though.

My oldest son, not pictured, is very busy this year. He has a new zip code, new wife, new job, and baby due in less than one month. He is a very truthful guy, which I admire, even if it does not serve him well. He also has the drive to take care of himself physically, which the rest of my family is not the best at.

My youngest son, as you can see, needs a little extra love and attention. He is the stereotypical moody teenager. Being that he is a guy, I have no idea how his mind works. At this phase in his life, I annoy him constantly.

I think they are the best. They are certainly my greatest accomplishment. I might not be the perfect mother, but they are perfect. I am grateful for them everyday.

See the original artticle:

Day 8, I Am Thankful for my Children

in

Beyond Reality

DIY Medical Treatment

Barb Polan
Barb's Recovery

Posted 18th June 2014

At 10, my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The inpatient pediatric endocrinology nurse who taught us about diabetes management - Lynn – was encouraging, thorough, and an excellent resource, which was just what we needed as we were overwhelmed by both the diagnosis and the treatment protocol. After three days of training us in the hospital about blood sugar and insulin activity, they sent us back out into the world to cope on our own, with graphs of insulin (Humalog, Novolog, regular, and Lantis) activity vs. time that I just couldn’t understand how to apply. She had to figure out the correct ratio of insulins, based on her blood sugar and what time she’d be eating that day, and then mix them? Lynn, you really can’t tell us exactly what to do?

One of the things Lynn emphasized is that we would always be hearing of “cures” just around the corner, and not to get too excited by them. She said that in the 20 years she’d been in endocrinology, she had heard of dozens of studies that promised fixing the islet cells in the pancreas so that pancreas transplants weren’t the only “cure” option for those with Type 1. In the case of transplants, she said, the “cure” was worse than the disease: anti-rejection treatment took a greater toll on a body than diabetes did.

Shrinkage

Grace Carpenter
My Happy Stroke

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

"Are you stylish?" asks my daughter the other day. She loves the word, even though she's shy about actually dressing up.

I was never very stylish, although I used to try. Then I got pregnant and had two kids. My body expanded, then contracted, expanded, contracted. In different ways. It's also hard to feel stylish when your clothes are often splattered with baby food, body fluids, or kids' paints. When my daughter turned three, I was hungry to change my look. I started wearing skirts, every so often. I bought some shiny ankle-length boots and I wore them two or three times. Then I had the stroke.

"I wish I could be stylish," I grumble. "It's hard to be stylish when I have to wear these stupid Velcro sneakers and my brace every day because of the stroke."

"Don't feel bad, Mommy," says my daughter, with a sympathetic pout. "It's not your fault that your brain shrank."

See the original article:

Shrinkage

in

My Happy Stroke

FROZEN: A Message about Siblings of Critically-ill Children

Juli
A Stroke of Luck

December 22, 2013

I recently saw Disney’s Frozen and I was struck by the message I found in it related to my daughter’s life. Unlike what is so often the case, this time, when I refer to my daughter, I am not referring to Alex. I am referring to Jessica. I sat in the movie theatre between Alex and Jessica. From the very start of the movie I saw Jessica in Anna. She was carefree, loving life. I saw Alex in Elsa, the protective, fun big sister. Just like Elsa, Alex was taken over by something inside her. For Alex, it was a debilitating illness leading to an awful neurologic condition and ultimately a stroke. In essence, it took Alex away from Jessica in one sweep. Jessica was kept separate from Alex’s struggles as a result of her age and the distance that separated the girls as we searched for cures for Alex. To her parents, this was our only option. We were protecting Jessica, trying to allow her life to go on as normal as possible. We even sent her on vacations with other family members while we struggled to save Alex. To Jessica, we just pushed her aside and away. We did not pull her in and make her a confidant in our battle to save Alex. All she knew was loneliness and the empty place her sister used to fill.

I continue to learn about the repercussions this had on Jessica. To Jessica, she was shut out. In a recent interview we provided for a video about Alex’s story, Jessica was asked what part she played in Alex’ recovery. Jessica didn’t know how to answer. This struck me – to me, her role was crucially important in bringing Alex back to us. To Jessica, she was still sitting on the other side of the door – locked away from her sister, from her family.

One Parent, Two Parents and Child Well-Being

Bill Yates
Brain Posts

Posted 30th March 2015

The structure of the family in the United States and other countries is changing.

This change has occurred over a relatively brief period of time. Data noted in the study I am reviewing today shows that between 1970 and 2013 in the U.S.:

• Percentage of children living with two parents dropped 24%
• Percentage of children living with a single mother increased to 23.7%
• Percentage of children living with a single father quadrupled to 4.1%
• Percentage of children living with a grandparent doubled to 6.2%

It is important to understand how these changes in the structure of family effects children across a variety of domains.

This topic is the focus of an important manuscript published in Population Health Metrics. Patrick Krueger along with four colleagues summarized data related to parental structure and child well-being using the National Health Interview Survey.

They grouped parental structure into nine parental groups. Using married couples (comprising 67% of the sample) as a reference parental unit other structural units in the study included: cohabiting non-married couples, single mother, single father, extended married couple, extended cohabiting couple, extended single mother, extended single mother and skipped generation (care by grandparent). Extended modifiers were added to parental structure when at least one grandparent was available and provided direct care activity to the child.

I Would Go Stark Raving Mad

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

February 4, 2014

My hemiplegic hand helps my sound hand do over 100 different tasks.  However, I am often slow or do a modified version of the task.  Despite my self-confidence, dozens of people have offered to do a manual task for me.  A few have even taken an object out of my hand.  Able-bodied people know it is easy for them to quickly manipulate an object -- so why should I do it if they are there?  My response when people offer to help when I do not need it is "I can do it myself, but thank you for offering."   When I say this I always make sure to smile and look them in the eye.  This is a nice way to acknowledge their good heart without embarrassing them when I reject their help.

Yet nine years after my stroke I see that this small group of insistent people will always be there.  After I use the "thank you " response I am going to try a second-tier response to more forcefully rebuff these people.  I am going to say "If I lived in a facility that took me to Wal-Mart once a week I would go stark raving mad.  Do not take away the independence that keeps me in my home."

I honestly do not know how handicapped children ever become independent adults.

See the original article:

I Would Go Stark Raving Mad

in

Home After a Stroke

Too Much Salt Can Threaten the Young

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Salt can lead to high blood pressure. Which is the leading stroke cause.

So, it's disturbing that that children consume too much salt:

▶ About two-thirds of that sodium came from prepared or ready to eat “store foods,” 13 percent from fast food, 9 percent from school cafeterias and 5 percent from other restaurants, according to the report. More than 40 percent came from 10 food categories, headed by pizza and bread and including cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, tacos and soup.

▶ “Some of these foods may not taste salty, but they are top contributors because they do have significant sodium content and children eat a lot of them,” said Dr. Ileana Arias, the deputy principal director of the CDC. “A poor diet in childhood can help lay the foundation for future health problems. And the fact that young kids and teens are consuming so much sodium these days and adopting increasingly bad dietary habits is certainly a cause for concern.”

▶ This is particularly disturbing in light of the fact that one in six children already has elevated blood pressure, a risk for high blood pressure as adults and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke, she said.

We owe children better chances in avoiding strokes and heart disease.

See the original article:

Too Much Salt Can Threaten the Young

in

Stroke of Faith

Welcome to the Revolution.

Pamela Hsieh
StrokedUP

14 April, 2010

Chicago, IL. 7 July, 2003: A healthy nineteen-year-old girl is at a work conference. She used to be a cheerleader, a volleyball player. She sprinted and hurdled in track, went to England to learn how to row. She was also active in her high school drama club. Never been sick in her life, save the stomach flu once when she was eight. She’s now on school break, the summer before her sophomore year at undergrad. She’s working, and hard, this summer so she can save up enough spending money to splurge with during her upcoming year abroad in Florence, Italy. She’s made over $1000 so far and still has two months to go.

Suddenly, she gets a headache worse than she has ever known. Unbeknownst to everyone around her (who think she’s merely dehydrated), and to her, her brain is under attack: an abrupt, massive cerebral hemorrhage has erupted within her right frontal lobe.

Why? An arteriovenous malformation — a clumpy mess of veins and artery mistakenly connected in her brain prior to her birth — never previously discovered, perhaps because she hadn’t been to the doctor since the stomach flu, has ruptured.

She is having a stroke. A stroke that wipes out every minute movement her brain has recorded and learned since her birth, from the left side of her body.

The Best Therapy I Ever Had... JACK!

Elizabeth
Thankful for Every Day!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

It's amazing how little things just all of a sudden make perfect sense. Jack is a very busy little boy and caring for him has been a bit of a challenge since... well... probably forever, but since surgery it has been a huge challenge for me to take care of him by myself. He's really heavy, busy, and has way more energy than I do.  Last Friday I had a special therapy session that involved grocery shopping with Jack and my speech therapist. She wanted to see how I could manage him and finding all the stuff on my list. Jack was on his best best behavior which made it look easier than normal but it was a success, achievement, accomplishment none the less. I got almost everything on the list and I was able to attend to Jack's needs simultaneously. I forgot to ask the checker for postage stamps... checking out is the hardest part...Jack's done by then, I have to manage the money..and a lot is going on at the end. So, I did really well and I was happy with my ability to manage multiple things at the same time. My speech therapist said that she thinks if I could manage all of what I did that she thinks I'm ready to drive... so that's a BIG deal. I still need to do the driver's evaluation and maybe a class, but being cognitively prepared to drive is a huge accomplishment. As I was thinking about it the only way I think I'm getting there is by practicing attention and multitasking constantly while watching Jack. He is an extra busy boy and that is exactly what I needed to get better. Watching him is the perfect therapy...in every way. He pushes me to my limit every day... and I WANT to rise to the occasion..so I do. At first I was too weak to lift him, so I practiced my weights a million times a day, many times even late at night when I was so tired I thought I was going to drop dead,  trying to get strong enough to lift him. Holding and lifting him was something I wanted so badly... it just HAD to happen....and it did! Jack was my personal physical therapy exercise and motivation. Also, I think reading to kids is really important and Jack loves books, so it was a perfect match to improve my tone, intonation, and prosody, by reading to him with passion. Who wouldn't strive to emote dramatically when your "therapist/sweet little boy" is hanging on every word with the excitement and glee of a two year old? I could hardly wait to read Thomas and the Great Race for the zillionth time with more excitement than any time previously. This was the best speech therapy in town! Same deal for attention and multitasking...which were huge deficits for me post stroke. Jack is always on the move...trying to get into everything and anything. Attention is a full-time requirement and no therapy would have been this demanding. Watching him has been difficult but so super rewarding in every way. Point is Jack is exactly what I needed and I feel so blessed to be his mom. So now I know why I got a wild boy...because that's exactly what I needed!!

See the original article:

The Best Therapy I Ever Had... JACK!

in

Thankful for Every Day!

Eclectic Stuff

Definition: Eclectic (noun). A person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources

Blog by Nick

November 22, 2015

Sunday

My partner, Sas, has not been very well this week and send her apologise that she will not be blogging this week. The Doctor believes that it is possible the return of the Pericarditis that affected her in 2014 and a lot of this year.

Sas has asked me to pass on her best wishes to all her friends and followers on twitter and through her blog, and assures them that she will be back soon.

See the original article:

Blog by Nick

in

Sas Freeman

Education, Education, Education (+ Anxiety)

Beth Sinfield
Beth's Story

Thursday, 19 November 2015

One of the biggest hurdles I have started to overcome is returning to education. I have forever wanted to go back to school after my stroke but was never sure if I could do it. I had changed. Not just physically but I was now dealing with emotional difficulties. I now experienced anxiety and the very thought of being around 'normal' people scared me; would they think that I was weird? That my speech is funny? Or think that I was too different?

As most of you know I had just finished my first year of A Levels; I was studying Psychology, Biology, Chemistry and English. I hadn't done too awful I guess, I had got a B, a C, D and E. Then I had my stroke and my education was put on hold... for 3 years to be exact. It was incredibly heart-breaking for me. Here I was, lying in hospital and all my friends and schoolmates were in class, studying. They probably didn't feel like it but they were the lucky ones.

Bumps in the Road

Leslie
Living After Stroke

Paul is back to share a couple more silver-lining stories. Finding the good in the bad can be a lifesaver or in Paul’s case, a trip saver! You can follow Paul’s Tiny Trailer Trip Adventures on Facebook (Tiny-Trailer-Trip-2015).

Life is full of the unexpected, finding silver linings make it easier to cope. Bump after bump, Paul always manages to find a solution to save the day and a Silver Lining to save his attitude.

I recently took a huge meandering trip around the US & Eastern Canada…solo. Sleeping in a tiny trailer (literally a twin bed in a 5×8′ box) in truck stops, rest areas and sometimes at Facebook friends’ houses!

I had two events that could easily been trip and good-attitude ending events, but through silver lining attitudes they were actually good.

Silver Lining #1

Making Cookies Can Be like Speech Therapy for Aphasia

Mark A. Ittleman
The Teaching of Talking

November 23 / 2015

My neighbor, Mike brought us some Argentine cookies yesterday after his family went shopping in a special grocery store-bakery here in Southern California.  My wife and I had one with coffee this morning.

Malka told me a story about some cookies she used to buy years ago.   The company that packaged the cookies provided a recipe.  Well, she tried to make the cookies, but found the dough to be very sticky and she was unable to form the dough into the form they needed to be in before baking.

(Alfajores De Maizena)

Apparently the butter softened and the recipe did not caution the person to put the dough back into the refrigerator.   Malka said she had to make the cookies a number of times before she thought that refrigerating the dough might be the answer.  She was right!   Moral of the story:  Often the recipe or the directions for something are correct, but you don’t always get all the “tips.”

Isn’t that like many other things we learn in life?  We can buy the best books, get the best recipes or follow the best instructional videos, and there will always be things you will have to learn just by doing.

Incremental Improvement

Marcelle Greene
Up Stroke

Friday, November 20, 2015

I don’t want my recent posts to give the impression that once Eric releases the trapped energy in a particular area of my body that it’s cured. It isn’t. The tension can build again and the adaptive habits of the past five years can reassert themselves.

When Eric works on me, I’m able to move correctly for a limited number of repetitions, but my muscles fatigue quickly because they are unaccustomed to exercise and don’t store much energy yet.  Consistent with everything else you’ve read on neuroplasticity, I have to use the muscles repeatedly in the correct way for my body to reestablish healthy muscle memory.

The benefit of my sessions with Eric is that he gives my muscles space to move. An ankle locked like a block of cement must be swung and plunked on the ground. An ankle that flexes, however, lands heel-to-toe and ready to push off for the next step, which encourages the calf muscles to work.

Weekly Columnists

Definition: Columnist |ˈkäləmnist| (noun). A blogger or a journalist contributing regularly to a blog or newspaper

Musing: Pediatric Strokes - More Common Than Most People Think

Dean Reinke
Deans' Stroke Musing

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Interesting that the split between clots and bleeders was 50-50 for children as compared to 85-15 for adults. This points to the need to a correct diagnosis  in order to determine which way treatment should go. I wonder if the sonar  or eeg would help determine the difference faster. I did like the picture of the nerve cells at the link - Pediatric strokes - more common than most people think.

HOUSTON -- (May 17, 2011) -- Strokes are not typically thought of as a childhood health issue, but Baylor College of Medicine experts warn that they do occur in children and can result in significant long-lasting effects.

"The incidence of strokes occurring in children is similar to that of pediatric brain tumors," said Dr. Lisa Nassif, assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at BCM and pediatric neurologist at Texas Children's Hospital. "The more that people become aware that strokes can in fact happen in children, the more we will be able to maximize the potential for recovery and prevent recurrent strokes."

Types and Causes

Children can experience ischemic strokes, which occur when there is blockage of blood flow in a major artery, or hemorrhagic strokes, which is caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain. These two types of strokes are equally common in children, whereas most adult strokes are ischemic.

Common risk factors for pediatric strokes include congenital heart disease and sickle cell anemia. In addition, they can be caused by clotting disorders, infection, and trauma.

Sunday Wednesday Stroke Survival: To California, I Went

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Me on the red carpet! EEK!
Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Bet y'all are ready for an update on my trip to California. It was a whirlwind trip, that's for sure.

My preparations for the trip was no less of a minor tornado of activity also. I shopped for some cooler weather clothes, arranged for the animals to be taken care of, and packed. As I was packing, it hit me that my backpack wasn't going to be big enough so I grabbed my Samsonite duffle out of my closet. Everything fit in there perfectly. The only problem was I couldn't find the shoulder strap. I fiddled with it a few times to make sure I could hold it on my shoulder and walk. It would have to do, I thought as I went to bed. I'll make it manage.

Wouldn't you know the morning of my afternoon flight, my raw spot on my AFO clad foot would break open. Yep, an open pressure sore would definitely complicate things. I went to my doctor. He cut away the dead skin and gave me the usual ointment to promote healing, deaden some of the pain, and keep infection at bay. He had standing orders for me to keep off it. I crossed my fingers behind my back as I agreed to comply. There was no way to put off the premiere or the California trip.

This bag and I have traveled the world

I got home in time to grab my purse and my duffle. It all slung on my shoulder beautifully. I put them in my car and headed to the jet port. My airport doesn't have regular long term parking. It's park where you can and it's free. Because of my handicap license plate, I got a spot right by the front door. These are the perks of living in a small town. After I parked, I went to lift my purse and bag onto my shoulder, and wouldn't you know it, I couldn't get it to stay on my shoulder. Of course, I was juggling them as I pushed the button to lock my van. I didn't get the load seated right again after numerous attempts either.

Caregiver: Me

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Folks have been asking how am I doing? And my normal response is "hanging in there", though some days I don't seem to be doing even that (hanging) to well...

This blog has turned into a "dog blog" because Kona is the only positive thing in my life at the moment.

I am still deep in an ocean of grief. Truth be told, I am not doing so well. Physically, I am visibly trembling. Often nauseous. Still vomiting some mornings. Emotionally, I am afraid -- of what? everything, it seems.  Driving is a big one. Shopping, too, has triggered huge panic attacks for me. Even afraid to write, to spill out my heart and soul. I feel so emotionally paralyzed. It's hard to describe, but some days I am afraid to even pick up the phone. And I still haven't called any of the nursing homes to schedule a visit with Kona...

Most days, I hide in the house. Keep the shades pulled down.

This is so unlike me -- the former me, who used to be so outgoing, that me seems to have disappeared into the vast beyond along with Bob. I do not recognize this person I've become.

Grief groups have come to a halt, though five us meet for lunch now, but unfortunately the talk often revolves around things like hearing aids! ha! and I feel so young compared to these other widows...

I am seeing a grief counselor, one on one, through Hospice. I'm not sure if it's helping much. She (the therapist) thinks I should see an actual psychiatrist (who can prescribe meds, etc.) so I did call around and booked an appointment, but no one has openings until January ....

I am going to ask Kona's dog trainer if there is something we can teach Kona to do, to calm my nerves when I get this way... make her into an actual "psychological support dog" for me.

Meanwhile, one day at a time...

See the original article:

Me

in

The Pink House On The Corner

Jester: Some Good Thoughts For Balance

Jackie Poff
Stroke Survivors Tattler

1. Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she Said, "Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile."
2. Today, I asked my mentor a very successful business man in his 70s what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said, "Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing."
3. Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up,she realized I didn't recognize her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, "On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center ."
4. Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face.
5. Today at 7 AM, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3PM I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too. A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job. I start tomorrow.
6. Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We should have gotten together like this more often."
7. Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.
8. Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and asked, "Why?" She replied, "So you can help me save the planet." I chuckled again and asked, "And why do you want to save the planet?" "Because that's where I keep all my stuff," she said.
9. Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again.
10. Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, "I hope you feel better soon."
11. Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe . He said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it."
12. Today, I had the opportunity of sharing these with you. Did you get anything out of reading these. I learned that the best sermons are lived, not preached. I am glad I have you to send these to.

TED Talks - Melissa Fleming: The Story of Two Survivors

Published on Nov 3, 2015

Aboard an overloaded ship carrying more than 500 refugees, a young woman becomes an unlikely hero. This single, powerful story, told by Melissa Fleming of the UN's refugee agency, gives a human face to the sheer numbers of human beings trying to escape to better lives... as the refugee ships keep coming...


Standard YouTube License @ TED

Rick Mercer Report: Sturgeon Fishing & To-Do List

Rick Goes Sturgeon Fishing with Rick Hansen

Published on Nov 18, 2015

Rick is joined by Rick Hansen to catch, tag, and release sturgeon on the Fraser River in Mission, BC.


Standard YouTube License @ Rick Mercer Report

Rick's Rant - Trudeau's To-Do List

Published on Nov 18, 2015

Daily Comics

For Better and For Worse
Lynn Johnston

Canada Family Events

Dilbert
Scott Adams

Dilbert Office Events

Edmonton Journal
Malcolm Mayes

Politics Views from Canada

Doonesbury
Garry Trudeau

Politics Views from USA

  

** I tried to get low or free price at the people http://www.UniversalUclick.com/ for the images for the cartoons. It was too high for Stroke Survivors Tattler i.e. we are not a regular newspaper and our budget is very, very low. Fortunately, you will have to do only 1-click more to see the cartoon image, it is legit and it is free using GoComics.com, Dilbert.com and EdmontonJournal.com.

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Saturday News

Contents of This Week Saturday News ▶︎ November 21st / 2015

• Definition: Tie Two-End Shoelaces with One-Hand?

Shoelaces, sometimes called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known as aglets. Each shoelace typically passes through a series of holes, eyelets, loops or hooks on either side of the shoe. Loosening the lacing allows the shoe to open wide enough for the foot to be inserted or removed. Tightening the lacing and tying off the ends secures the foot within the shoe. A longer definition comes from Wikipedia.

SSTattler: There are various methods of tying shoelaces one-hand with a) one-end or b) two-end techniques. While this one-handed two-end technique is not as blindingly fast as the two-handed, it is hopefully easier than some of the other one-handed shoelace knots. 

• Video: Tie Two-End Shoelaces with One-Hand?

- How to Tie Shoes One-handed Using my "Ian Knot" - Professor Shoelace
- Professor Shoelace: Introduction
- Hannah's One-Handed Shoe Tying Technique
- Tying Shoelaces One-handed
- How to Tie Shoe Laces Using Only One Hand - Step by Step Instructions
- How to Tie Shoelaces With One Hand By Stroke Survivor Miss Leyva-Griffith

• Headline Blog: Tie Two-End Shoelaces with One-Hand?
• Still Not Quite Ready for Prime Time
• Tying Shoes One-handed
• What Have You Done for the 1st Time Since Your #Stroke? @Fightingstrokes

• Eclectic Stuff: Many articles from many Guest Bloggers about Stroke
• Adding More Research on Alcoholic Drinks and Stroke Prevention
• Transitioning to Healthier Eating
• 50 Shades of Rest
• How Instant Gratification Can Hurt Recovery
• Happy Walking Anniversary to Me!
• Decay Can Also Happen in Speech Therapy: Aphasia
• Days 14 and 15 November Thankful Days
• As Above, So Below
• New Life
• Brain Inflammation in Dementia with Lewy Bodies

• Weekly Columnists
• Musing: Could Meditation Reduce Brain Aging?
• Stroke Survival Sunday: The Squirrel Ran Around the Tree...
• Caregiver: Project PUP
• Jester: Teachers & Cops
• TED Talks - Tony Fadell: The First Secret of Great Design
• Rick Mercer Report: Dry Stone Festival & Rick's Rant - Distracted Driving
• Laid-Back Admin: What Kind of Order by Guest Bloggers?

• Daily Comics: For Better Or For Worse, Dilbert, Mayes, Doonesbury

• Future Topics in SSTattler

     Saturday News | Future Topic
     --------------+------------------------------------------
     Dec/19/2015   | CADASIL Syndrome
     Dec/12/2015   | Stroke and Dementia
     Dec/05/2015   | Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)

     Nov/28/2015   | Pediatric Stroke 

Definition: Tie Two-End Shoelaces with One-Hand?

Shoelaces From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SSTattler: I used one-ended shoelaces, Jan/14/2012  | One Handed Shoelace Knot, for years and I didn’t know you can use it with two-ended shoelaces with one-hand. See this article and especially the next video articles that will tell you how you can do it! 

Black shoelace

Shoelaces, sometimes called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends with stiff sections, known as aglets. Each shoelace typically passes through a series of holes, eyelets, loops or hooks on either side of the shoe. Loosening the lacing allows the shoe to open wide enough for the foot to be inserted or removed. Tightening the lacing and tying off the ends secures the foot within the shoe.

Shoelace Construction

Traditional shoelaces were made of leather, cotton, jute, hemp, or other materials used in the manufacture of rope. Modern shoelaces often incorporate various synthetic fibers, which are generally more slippery and thus more prone to coming undone than those made from traditional fibers. On the other hand, smooth synthetic shoelaces generally have a less rough appearance, suffer less wear from friction, and are less susceptible to rotting from moisture. Specialized fibers like flame resistant nomex are applied in safety boots for firefighters.

There are also various elasticized shoelaces:

1. Traditional "elastic" laces look identical to normal laces, and can simply be tied and untied as normal. They may also come with a permanent clip so they can be fastened invisibly.
2. "Knotty" laces have a series of "fat" sections, which restrict movement through eyelets. These can be used to adjust tension throughout the lacing area. These laces can be tied or the ends can be left loose.
3. "Twirly" laces are like a tight elastic helix, which can simply be pulled tight without requiring a knot.

Elastic laces both make the lacing more comfortable, as well as allowing the shoe to be slipped on and off without tying or untying, which makes them a popular choice for children, the elderly and athletes.

Video: Tie Two-End Shoelaces with One-Hand?

How to Tie Shoes One-handed Using my "Ian Knot"
         - Professor Shoelace

Published on Jan 13, 2013

SSTattler: It is easier than I thought... I will try it !

There are various methods of tying shoelaces with one hand. Mine is a variation of my "Ian Knot" technique of pulling two loops through each other. While this one-handed variation is not as blindingly fast as the two-handed Ian Knot, it is hopefully easier than some of the other one-handed shoelace knots.

More info plus animated instructions and photos on my Ian's Shoelace Site.


Standard YouTube License @ ProfessorShoelace

Headline Blog: Tie Two-End Shoelaces with One-Hand?

Definition: Blog (noun). Add new material to or regularly update to a blog. (≃1990s: blog shortening of weblog)

Still Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Monday, August 2, 2010

It's been six months since my stroke.

Last week I added two accomplishments: tying my shoe laces, and hugging Neal--with both my arms.

But I wish that my progress could be faster.

This evening, for example,  I had some sequencing problems. Here's a piece of  pie that I served myself with ice cream.

Note to self: microwave the pie then serve the ice cream.

See the original article:

Still Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

in

My Happy Stroke

Tying Shoes One-handed

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

November 15, 2015

I shuddered when my OT put brown shoelaces on my beige shoes.  I had forgotten elastic shoelaces only come in black, brown, and white.  I want to wear the color-coordinated laces I paid for.  I refuse to wear shoes with Velcro straps that a 10 year old would be embarrassed to wear to school.  I was horrified when my PT suggested I wear jogging shoes.  It would upset me to give a professional presentation or go to a wedding with shoes that an able-bodied adult would not wear.

I pull the free end of the lace shown in photo #1 across the shoe and slip my index finger under the top horizontal lace (photo #2).  My index finger is pointing towards my body.  I use the tip of my index finger to drag the lace that is under the horizontal lace to make a loop.

What Have You Done for the 1st Time Since Your #Stroke? @Fightingstrokes

Kate Allatt
Stroke Recovery Tips

September 6, 2014

Since your stroke what was the first time you:

• Ate a meal with both a knife
  and fork?
• Wiped your own ass?
• Got into a car?
• Brushed your hair or teeth
  yourself?
• Tied you shoelaces?
• Tied your hair in a ponytail?
• Had sex?
• Walked unaided?
• Applied mascara or plucked your eyebrows yourself?
• Slept throughout the night?
• Really appreciated the love, support and care of your
  proactive loved-ones?
• Really understood what actually happened to you?
• Really understood the meaning of true friendship?
• Drove a car again?
• Felt in control again as a parent?
• Returned to paid employment?
• Accepted the stroke happened to you?
• Found ways to cope with the ignorance of most non-stroke survivors?

So what would you add to this list?

Stroke affects so many things.

See the original article:

What Have You Done for the 1st Time Since Your #Stroke? @Fightingstrokes

in

Stroke Recovery Tips

Eclectic Stuff

Definition: Eclectic (noun). A person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources

Adding More Research on Alcoholic Drinks and Stroke Prevention

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Photo by Graham Hills
via Flickr

I've had a drink of soju more than once, first with colleagues from South Korea visiting the United States a few years ago and during trips to that country.

I enjoyed it at the time, and now feel even better about it! Check out the story about soju might lower stroke risk:

▶ Research results suggest that three to four glasses of the drink a day lower males’ stroke risk. Compared to those who do not drink, one glass of soju (10g of alcohol), two glasses of soju, and three to four glasses of soju can scale down stroke risk by 62 percent, 55 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Drink-based stroke prevention effects were the highest when a person drinks one glass or less of soju.