Saturday News

Contents of This Week:

• Headline - Fitbit Inc.
• Comics   - For Better Or For Worse, Dilbert, Mayes, Doonesbury
• Eclectic - Many articles from many guest bloggers
• TEDTalks -  Technology, Entertainment and Design
• TadpoleUpdate -  Spokes Fighting Strokes
• RickMercerReport - Intelligence, humorous, politics, ...

Index of Eclectic Stuff This Week

1. It's 10 O'clock, Have You Reached 10,000 Steps Yet?
2. Reviewing the Fitbit Pedometer
3. Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Fitness Bit
4. Who and Where Should I Go for Speech Therapy?
5. Unilateral Neglect
6. Harder Than the Ice-Bucket Challenge
7. No Legs, No Problem: Jennifer Bricker.
8. The Ostrich !
9. Almost Two Years Later
10. Busy Busy
11. Alcohol Research: Weekend Reading Links
12. Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and Stroke Recovery
13. Sunday Stroke Survival ~ The Email Box
14. Robin Williams Suicide Highlights the Hidden Sides of Stroke
15. Streeters - What is Aphasia?
16. Nancy Kanwisher: A Neural Portrait of the Human Mind
17. Tadpole Update - Spokes Fighting Strokes - Oct/11/2014
18. RMR: New Season Starts Tuesday October 7th!
19. RMR: Rick in Fort McMurray

Definition: Fitbit Inc.

Fitbit From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fitbit Inc. is a company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded and managed by James Park and Eric Friedman, the company is known for its products of the same name, which are activity trackers, wireless-enabled wearable devices that measure data such as the number of steps walked, quality of sleep, and other personal metrics. The first of these was the Fitbit Tracker. The average price of a Fitbit is between $60 and $130, depending on the model. However, data cannot be downloaded off the Fitbit website unless one pays the premium membership price of $49 per year. Intraday data analysis cannot be downloaded at all.

Fitbit Tracker

Fitbit Ultra activity tracker
in teal, worn with blue jeans

The Fitbit Tracker uses a three-dimensional accelerometer, similar to that in the Wii Remote, to sense user movement. The Tracker measures steps taken, and combines it with user data to calculate distance walked, calories burned, floors climbed, and activity duration and intensity. It uses an OLED display to display this and other information such as the battery level. It also measures sleep quality by tracking periods of restlessness, how long it takes the wearer to fall asleep, and how long they are actually asleep.

A wireless base station is included to receive data from the Tracker and also charge its battery. When connected to a computer the base station will upload data to the Fitbit website, where a number of features are available: seeing an overview of physical activity, setting and tracking goals, keeping food and activity logs, and interacting with friends. Use of the website is free.

The Fitbit Classic tracked only steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, activity intensity, and sleep. It was designed to be a small black and teal device that could be clipped discreetly onto clothing and worn 24/7.

September 9, 2008, at TechCrunch50 during the "Mobile" session. Fitbit received positive reactions during its panel from experts like Rafe Needleman, Tim O'Reilly, and Evan Williams who cited its wearability, price point, and lack of subscription fees.

Fitbit Ultra

Video: Fitbit Inc.

SSTattler: Hmm, some stroke survivors can walk...!!! You will see the review Fitbit Flex, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip and Fitbit Aria (bathroom scale) plus CEO Fitbit, James Park.

Why You Need To Walk 10,000 Steps A Day

Published on Mar 18, 2014

We're all told that in order to live a healthy life, we should eat right and engage in physical activity. But is diet and exercise enough? Anthony explains why you should take 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy.

Standard YouTube License @ DNews

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.

Eclectic Stuff

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

It's 10 O'clock, Have You Reached 10,000 Steps Yet?

Dean Reinke
Deans’ Stroke Musing

Friday, August 15, 2014

 I love my Fitbit because it will allow me to continue my social engagements, dinners and drinking.

I can regularly get there on weekends. Yesterday getting home at 7pm I only had 2000 steps, put on my outdoor work clothes and went to clear some more trail with the Grass Scythe and got in 8,000 more steps. Walked some more after dinner and got in a total of 12,652. That was the first time in 7 weeks I got over 10,000 steps on a weekday.

I used to wait until right before bedtime, around 11:30, but at midnight the Fitbit automatically rolls to the next day.

See the original article:

It's 10 O'clock, Have You Reached 10,000 Steps Yet?

in

Deans' Stroke Musing

Reviewing the Fitbit Pedometer

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

July 16, 2014

A pedometer tracks the number of steps people take each day.  Since walking is my only form of exercise, a pedometer tells me about my physical activity.  I bought a Fitbit pedometer but cannot use it.  It has a soft rubbery holding case I cannot manipulate one-handed.  No matter how hard I tried I could not get the pedometer in the case.  At first I thought I would have a friend do this for me, but the battery has to be charged every week.  This involves taking the pedometer out of the case, inserting one end in a cable until tiny prongs (arrow) make contact, and putting the other end of the cable in a USB port.

The confusing return instructions are example of why this company is not user friendly.  They sent the return authorization number in one e-mail and the return instructions in a 2nd e-mail.  The return address in the 1st e-mail was different from the address in the 2nd e-mail.  I am not the only one who finds the Fitbit on-line-only support difficult.  The Fitbit on-line community has 135 pages of "how do I....?" questions.

The Fitbit One is designed to be clipped onto a pocket which is great for men who always have pants with pockets.  It can also be clipped on the center of a bra which is great for joggers wearing sports bras.  I do not want a lump showing under my clothes.

I have gone back to using my Digi-Walker SW-200.  I use half of a clothespin to hold the clip open until I get the pedometer on the waistband of my pants.  However, Fitbit did inspire me to create an Excel file that graphs my daily totals.  Every night before I go to bed I get visual feedback about how many times this month I have reached or exceeded my target.

See the original article:

Reviewing the Fitbit Pedometer

in

Home After a Stroke

Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Fitness Bit

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga 

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Confession time again. I've never been physically fit. I've never been able to pass the President's physical fitness test even as a child. I've always had genetic discrepancies work against me.

I was genetically predisposed to things like asthma, arthritis, cardiac problems, and assorted other things that were not conducive for physical fitness. When it came to the roll of the dice for bad genetic combinations, I always came out on the losing end starting from birth being several months premature.

That never stopped me from trying. Does anything stop me from trying? Nope.

Over the years, I've been a weight lifter. Imagine being five feet squat in height with a partner who is 6'2" tall, lifting a patient who is twice your body weight, including the weight of the stretcher, cardiac monitor, oxygen tank, etc making it four to six times my body weight. Yeah, I was really into weight lifting.

Sprinting, I could go from seated to a 100-yard dash in under a minute. But sustained running, I would be hard pressed to run a three-minute mile. With full gear equaled to a 50-pound knapsack, it was closer to five minutes. As I have said before, I don't run for the sport of it.

Chin ups, sit ups, push ups- "fuhgeddaboudit!" (In my best Brooklyn accent). Not that I didn't do them, but max twenty-five was my limit. I just didn't bother most times. But ask me to climb a tree, or crawl through muck to get a patient or chase children, I was first in line.

Who and Where Should I Go for Speech Therapy?

Mark A. Ittleman
The Teaching of Talking

Oct 1st, 2014

I must confess that during the last 3 months I have been out of circulation with a herniated disc that caused me to be confined to a wheel chair and unable to walk.  Finally I was able to get it evaluated and learned what we had to face in order to get a semblance of our real lives back.

It was then that I had to start finding out why I was unable to walk, whether it could be treated by conservative physical therapy or whether mine was causing a disabling condition that would likely affect the quality of my life, for the rest of my life.  I learned all about the surgeries, how they were done, and whether minimally invasive surgery would work, or whether I had to have open back surgery with months of recovery time and significant risks.  Asking where do I go for a procedure that the literature said might be one third successful, one third not, or one third worse off than before was daunting.

I knew it was time to do homework to find the best option and spinal specialist in the country and go there. After a month of full time 8-10 hour a day research, calling on surgeons in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tampa, Florida and elsewhere, I found a doctor in Sugarland, Texas, who came very highly recommended by people who had back injuries that required surgical intervention.  They said the spinal surgeon and procedures had worked for them and described their surgeon as a "true expert who was reportedly one of the best at his specialty."  And not only that, but he was described as a "nice, personable guy, with great bedside manners, a very supportive staff and exceptional skill."  He had been providing surgical procedures to people with spinal injuries for over 12 years.

Unilateral Neglect

Amy Shissler
My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

Oct 5, 2014

The first time that I wrote about neglect I wrote it from the viewpoint of an arrogant PT who because I learned about it in school, thought that that made me some kind of authority on the subject. That by NO means makes you an authority on ANYTHING. That makes you someone that other people can use as a resource for information. An authority – no. I am still no kind of authority whatsoever about unilateral neglect because I never had it. I did however have a massive stroke so it’s ok if some people look to me as an authority on the general topic of stroke and brain injury, but not some specific things that can happen as a result of a stroke. I remember – this was like a month after the stroke – right after being discharged from the hospital and before I began outpatient therapy, that I had a few sessions of home PT. One time when a physical therapist was there, a different one came for every home session, I reached across my body with my left hand for a tissue that was on my right side. To this my therapist said to me, “Honey don’t neglect your right side, you have to be aware that that side is there.” Sigh. It wasn’t unilateral neglect that caused me to do that. Neglect almost always happens to the left side of the body anyway. I knew perfectly well that I COULD have used my right arm to reach for that tissue had it been cooperating and would very very very much have preferred to reach for it with my right arm. But my brain wouldn’t allow me to do that at at time. So I had to use my left arm, it wasn’t because I was neglecting my right side or had lost any awareness of my right. My right side just didn’t work. It still doesn’t work anywhere close to normal but I can do a lot of things with it now that I couldn’t then. I could do nothing with it then, nothing. Now I can use it for any gross motor movement like opening doors and stuff. I can use it some when driving. I don’t use it too much because if I do my tremor starts and it will cause my entire body to shake and that’s not a good thing when operating a motor vehicle. But it helps some. I can use it to help stabilize the steering wheel for a few seconds or use it a little when I’m turning. I make right turns, I’m not neglectful of what’s on my right. Writing with my right hand is out of the question. I’m very much afraid that it might forever be out of the question. I don’t have much hope anymore for getting fine motor movements back.

See the original article:

Unilateral Neglect

in

My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

Harder Than the Ice-Bucket Challenge

Barb Polan
Barb’s Recovery

Sep 30 / 2014

Over the summer, when the ice-bucket challenge was at its peak, I was a bit offended that no one challenged ME. I knew lots of people who participated because I saw the evidence on FB. And then, after being drenched, the friend or relative would call out a couple/three others they were challenging. I watched each one wondering if FINALLY someone would say my name.

It didn't happen.

Eventually, I caught on - people thought it would be too hard for me to lift the bucket over my head to dump it. Nonsense, some people had someone else dump it on them (the Pats) or had a contraption dump it (Bill Gates). Even one-handed, I thought I could hoist it up myself and succeed.  I could have gotten it done, easily enough.

What I can do one-handed is impressive:

• I dress myself.
• I can (but  usually don't) make my bed.
• I open pill bottles to take 4 meds in the morning. Yes, I leave the child-proof caps only slightly turned to close (also one-handed).
• I can make a pb and j.
• I open cans with one of those old manual crank can openers.
• I fold clothes well enough to put in drawers and on shelves. Nope, no hangers.
• I type fast enough to not drive me crazy.
• I drive.
• I write checks.
• I used a push-broom to sweep the asphalt part of the driveway yesterday.
• I vacuum.
• I use my iPhone for almost everything there: FB, calendar, notepad (for lists of everything)
• I can replace a roll of toilet paper onto a holder that has the two-piece rod and springy thing inside.

So here's my challenge to you: go ONE day using just one hand. Or just try to do the actions on this list. Simple enough, right? Even easier: get dressed using just one hand. Betcha can't.

See the original article:

Harder Than the Ice-Bucket Challenge

in

Barb's Recovery

No Legs, No Problem: Jennifer Bricker.

Ramon Florendo
Life After a Stroke

Published on Aug 8, 2013

Meet the awesome Jennifer Bricker - acrobat, aerialist and biological sister of Olympic gold medalist Dominique Moceanu. Born without legs, Jen was placed for adoption by her natural parents as a baby. When she was 16, Jen learned that her idol, gymnast and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Moceanu, was her natural sister. While much of the media focus has been on the incredible sibling story (GMA, HBO, Katie, etc.) Jen is an incredible personality in her own right. In this interview, Jen talks about her life and career today. Watch, be inspired and share. Part 2 of a 2 part series.

• www.prettytough.com
• @prettytough
• facebook.com/prettytough

 
Standard YouTube License @ Pretty Tough

See the original article:

No Legs, No Problem: Jennifer Bricker.

in

Life After a Stroke

The Ostrich !

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders. The man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $9.40 please." The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke."

The ostrich says, "I'll have the same."

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. "The usual?" Asks the waitress. "No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad," says the man. "Same," says the ostrich. Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62." Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, Sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would ask for a Million Dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"

"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

The waitress asks, "What's with the ostrich?"

The man sighs, pauses and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say..."

Almost Two Years Later

Robin
Rocky Mountain Stroke Survivor

October 5, 2014

After my strokes when I was trying to find out what to expect, I found lots of people writing in the immediate aftermath but the information about what happened long term was less available.  I wanted to believe it was because everything was fine but I figured it was just that people lost interest in writing about it. But I promised myself I would keep updating for those recent survivors looking for stories and information.  So here’s an update.  (For my long term readers, go to the bottom for a fatigue scale chart…I hope some of you may find it as useful as I have!)

Once you’ve lived the same way for almost two years, it feels pretty normal.  You get into a routine and pattern…just like any other life change whether it’s a change in jobs, having kids, getting married, etc.  It takes a change in routine sometimes to notice the difference.

Today the kids and I met friends for a walk around a local living history museum.  I use the stroller as a walker.  My daughter is two and a half so it won’t be long until I have to either use a real walker or stop using it altogether.  I don’t really need it most of the time, but it helps me to not trip and fall or drag my foot.  It also gives me a better idea of what the ground is doing because I lack proprioception (the sense of where you are in space).  I walked on a sidewalk, on a boardwalk, on uneven ground, through a historic house, and through a corner of a garden.  I sat for quite awhile right in the middle of it all.

Busy Busy

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Last week was a pretty busy week here at The Pink House on the Corner. First, Bob was approved for four more weeks of therapy, and believe it or not, I think we finally found the right PT who understands the need for Bob to continue therapy if only for "maintenance"! The PT actually said that "with Bob no progress is progress" otherwise he will backslide.  Hmmm... isn't that exactly what I've been saying for four years now??? ST is still going very well.

All week, we were pushing toward a tentative closing date on the new house, which was originally scheduled for Thursday but the bank (who owned the property) kept stalling, and ultimately closing was rescheduled for Friday....

On Thursday, we met with a new contractor at the new house. My plan was to take Bob with me and, with help, pull him backward up the steps into the house. But after I got him loaded up and strapped in the Bobmobile, the darn van wouldn't start!!! (dead battery) GRRR!!! So I had to unload him, pull him back into the house, back into bed and jump in The Green Machine to meet the contractors. I tell you, I was harried....

On Friday, we closed on the new house! The closing took three hours because of a contractor's lien still on the title and we had to get that cleared up.  The closing was bittersweet. Owning and moving into a new house is both scary and exciting, and I am, at the same time, happy but sad to leave our beloved bungalow....  and very very busy, with starting to pack and organize (it's going to take forever, me alone! ga!) and all the normal caring for Bob stuff.

See the original article:

Busy Busy

in

The Pink House On The Corner

Alcohol Research: Weekend Reading Links

Bill (William) Yates, M.D.
Brain Post

Oct 3 / 2014

In October, I will be looking at selected alcohol-related research studies.

Here is a list of a few abstracts that caught my attention.

These abstracts all have links to a free full-text manuscript for further reading.

These selected abstracts come from a review of over 200 recent research studies.

Smartphone alcoholism recovery support

This randomized trial compared outcome in those who did and did not use a smartphone alcoholism continuing care app. Smartphone app users reported fewer numbers of heavy drinking days in the follow up period.

Alcohol intake and risk of depression

Five thousand men and women between the ages of 55 and 80 were followed for a period of up to seven years. Moderate wine consumption (2 to 7 glasses per week) was associated with a 32% reduction in risk of developing depression during the follow up period.

Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and Stroke Recovery

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Thursday, October 02, 2014

One of those interesting-but-we're-not-sure-how-this-works studies comes from recent research about cholesterol drugs and stroke recovery.

Read how these drugs may help after certain strokes:

People taking the commonly used drugs known as statins were also 2.5 times more likely to be discharged home or to a rehabilitation facility, the study reports. 

When it comes to the best treatment for hemorrhagic stroke, there hasn't been a standard treatment recommendation, according to the study's lead author, Dr. Alexander Flint, the medical director of neuroscience quality at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, Calif. 

Now, he said, physicians should know that taking patients off statin treatment in the hospital "may carry a risk of substantially worse outcome." 

The findings from this study aren't considered definitive because it wasn't designed to prove that the statin treatment directly caused the lower risk of death.

See the original article:

Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and Stroke Recovery

in

Stroke of Faith

Sunday Stroke Survival ~ The Email Box

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Sunday, October 5, 2014

I've gotten over a dozen emails about Botox in the past month. Most are general, but a few get very specific in details. First let me clarify something, I'm not an expert on Botox use for spasticity.

Do I have spasticity, yes. Do I receive Botox injections for spasticity due to my stroke, yes every four months.

I may have the answer you are looking for or maybe not. When it comes to Medicare or Medicaid paying for the procedure, I can only offer suggestions and WAGs (wise a$$ guesses). I have limited knowledge how these programs work and their parameters. I do know that stroke survivors are receiving Botox injections under these programs, but the details on how they got approved is a mystery to me.

Robin Williams Suicide Highlights the Hidden Sides of Stroke

Kate Allatt
Stroke Recovery Tips

October 5, 2014

As most now know Robin Williams committed suicide. I think the immediate comments on Twitter summed up the widespread ignorance of the impact of severe depression and anxiety in our society when one wrote, ‘So What has Robin Williams got to be depressed about?’

Within 24 hours attitudes changed and the fantastic Mrs Doubtfire initiative went viral and is positively helping raise awareness of mental health issues globally.

But when someone has a stroke, individuals suffer residual physical disabilities but the long term emotional impact is often extreme. One woman even blogged on a closed group in Facebook, ‘I was always very independent. Now walking from one room to another wears me out. My friends & sisters turned their backs on me. I hate living. I wish my stroke had killed me.’

Because of these often widespread and desperate views, I feel very passionately that we must raise awareness of stroke and severe depression. Furthermore, we must not make stroke campaigning always about stroke PREVENTION an F.A.S.T.

Streeters - What is Aphasia?

Sharon D. Anderson
Stroke Survivors Tattler

Uploaded on Feb 1, 2012

SSTattler: Thanks Sharon A.  As well see @StrokeTattler media, lots of useful stroke survivors on YouTube, ...

We took to the streets to see how much the people of Toronto knew about aphasia.


Standard YouTube License @ Aphasia Institute