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| Rebecca Dutton Home After a Stroke |
Therapists don't always act excited when I recover a small skill that doesn't produce a sea change like going back to work. They can sometimes act like a husband who doesn't understand why his wife is so happy when he puts the toilet seat down. Here are two examples of what I am talking about.
Melissa never got why I was so happy that my hemiplegic hand helps me scoop up chopped onions. I brought a pile of chopped onions to therapy and showed her what you see in the photo. Melissa's analytical response was "You use your hemiplegic hand as an assistive hand." I should have made Melissa use one hand to pick up a few pieces of slippery onion at a time until the whole pile was back in my container instead of letting her watch me do it.
Why don't therapists always act excited? Fatigue may be one reason. Rushing from client to client when a therapist treats three people at once doesn't leave much time or energy for celebrating. Therapists also don't get to see how far I've come. They were not there when I wept because flopping my limp hand in the air made it look like a dead fish strapped on the end of a stick. Having a floppy hand that can now hold a thin envelope feels like a small miracle instead of one small step forward. The next time I'm thrilled and don't get much of a reaction I'll remind myself to have faith. I'll say "Some day in a quiet moment you will see my grinning face and feel good about what you helped me achieve today."
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