Slug's Journey

[Slug]

Hi I'm Carlie,

I'm a virgin blogger so here goes.....<3.

I had my stroke in April 2011 when I was getting ready for work. I had just got out of the shower and I started to feel funny. My quick thinking husband saw that I was distressed, dressed me and took me up to the hospital.I think he had me up there in 15 minutes.

I live in Darwin and I am a nurse in Rehab so I felt at home when all my colleagues came to visit me.

I had a left ischaemic CVA with right sided weakness. I have aphasia big-time. The right sided weakness sorted itself out within 2 weeks but I could not talk. Everyone was talking at me or to me assuming that I would agree with whatever they decided for me.

I didn't have the symptoms of Blood Pressure, clots and cholesterol on "normal" people with stroke. They have no idea what the trigger might be. So I'm scared that it might happen again.

I was off work 7 months and I went back to work in October 2011. I'm still doing 4 hours 5X a week slowly increasing up to 5 hours.

I have 4 kids Jacob (20), Kathryn (18), Michael (16) and Philip (15). Two are at school Jacob's an apprentice Chef and Kathryn finished year 12 last year. She is looking for a job. Larry ,my husband, is self employed.

Well I'd better get off to work , I'll tell you a bit more tomorrow.

Regards Slug

[Mitch04]

Excellent report Slug, and you have made a great start to your blog! Don't stop! You are a "natural" and I loved reading it.

[ali]

Hey Carlie

Love your blog so far, I can really relate to it. I'm a nurse too and went to my local hospital after my stroke, I knew lots of people there.
How do you find working every day? I find having rest days in betwwen is better for me. How do you find it nursing stroke patients?

[Slug]

Hi Ali,Hey Mitch,

I find working every day **** but that's how I get the hours up. I had no sick leave before I had my stroke so I went sick leave with out pay but payroll kept paying me despite numerous calls and e-mails. So I have to pay them back within the financial year.

I get tired Oh so tired but when I get home I have a rest and I try to get to bed early(How's that working out for you.....with teenage sons who never go to bed). I have sleeping difficulties so my doctor has prescribed counselling for me.

I haven't really started to work with stroke patients yet my CNM is getting me to the incident reports in order to get my nursing mind back on track. My consultant has a plan to get me working back on the ward again but that will be in stages. I'm a little of an anomaly I look normal until I open my mouth then the pt's think I'm weird. But that's ok the one's who matter don't think I'm weird.

Where do you live Ali? I'm all alone here in Darwin. They haven't got a support group here. I'm thinking about setting one up cause there's lots of stroke survivors in the NT.

Gotta Go to work I'll finish when I get home.

[Mitch04]

Creating a stroke survivors support group in the NT is a great idea, Carlie (don 't really like using "Slug" for a girl).

There are several in Adelaide (where I live) and I attend the closest. The people who attend are a very mixed bunch, and I doubt if I would have had much in common with them - or them with me - but for our strokes! The strokes are what have brought us together, and I really look forward to our monthly meetings, which I find extremely informative and most rewarding.

I am moving to Kyneton in north western Victoria in a couple of weeks (an hour from Melbourne along the Calder Highway) to be closer to our children and two grand-children. There is no group there, so I, also, am hopeful of starting one.

And keep your blog! It makes good reading. I have started one also, and it currently stands at 103 posts and 693 views! But it is sooooo difficult getting others to contribute to their own blogs...or even to contribute!!!

We need more Carlie's, Ali's, Heathber's, Nelg's, kcwilson's, and elizabethc's etc - apart from the wonderful NSF's Emma and DianaK!!!! Currently there seem to be far too many "lookers" and not enough "contributors"!

[Slug]

lost my post.... So I'll start it all again
where were we...........Family.My kids have been supportive (as much as teenagers can be) my mate (Larry) has been a rock. What would I do without him????

I had my stroke just before Easter and that meant very little allied health.So I did my own therapy.I started with the marble thing and walking 30 minutes on the treadmill. Larry brought in my macbook and I was e-mailing my sister every day, word searches and crosswords.Reading aloud(That was really tough) I was on the rehab ward for a month to 6 weeks in a single room. The was interesting to say the least because that was my ward. I didn't get much sleep during the day because the nurses kept coming in for a hug.

Then home: The dog was rapt<Minnie didn't leave my side for 2 weeks . Housework,I had to learn how to do washing,hanging out,folding,sweep floors,make the bed, Volunteering sorting clothes for my local op-shop,having lunch or coffee with Larry or my friends.I was a busy girl, getting to appointments with my consultant or my speech therapist was taxing. 6 months I did that ( was I happy...YES)

Then my consultant said I could go to work.........really??? Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to work, earning money,seeing my friends but saying goodbye to all my girls at op-shop, having to make an appointment for coffee, I don't think so.

I started slow the first week 2 hrs 3 x a week, 2nd week 3 hrs 3 x a week,3rd 4 hrs 3X a week, 4th week 4hrs 4 X a week, 6th 5hrs 5 X a week. That's what I'm doing now.

My CNM (Clinical Nurse Manager) set me to work on incident reports to make my nursing brain to click in.At work I am forced to talk,write(legibly) and type and I am reaping the rewards. My speech has grown along in leaps and bounds.

I MISS:
1. The way I used to write
2.The way I used to talk
3.The way I used to talk on the phone

I DON"T MISS:
1. The stress
2.Night duty
3. The early mornings

I don't regret one thing about my stroke.If the stroke makes me a better, person bring it on. I don't know what I am going to do ,it's early yet but I'm not going to go back.I believe that life is an adventure and if you don't hold on you'll miss it.

What about you..........?

Regards Carlie

[Slug]

Hiya

My CNM's away today so I have nothing to do so I'm going to blogg. (Don't tell anyone....please)

In the 6-7 months where I was not working Larry and I went to the Movies. And wasn't that eyeopening for me and Larry. I think I like action movies because they don't make me cry as much. I got a list of the movies that we went to last year. In no particular order.

1. The Help: I sobbed and sobbed.
2. Sherlock Holmes 1 and 2 . The second one was even better than the first, and the first was good.
3. Oranges and Sunshine: I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. It was really good but not after a stroke.
4. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,:It was a remake of a remake of a book. Brilliant
5. Super 8: Action ++
6. Red: Helen Mirren is just brilliant
7.Captain America: It's Cutesy but enjoyable.
8. Harry Potter : the last one Brilliant

I got an account with facebook primarily because my niece has 4 kids and she is over in Brisbane and she posts photos on a regular basis. When I got the account my kids were worried that I would cramp their style and I did but their style has been uplifted they're not swearing anymore and Michael (16)tells all his friends that his mum's watching the posts so their style has been uplifted.

I tried painting with water-colours but I'm just too impatient. I tried gardening with herbs, Oh what a laugh that was. I put them in containers ,I watered them and fertilised them and watched them die one by one. So that goes to prove it, what you were bad at before the stroke you have to be bad at it after the stroke. It stands to reason.

But I was good at writing and that distressed me because I couldn't write a sentence after the stroke.Single words were a struggle and I had up till now written 2500 word essays for studying. What was I going to do now Was I going to give up writing up forever.....oh no!! Really????

Now the Blogg is my friend. I am grateful to the people around me who said "Never give up hope" Your life is changed adjust to it.

Regards Carlie

[Slug]

Heya,

I have got to wait for a phone call so while I'm waiting I'll start my blog.

How's everybody doing today??? I'm doing reasonably well. My youngest son Philip ran away yesterday because Micheal ,my 16 year old, was cruel to him. OH the life of teenagers who'd have 'em. My daughter ,Kathryn who is 18 found him on a trek to his friends house and subsequently he has sore knees.

So the life of a parent of teenagers isn't dull.

It's Friday Woah. Here in Darwin we call it Tropical Friday and we wear brightly coloured shirts in to work. So I have a pink one with Hybicus all over it. (Very Pretty) It relieves the boredom of every day uniforms.

So I remembered another couple of movies: Larry loves movies.

Julie & Julia: Where I learnt how to Blog.
The Guard: Which was very funny in a black sort of way. Very Irish.
Transformers 3: Larry and the Kids went to that one.They reckoned it was good.

This weekend I am going to have a family dinner because ,I know the kids are living at home,but they all have such busy lives we don't get a chance to touch base which is why Philip ran away. Kathryn is looking for a job in between her social life (And her social life is paramount).Jacob has just returned to work from holidays. Michael and Philip have just returned to school. So I think a family dinner is in order.
What will I cook??? Any suggestions??????

Regards Carlie

[ali]

Good Lord..the bane of my existance is thinking about what to cook for dinner!!! I find inspiration hard to come by, and there is always someone who isn't happy with the choice.

[Slug]

Heya,

I cooked roast lamb with vegetables. (Lovely) I had most of my family there, my eldest Jacob got a better offer. ( What, Tom Cruise wasn't enough) He missed out on something else ....Yum...

I have had a big day today. Stroke Foundation phoned this morning and they're appointing Joy to the job of helping us to apply for support groups. Yay Joy......Welcome....

I got to work and what do think ....they've got a speech therapist....... for outpatients........ Yay Leah.... Welcome.......

I watched a dvd "Stroke in Midlife" 'Speaking from Experience' and it was great. RealTime Health did the DVD. I don't know where you can get it from but I'll ask.

Biya Carlie