Where is RSL? - Part 2

[borealys]

*shrug* ... it wasn't really a question about socks. More a statement about how much we folks with more-or-less intact brains take for granted. I work in a rehab field, so I see that sort of thing every day -- something most of us don't think twice about turns out to be quite complex.

 

[TjW]

Hey, I put on a pair of socks for the first time since the stroke! To be more clear: I have worn socks many times since the stroke, but this was the first time that I was the one to place them on my feet. This ability was not something I used to define myself by, but it is a little victory, and is very welcome.

Well, be careful, and only practice safe socks.

 

[RSLancastr]

I'm trying to imagine how one would put on socks without the full use of both arms and legs.

Yes, it's not easy, that's for certain. It would be difficult and tedious to explain the procedure here, but if folks are interested, I will do so.

Amazing how complicated all of the seemingly simple things in life turn out to be.

Isn't it? Even the simplest of tasks now take planning, compensating, and, more often than not, Susan's help.

Way to go, Robert!

Thanks, borealys!

 

[RSLancastr]

I just took off and put back on one sock myself with one hand. I got a little frustrated because it does take longer to start. Once the sock is on the foot the rest is easy. Please note I am right handed and I used my right hand. Should I try again with my left hand? I forget which side Robert had his stroke. Also I had full use of both legs.

Robert. Something that might be useful. Write down what parts of the body you can use and to what extent.

It would be far easier to list those parts which are not working properly (due to the stroke):

the stroke waas in my right-brain, so it is the left side of my body which was damaged. The main results of this:

• 
  My left arm:
  - the shoulder is nearly out of its socket (subluxation), making it difficult/painful to lift the arm by bending it at the shoulder. Simply lifting my left hand to my mouth is somewhat akin to your doing so with a heavy weight (50 lbs. or so) strapped to your wrist. I must be careful noot to let the arm dangle, lest the weight of it pull the shoulder totally out of its socket.
  My left hand:
  - the hand is clenched in an approximation of a fist. I cannot open the hand, though I can use my right hand to slowly uncurl the left hand's fingers one by one. Once they are opened, they will immediately curl back up into a fist if i do not use my right hand to hold them in place. If i am not careful, the left hand's fingernails will cut into the palm of my left hand.
  
  My left leg:
  - often feels as though the hip is coming out of its socket, though this may be due to simple fatigue. The leg lacks the strength to bear up under my weight, and the knee tries to bend in ways in which it was never meant to bend. the simple exercise of lifting my left leg up (in a kicking motion) while I am seated becomes a Herculean task.
  
  My left foot
  - I cannot move the toes on this foot, nor can I control the bending of the ankle. left to it's own devices, the foot bends underneath me in such a way that would have me walking on the outer edge of the foot rather than the bottom/sole. When Susan is putting on my shoes, this foot is totally uncooperative, bending/pointing inthe wrong direction. I suppose I should mention that i wear an AFO (Ankle/Foot Orthotic) on my left leg/foot. This is a plastic device that looks something like a boot. It is worn between the sock and shoe, and helps to keep my foot/ankle straight.
  
  My right arm and leg
  - are still very strong (one of my therapists used to say that my right side was "strong as a bull"), though they are frequently tired from overuse (when I stand to transfer (from wheelchair to bed, etc.), it is the right leg which lifts ands supports my weight, and my right arm/hand which holds onto something for balance.
  
  My eyes
  - don't focus as well as they once did, and require more light. Thhey also tire easily.
  My brain
  - has its problems. I find myself confused at times by simple things, and my attention span isn't worth squat.
  
  The rest of me is pretty much as it was pre-stroke.
  
  So, here is what I do to put on a pair of socks:
  
  - I put on the right sock pretty much as i always have, though I must do it totally with my right hand. A bit awkward, but very doable.
  - the left sock is another story. All of the following is done without using my left hand, seated on the right-side edge of my bed.
  - I cannot cross my left leg over my right knee (as I would have pre-stroke), so, to get the left foot within reach, I struggle into a position where I am facing to my left, with the left leg up on the matress with the left foot extended past the mattress. I can now reach it, but i must be careful not too lean too far towards it, as this causes the hip a lot of pain, and can easily cause me to fall over (and out of the bed).
  - holding the sock in my right hand, I place the opening around my toes and carefully (so as not to drop it) pull it up and onto the foot. This is difficult, as I cannot help by turning the foot or bending its toes.
  
  There it is. Typing it in, it seems simpler than it actually is. I have heard that there are clever devices which can be used to hold the sock open and to pull it onto the foot. we will be looking obtaining one.
  
  

  Also what you can and cannot do, but want to (like put on your socks without help).

  
  This would be a rather long and tedious list, most of which I could not think of offhand, but would need to write down and add to it throughout the day as things occured to me.
  
  But at the top of the list would be:
  
  1. standing up (from my wheelchair, my bed, other chairs) unassisted.
  2. remaining standing unassisted.
  3. walking unassisted.
  4. Getting dressed/undressed unassisted (I do this largely unassisted now, except for my shoes and AFO, but I do it awkwardly, and with more time and effort than I'd like.
  5. Use the toilet unassisted.
  6. strap myself into position in the van.
  7. unstrap myself from the van.
  
  With those abilities, my life (and, more importantly, Susan's life) would be much, much easier.
  
  There are dozns, if not hundreds of smaller tasks which belong on the list, but they pale in importance to thse listed above, especially the first three.
  

Be great if that was a post here. Then every month or two review it and note any changes. Because otherwise in 12 months time you will say you have not made any improvement when the improvement is vast. You just forgot about it. The moderated thread might be best for that.

[/QUOTE]

 

[RSLancastr]

Well, be careful, and only practice safe socks.

 

[Eejit]

Greetings Mr Lancaster,

I've admired your work for some time now, or rather, the way you go about doing it. Don't get me wrong, I've no time for the likes of Ms Sylvia Browne or anyone like her. It's just that I respect more, your ability and practice of what is essentially direct confrontation, in such a way, that both your intelligence and your very considerate persona, set aside a massive amount of potentially meaningless conflict and facilitate an examination of your arguments sans bickering and needless emotions, clouding the facts.

It's a rare gift. And it's comforting indeed, to see that the stroke didn't take it too.

The similarities of our histories with regard to reading is quite interesting. There was a time, when I'd polish off 5 or 6 books in a week. In the last couple of years, I've read maybe two books. And I've not had a stroke. I just got out of the habit of it - and I cannot, for the life of me, get it back, or rather I'm not as of yet, motivated enough to try.

It seems to me, and I'm not a doctor, that the stroke may not be as big a player in this, as one might suspect. The fact that you can read what's on your computer screen without words disappearing or blurring, would suggest, to me at least, that it's not your actual reading ability, that's the main problem here. Your computer is an independent light source, a book isn't (unless one wants to talk sub-atomic particles).

Again, I'm not a doctor, or anything close to one.

Why not ask that incredible and excellent lady you were lucky enough to find and marry, to help you scan whatever books and other reading material you desire to read, onto a laptop for you?

Use your computer to put you back into the saddle. Build up your ability to take in and retain large amounts of data again, and then, slowly and patiently (you're very patient and understanding with others - you deserve at the very least, the same levels of both, for yourself, from yourself). I'd suggest that you tweak ambient lighting conditions too, so that you might, via experimentation, find the optimal conditions to facilitate your comfort for reading.

I suppose another factor that might have a part to play in this is the fact that your computer is a lifeline, whereby you can communicate with the world at large. A book is a lifeline to your self and your imagination. Which lifeline would others judge to be your priority? Which is the more important medium from your own point of view?

You needed to reconnect I believe and I believe this need took the priority.

Okay, enough amateur quackery from me (or I'll be accusing myself of having turned to woo).

I'll end with a request:

Would ya ever get up off yer ass and write your story. I'll be first in the queue to buy a copy (in Ireland that is).

Keep up the great work. And keep the faith. Faith is not woo, and faith in yourself is the reward for your own hard work, and you should be availing of it. I'm not alone (I'm fairly sure) in letting you know that I have faith in you. And there's no supernatural claim implied in that.

Many regards,
Seán.

 

[RSLancastr]

Greetings Mr Lancaster,

Eejit, thanks for the long and thoughtful post. I think that the reason why I can read from the monitor is due to it being a light source. i bet that, were I to play with the font size, color, etc., that I would indeed start missing some words.

Rather than putting Susan through scanning my books, I hope to try a Kindle, or better yet, Kindle For the PC.

It's a rare gift. And it's comforting indeed, to see that the stroke didn't take it too.

The similarities of our histories with regard to reading is quite interesting. There was a time, when I'd polish off 5 or 6 books in a week. In the last couple of years, I've read maybe two books. And I've not had a stroke. I just got out of the habit of it - and I cannot, for the life of me, get it back, or rather I'm not as of yet, motivated enough to try.

It seems to me, and I'm not a doctor, that the stroke may not be as big a player in this, as one might suspect. The fact that you can read what's on your computer screen without words disappearing or blurring, would suggest, to me at least, that it's not your actual reading ability, that's the main problem here. Your computer is an independent light source, a book isn't (unless one wants to talk sub-atomic particles).

Again, I'm not a doctor, or anything close to one.

Why not ask that incredible and excellent lady you were lucky enough to find and marry, to help you scan whatever books and other reading material you desire to read, onto a laptop for you?

Use your computer to put you back into the saddle. Build up your ability to take in and retain large amounts of data again, and then, slowly and patiently (you're very patient and understanding with others - you deserve at the very least, the same levels of both, for yourself, from yourself). I'd suggest that you tweak ambient lighting conditions too, so that you might, via experimentation, find the optimal conditions to facilitate your comfort for reading.

I suppose another factor that might have a part to play in this is the fact that your computer is a lifeline, whereby you can communicate with the world at large. A book is a lifeline to your self and your imagination. Which lifeline would others judge to be your priority? Which is the more important medium from your own point of view?

You needed to reconnect I believe and I believe this need took the priority.

Okay, enough amateur quackery from me (or I'll be accusing myself of having turned to woo).

I'll end with a request:

Would ya ever get up off yer ass and write your story. I'll be first in the queue to buy a copy (in Ireland that is).

Keep up the great work. And keep the faith. Faith is not woo, and faith in yourself is the reward for your own hard work, and you should be availing of it. I'm not alone (I'm fairly sure) in letting you know that I have faith in you. And there's no supernatural claim implied in that.

Many regards,
Seán.

 

[RSLancastr]

Has anyone here tried a Kindle, or the new "Kindle For the PC?" If so, I would be interested in opinions.

 

[Dunstan]

Has anyone here tried a Kindle, or the new "Kindle For the PC?" If so, I would be interested in opinions.

I briefly tried a Kindle; someone sitting next to me showed it to me. It was surprisingly readable, more than I had expected. I don't think I'm all that interested in getting one for myself, as I like the feel of a physical book, and I tend to read during meals and would be worried about spilling something on an expensive piece of hardware. But it might suit your purposes quite well.

 

[ExMinister]

I haven't tried one, but looking into them, I don't know if the screen lighting would be much brighter than an ordinary book. I did find this, though, through Amazon - kindle for a PC. It looks like you can download kindle books right onto your computer. That might be more what you need?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Q795FFA1H355CMR86PP

 

[RSLancastr]

My booful Susan bought me a Sony e-reader for Christmas! (She showed it to me whilst reporting on her Black Friday shopping spree) Dunno when I will get to try it out, but when I do, I will report back here on the experience.

 

[VisionFromFeeling]

I do not know you very well, and I have not been here while you were at your best as a Forum Skeptic, but I wish you all the best and may you recover anything that was lost!

And, in case any of the mean woos' curses had anything to do with this, as some of them claim, here's one other woo who happens to be a nice one and hereby cancels any of their ill intent!

Hugs and blessings, Mr. Lancaster, whether your skepticism permits belief in those things or not.

​

Since Locknar is the one in the middle, you can be the one on the far right. Always room for more of my favorite Skeptics.

 

[desertgal]

My booful Susan bought me a Sony e-reader for Christmas! (She showed it to me whilst reporting on her Black Friday shopping spree) Dunno when I will get to try it out, but when I do, I will report back here on the experience.

I have an e-reader, and I've been fairly satisfied with it. I'm a voracious reader, so it's definitely been convenient, especially since I travel a lot, and easier on my budget. I do still prefer the feel of a physical book, though.

 

[Caz]

I don't have an electronic book thing, but they look good...(wonders if any of my family read this... a pink one would be such a great xmas gift don't you think? wherewasI?) but if reading is a problem, get podcasts, so may good ones on itunes, it can become an addiction though.

 

[RSLancastr]

I do not know you very well, and I have not been here while you were at your best as a Forum Skeptic, but I wish you all the best and may you recover anything that was lost!

Thanks, VFF!

And, in case any of the mean woos' curses had anything to do with this, as some of them claim, here's one other woo who happens to be a nice one and hereby cancels any of their ill intent!

I appreciate that, but there is a pro-woo forum where lots of the regulars put together a prayer chain for me. So there are already good woos working to counteract the bad ones on my behalf.

Hugs and blessings, Mr. Lancaster, whether your skepticism permits belief in those things or not.

I most heartily believe in hugs. As for blessings, as I said in my thread about "prayers for a skeptic", I appreciate all prayers, well-wishes, hpes and blessings for my recovery. I don't think that theyhad any effect, but they were done with the best of intentions, and I appreciate them very much. so thanks!

Since Locknar is the one in the middle, you can be the one on the far right. Always room for more of my favorite Skeptics.[/QUOTE]

I have an e-reader, and I've been fairly satisfied with it. I'm a voracious reader, so it's definitely been convenient, especially since I travel a lot, and easier on my budget. I do still prefer the feel of a physical book, though.

thanks for the review!​

 

[Uncayimmy]

My wife has a Kindle. She likes it so much she started a blog about it! I'm a "read it in the tub" kinda guy, so I don't have one. However, they seem very well built, and she uses it all the time. Apparently you can get free books as well.

She calls her blog Kindle Mom.

 

[Austin Yun]

I'll second the motion that audio books and podcasts are the (or a) way to go. I got into them out of necessity when I had a two hour bus ride twice a day to look forward to, and I get motion sick trying to read in a vehicle.

However, I no longer have that commute, but still haven't returned to reading printed text for at least 70% of my reading. Having someone read it to you is just so convenient that it blows me away, and the quality of narration in general surprised me.

Anyway, my best wishes to you regarding your recovery.