Another Thing I Did Not Know About Stroke

When I was an OT who specialized in stroke rehab I did not know the temperature of my hemiplegic foot could vary widely.  Two studies found a stroke survivor's hemiplegic leg may have atrophy of the superficial femoral artery which reduces blood flow (1, 2).  This may explain why my hemiplegic foot feels ice cold by bedtime in the winter.  However, poor leg circulation does not explain why my hemiplegic foot is hot and red by bedtime in the summer, even though I have air conditioning.  Sometimes my brain interprets this high heat as pain so then I walk barefoot after dinner with my quad cane.  The quad cane has four feet that force me to walk slowly which is irritating.  A stroke taught me things I did not learn from an advanced certification course or treating stroke survivors.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

1. Durant MJ, et al. Superficial femoral artery atrophy and reduced lower limb blood flow in
    subacute stroke survivors. Stroke. 2020(Feb);51:ATP484.
2. Ivey FM, et al.  Impaired leg vasodilatory function after stroke.  Stroke. 2010(Oct);41:2913-2917.

I Cannot Use Salt to Make Food Tasty

I had a 2nd stroke two years after my 1st stroke so I got serious about lowering my blood pressure with a low salt diet.  Low salt food tastes terrible so I jacked up the flavor with onions and garlic.  Peeling garlic is a challenge.  I use the smooth side of meat pounder to smash the garlic open so I can remove the peel with my sound hand.  Then I chop the garlic with a large kitchen knife. Rocking the knife over the garlic creates a mix of small and medium size pieces.  I place a food scraper in my affected hand so my sound hand can scoop up chopped food and dump it in a mixing bowl or pot.  Notice that the fingertips of my affected hand are not touching each other or the food scraper.

But sometimes I want small uniform pieces of garlic that are evenly distributed in a dish.  I spice up turkey burgers by stirring crushed garlic into an egg before adding it to the raw meat so I will not bite into a big hunk of garlic.  However, a garlic crusher takes lots of hand strength to squeeze the two arms of the crusher together.

I rest the bottom arm of the crusher on my cart as I grasp it with my sound hand.  Leaning on the top arm lets me press down with my whole arm.  I catch pieces of flying garlic with a piece of saran wrap.  To get garlic clinging to the crusher into a bowl or pan, I place the crusher in my affected hand so my sound hand can use a knife to scrape off the garlic.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

Handicapped Parking

Handicapped parking is more than being close to the door of a store.  The wider handicapped space is very helpful.  It is difficult to load purchases in the car because a regular parking space leaves very little room to open the car door.  Able-bodied people solve this problem by leaving their shopping cart at the back of their vehicle and walking the bags to the open car door.  I have poor balance so walking with a bag in my sound hand instead of a cane is a fall hazard for me.  The wider space lets me pull the cart up to my open car door to unload my bags.

A regular size parking space is difficult for another reason.  It is hard to get in and out of a car when I can open my car door only two feet.  This small opening makes it hard for me to maneuver a heavy leg brace that will not let me point my toes.  A wide handicapped parking space is especially important for someone in a wheelchair.  They need the car door to open widely so they can slide from their wheelchair onto the car seat.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

Stroke Survivors Need to Talk

Research with over 1,000 stroke survivors in the UK found that one in five choose to keep their fears to themselves (1).  Major fears included having another stroke, never getting better, and being sent to a long-term care facility.  Reasons for remaining silent included not wanting to worry others and not wanting to sound stupid.

I rarely discuss my stroke issues with family or friends for two reasons.  First, the challenges a stroke creates never ends.  I do not want to see able-bodied peoples' reaction to a litany of complaints that never end.  Second, after trying to explain a few problems to able-bodied people
I found they do not understand the emotional and physical toll a stroke creates.  In contrast, a stroke survivor recently thanked me for a presentation I gave.  I showed him a simple way to hold a toothbrush still while appying toothpaste with his sound hand.  He thanked me enthusiastically because he knew how irritating it would be to clean up sticky toothpaste when a toothbrush falls over every day until he dies.  He gets me and I get him.  Thank God reading stroke survivors blogs showed me that we can get better after rehab ends and my concerns are not stupid.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

1.  https://thiis.co.uk/research-reveals-the-often-silent-fears-and-concerns-putting-stroke-survivors-recoveries-at-risk/