Walking in the Dark

I need light to see if I am standing upright because a stroke stole my ability to feel where vertical is.  Unfortunately, my electricity goes out one or two times a year so I have learned to be afraid of the dark.  Instead of moving to a long-term care facility I put flashlights every place I sit (couch, computer, kitchen table).  My leg brace allows me to carry a flashlight in my sound so I can walk to a phone to report the outage.  However, when I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night I am barefoot.  I need a quadcane in my sound hand instead of a flashlight.  A friend showed me her Energizer Folding Lantern.  It has a large handle so I can carry my quadcane and the lantern in my sound hand.  Thanks to a silvery lining this lantern is bright enough to light the few feet I need to walk to my on-suite bathroom.  

This lantern opens like a clam shell when I need to replace the batteries.  I need a big screwdriver to remove 2 screws (see small white circles) to open the battery compartment.  Searching for a screwdriver is maddening so I bought a screwdriver just for the lantern.

I keep the lantern, screwdriver, and replacement batteries next to my bed on an 8 inch wide rolling cart I found at Target.  It is the Household Essentials 3 shelf utility cart.  Before I get into bed, I place the cart where I can pull it close to me without getting up.  The lantern is on the middle shelf so I can turn it on while lying in bed.  In the dark I slide my fingers along the edge of the shelf until I feel the lantern handle.  This tells me where the on-switch is.   homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

The Only Cutting Board That Works Great

I had a 2nd stroke so I got serious about a low salt diet.  Unfortunately, food does not have much flavor without salt so I started adding aromatics like onions.  The standard cutting board for one-handed people shown on the right is not that helpful.  Impaling food on 1 nail allows the food to swivel.  Two raised edges on the left back corner holds food still ONLY if you push the knife towards the corner.  Food like peanut butter gets smeared on the raised edge.

A cutting board that works much better is the Swedish cutting Board (1). The part I use the most is the adjustable vise (see red knob) that can be taken apart to be washed.  The vise makes it easy to spread food on bread and slice a thin English muffin, a soft tomato, or a whole head of lettuce.  Instead of 2 nails, I impale meat on 9 prongs.  This small section lifts out of the cutting board so I can put it in the dishwasher.  See the empty space in Figure 7.8 below.



For safety I cut food by using my palm to push down on a large chef's knife.  This lets me keep the ends of my paralyzed fingers away from the blade (see arrow in Figure 7.8). 

This cutting board is more expensive than a regular board but I think it is worth every penny. It makes food preparation safer, faster, and less frustrating.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com


1. Dutton, R. My Last Degree: A Therapist Goes Home After a Stroke, 2nd ed. 2013; Booklocker.

The Only Magic Bullet I Have Found

Sometimes stroke survivors tune people out, but not necessarily for the reason you think.  When I am struggling with a task, I start talking to myself.  For example, when I heard my toe scuffing the floor because I did not lift my leg high enough in the 1st year I silently said "knee up, knee up."  If someone was talking to me at that moment I did not hear what that person said.  I cannot listen to other people when I am talking to myself.  If you want me to process new information or I want to participate in a discussion, I need to sit down.
 
Avoiding multitasking is a magic bullet because it has an immediate effect.  By not dividing my attention, I  focus all my energy on the part of my brain I need to use right now.  When I take a hot dish out of the the oven I stop talking to guests.  I need to monitor my hemiplegic hand to make sure it maintains a firm grip on the 400 degree handle.  When I drive during rush hour I turn off the radio.  I need to respond quickly to aggressive, unpredictable, impatient drivers.

I am not saying stroke survivors can never multitask.  However, it can take many repetitions before a task becomes so automatic that I can simultaneously pay attention to a second task. 
homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

Sitting In the Dark

I live alone so when the electricity goes out 2 to 3 times a year I have to handle it.  My stroke took away my ability to know where vertical is unless I can see my surroundings.  So I put flashlights in every room.  My plan worked until last night when the house went completely black while I was watching TV at 10 p.m.  I reached down for the flashlight on the floor next to my couch.  I started to freak out when I could not find it.  The electricity has gone off for hours in the past and sitting on my short couch until sunrise would be awful.  I finally found the flashlight, but after the lights came back on I moved it to the tray on my couch that holds my remote control devices.  

Thank God I have another flashlight on the counter directly behind the place I sit at my kitchen table and a flashlight on the floor right next my computer desk.   homeafterstroke.blogspot.com

I Need to Walk on More than Linoleum

I am glad I had PT after I came home from my knee replacement surgery for what used to be my sound leg.  The first time I walked across carpeting with a cane instead of a walker I was wobbly.  The carpeting felt uneven after waking on linoleum at the hospital and in-patient rehab.  I was glad I had a home health PT to steady me when I panicked.  Half of fall prevention is reducing fear that makes me stiffen up.

The first time I walked outside I was startled by a car that came around the corner quickly.  I did not know the hospital environment had allowed me to develop the bad habit of staring at the ground when I walked.  Again I was glad to have a PT by my side when I froze.  This upsetting experience made me realize I was staring at the floor inside my home as well.  So I began practicing walking while looking up in this less challenging indoor environment.  Walking on linoleum in wide spaces while PTs decide who goes 1st when two clients cross paths does not help stroke survivors learn to divide their attention between environmental challenges and controlling their body. 
homeafterstroke.blogspot.com