It Will Stick

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Reminds Me of ROM

ROM is Range of Motion. You want to keep your range of motion as you get older. If not, the body stiffens up and you can't move.

I saw the following video. 

It reminded me of when ROM exercises became active.  That meant I would do them. I'd use my good arm to move my bad arm. Before I did that, ROM was passive. A nurse or aide routinely moved my limbs.

 Use your good arm to move the other.

I saw this:

Radiation didn't make me glow.

"Stereotactic radiosurgey" is radiation. It's not just surgery. Radiation is the knife. This isn't regular surgery. 

To top it off, mine had never been done before. I didn't have to pay any money. Instead I had to sign papers that family could not sue if I died. I paid with my life. This surgery was a big gamble. I only had a 20-30% chance of survival. 

CLICK This video is on YouTube. 

It shows that beams of radiation were shot into my head.
Watch this video to understand my surgery. 
The radiation unit was mounted on a robot arm. There was no sliding.

 

This video wasn't available when I had my surgery, but you can see that it is from Stanford, where I had the procedure. A lot of this didn't happen with me. My surgery was before this protocol was developed, but a lot of the actions did happen in my case.

My situation was dire. That needs to be understood. 20% chance of survival was better than the current 0% that I had. I was living for almost two years knowing that I could instantly die if I sneezed wrong and set that thing off bleeding again. I had a vascular malformation in my head, not cancer. I had an AVM, an arteriovenous malformation.

I say that it was no big deal. I'm alive. I wouldn't be saying that if I was dead.  

Updated 7/27/2019

Basic Homecare

Basic Homecare, I will address what is in this folder and refer you to this blog as a whole since the G+ site is closing. Please join the blog. Know How covers many caregiving and therapy topics.

NUMBER ONE, BE SAFE!

I refer to my transfer, http://braininjuryknow.blogspot.com/2018/09/stand-and-pivot-transfer.htmlI
There are other ways.  Maybe you qualify for a mechanical lift. Your doctor or hospital can refer for training.

l used to use a sock aide. I have a video here.

.The fire dept is your last resort if your patient has fallen. Have a plan.

http://www.shieldhealthcare.com/community/caregivers/2018/04/13/what-to-do-after-fall/

 

Night Splint

Night splints- you are going to want something for the person who doesn't walk to wear in bed. The picture is just an idea. I had an all white one and now I have blue. You probably want a boot style with 2 or 3 straps. It has to be comfortable and easy to put on. Without something, bed covers can pull the foot down.

I cover the pressure sore, https://braininjuryknow.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-pressure-sore.html There are more than bed sores. They also occur in wheelchairs and from AFOs.

Don't expose your patient to germs http://braininjuryknow.blogspot.com/2018/02/no-germs.html

I last talk about my bed, http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2014/03/my-death-bed.html Hospital beds can be ordered by a doctor. They may not fit into a bedroom. Get creative and convert the living room or dining room. It's a good reason to redecorate.

My Stand and Pivot Transfer Tricks

It's usually called a lift, but if you do it just right, you are not lifting the patient. I'll give some of my secrets that on-the-job training did not give me. It mostly has to do with physics.

The typical person has a skeleton. You will be using the skeleton of the other person to bear their own weight. You don't bear the weight. Technically, you transferred the weight of the patient on to their legs. All you have to do is boost and provide a shoulder (or whole body) to lean on.

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The free videos I've seen are the proper way to transfer, in a hospital. Some of this does not or can not happen at home. Like I had one of those gait belts. A therapist left one on me and I came home. I don't know what happened to it. Homes don't come equipped with them and it might have been discarded. I never saw them in care homes.

They do save the clothes. When I say pull me back to my caregiver, I stand and the caregiver uses my pants. It does the job, but pants can rip. Belts don't and save the clothes.

**The transfer person's foot placement- IMPORTANT always have your foot in front. If not, you could both end up on the floor. If you are really strong, you may be able to transfer, but hurt yourself. I have a feeling this is what's happening to a lot of the family men and strong women.

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It's important to place the person's feet flat on the floor. You want them flat and properly spaced apart for standing. This is your foundation. What happens if you build on an unstable foundation? It falls. You will, too, if the feet aren't placed right.

Sit the person up. This is the first transfer of weight.

The person's legs should be able to bear weight. With the person sitting and their feet firmly placed in front, you are ready. If the person falls forward, the person is standing! That's all you do to get to standing. Help the person fall onto their legs.

This is where knowledge of the skeleton comes in handy. People have a leg joint called the knee. If you can, use your knee to push it back. This will lock the leg.

I wouldn't stand and dance, but you have enough time to turn and place the person in a wheelchair. Try the same action when going back to bed.

If bones are removed...

Submit Your Experience

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Having a Near Death Experience can take a lot out of you. Your muscles might not work. You might have frequent debilitating headaches. Your "mind"  might be wiped out. You just don't feel like it. It takes everything to communicate verbally with others just what happened. 

Maybe you don't speak anymore. I didn't at first. I had to come up with crazy ways just to get my point across. I was too involved to relate anything.

I put together some of the sites where you can report your experience. Someone else can do it for you, even. Just read the instructions. I'd have someone type while I talk. That's what I do with hand-writing. I will say what I want written.

https://iands.org/ndes/nde-stories/archives.html
IANDS is the big site.

http://www.nderf.org/ShareNDE.html
I got many recommendations for NDERF.

https://www.near-death.com/contact.html
I got one recommendation for this site.

http://www.oberf.org/forms/OberfShare.php
You never lost consciousness, but were physically aware the entire time of your experience use this link. 

These aren't the only sites. They were suggested. You may put others in the comments.

 

Breathing Correctly

I can't guarantee that you will be able to speak if your diaphragm is stronger. I don't know your specific case. It should help, though. Speech production is  getting air up and over your vocal cords.

This does help ward off pneumonia. It doesn't prevent it. -Angela

Not every case of not being able to produce speech is due to improper breathing, but knowing how to properly breathe can make a difference. The video comes from music. Voice training spends a great deal of time on this.

In the hospital, it is the respiratory therapist who is concerned about your breathing. My mother got a rather lengthy lecture. The speech person is the Speech and Language Therapist and is concerned with how you communicate with the world around you. Vocalizing may or may not be there. They may do sign language and other nonverbal ways to communicate.

When I first had my stroke, but before I could talk, I was put on a computer to learn how to indicate "yes/no" by using a special dot placed on my forehead, as I could only move my head. The dot operated a special mouse. I now use my left arm to type and I speak enough to get short messages out. Initially, I did not speak when I did that computer. I had to communicate in some way.

I have said before that I had a well-developed diaphragm before the stroke. This proper breathing video is that. It is breathing using the diaphragm.

 

 

I like the following video. The person who made it uses clips from other YouTube videos. I must have seen all of them while looking for that above one that I used. He also uses that one in this video.

Having a strong diaphragm may be why I talk now. Some doctors will say it is. I thought it was strong before I could talk. It was really only strong enough to keep me alive. Now it is stronger and I talk some. I guess I will be better when I can blow up a balloon. Yes, stronger breathing is something I still strive for.

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I once was hospitalized at Stanford for pneumonia. When I got better, they gave me a spirometer. The picture I found is the same brand. This one was followed by some numbers, so it must be a new improved version. I compete against myself, so I'd try to beat my previous score. 

The Voldyne Spirometer is sold on-line.