Hello. I’m Terry and my wife is Gill. I suffered a severe stroke a few years back which changed our lives. We decided early on to be grateful for the good things, help each other cope with the bad, and celebrate even the smallest excuses for a laugh. We hope our blog will inform, interest or amuse others suffering, or involved with, similar situations.
Gill speaking. The stroke ended Terry’s career in business-to-business sales; I used to be in education, now I write fiction – i.e., most of the time, I make stuff up. But not here. We’re a long way from that first episode of high drama. A long way from the worst, when he lost the use of his dominant side. 7 years on, his speech isn’t too much of a problem — let’s face it, he was always a mumbler. He can walk, but only with a stick. He can drive, he can research any topic, and oh my God he can buy stuff on the internet. But he can’t yet write without the pen flying across the room, and this is a huge frustration. The motor skills in that right hand are better than they were, but his guitars hang silent on the wall. At least he hasn’t sold them. Watch this space.
In this blog we’re mostly going to deal with rehab for the long haul. Because you don’t hear much about that. We’ll share experiences, annoyances but also things to celebrate. The stuff that keeps you motivated.