Strokes filter fickle friendships and more often than not, challenge the vows of marriage. Strokes affect everyone differently. The degree of the disability caused by a stroke has to do with the section(s) of the brain deprived of oxygen, as well as the timely stroke care received. Stroke is the #1 cause of long-term disability. Dealing with this life-changing illness is traumatic and often is the cause of divorce and loss of friendships. Stripped of your pride, your dignity, your confidence and independence, the change caused by a stroke eliminates pretense and fallacy. The only thing that survives is the truth. Weak links, including friendships and even spouses, fall apart along the way to recovery. The fight to recover from a stroke is a battle that starts with realizing it really did happen to you! Yes, it really did!
Many victims of stroke need special care. Physical weakness, emotional challenges, including moodiness and unpredicted reasons for irritation, cause a lot of stress on the entire family. Weird as it may sound, another part of your personality may show up at the table for dinner and will blurt out nasty words and says mean things that, under normal circumstances, you would not do. Many marriages are dissolved for this reason.
Some of the other invisible disadvantages caused by a stroke may include sensitivity to smell, sound, height, touch, and visual blockages. Your nerves may also feel shattered. On top of all of that, a stroke survivor may also have problems with cognitive thinking, reasoning, intuition and /or perception. Seldom identified or acknowledged is the speed information is processed after a stroke.
Friends can play a vital role in recovery. Call the smartest friends you know to have dialogue with them. Your sentences may be choppy, but practice makes perfect. Talk, talk, talk, just like a baby learning how to speak, until the words start to flow. Fickle friends will run in the opposite direction, as if stroke is contagious. Loyal friends will eagerly play games like Scrabble, dominoes and other games that stimulate your brain. Friends will help you re-learn skills, read to you, massage you, offer positive feedback and say things that boost your spirit and confidence. Fickle friends will be negative and keep you drained of positive energy so the sooner they are dismissed, the better. As you continue to heal and recovery, reach out to be a friend to another stroke survivor and Keep Passing It Forward!
