My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte-Taylor

One of the books that I've read during my research into stroke was Jill Bolte-Taylor's My Stroke of Insight.

In 1996, Jill was 37 and she had a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. She had been trained as a neuroanatomist at Harvard and specialised as a brain scientist. As a result of the stroke, she couldn't walk, talk, read, write or remember her life before the stroke. Subsequently, she went through surgery to remove a golf ball-sized blood clot. She believes that she has completely recovered from the stroke - but it took eight years.

What is interesting about the book, is Jill's background, because when she started to regain capability and memory, should could put it into the scientific frameworks that she was familiar with.

This Youtube clip is of Jill speaking and describing her stroke, including the morning when the stroke occurred. (And she shows you a real brain!)



Jill credits her successful recovery to her understanding of brain plasticity - the ability of the brain to repaire, replace and retrain its neural circuitry.

What do you get from this book?

• Supporting evidence and explanation of brain plasticity, what I believe to be the greatest hope for stroke patients
• An understanding that recovery is a conscious decision, and that your mindfulness will support and speed your recovery
  
• Attitude is going to really help your recovery, ensure that you celebrate the recovery achievements instead of bemoaning the loss of function
  
• The brain's need for rest to allow recovery.
  

A link to the book on Amazon is here.

Stroke Statistics

I've just been doing some research, and there are some pretty sobering statistics about stroke out there!

Did you know?

• WHO estimates that there are 15 million strokes worldwide each year
• Approximately 22% of men and 25% of women who have a stroke die within a year
• Approximately 28% of strokes occur in people under 65
• Approximately one in 16 deaths in the US are due to stroke
• Stroke is the 3rd most common cause of death in the Western world (behind heart disease and cancer)
• 31% of stroke survivors require assistance in daily living
• 20% of stroke survivors require assistance in mobility
• 71% of stroke survivors who worked at the time of their stroke cannot work seven years after their stroke.

This is a very sobering analysis.

Constraint Induced Therapy - news story

Constraint Induced Therapy seems to be one of the most successful therapies for stroke patients.

CT, as it is also known, was developed by Dr Edward Taub as a result of his experimentation with monkeys. It has taken many years since his early research for this innovative therapy to become accepted. Now, however, after many supporting research trials, it is generally accepted that this form of therapy can deliver significant benefits to stroke patients and significantly improve their daily living.

Check out this YouTube clip from KCAL9, telling the success story of one stroke patient.

We're now on Squidoo

You can now read the Stroke Recovery Blog headlines on Squidoo, see
http://www.squidoo.com/stroke-recovery-advocate

The link between Sleep Apnoea and Stroke

Recently we've found out that Sleep Apnoea and Strokes are related. There is a link between Sleep Apnoea and Hypertension, which is a contributor to Stroke. Research has been undertaken at the American Academy of Neurology by the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. This indicates that those who have Sleep Apnoea and subsequently suffer a stroke leave hospital in worse shape than those without this condition.

Follow this link for more information: Click here

Welcome to the Stroke Recovery Advocate Blog

My name is Peter Baartz. In November 2007, I had a major stroke in my right frontal lobe that affected the left side of my body. My wife, Bronwyn, and I have created stroke-recovery-advocate to share our experiences. On the blog, I will be giving you insights from the patient's perspective.