Lee Stroy – Stroke Recovery is a Journey
I'm Lee Story, a three-time stroke survivor. My strokes occurred all before the age of 40. I was forced to make drastic changes in my life to prevent another stroke from occurring. I went from taking zero medications to taking thirteen. My motivation was to not only prevent another stroke but to live a healthier lifestyle.
Doing that consists of being constantly inconsistent, but committed to a better quality of life. I say that because I have been on five different diets, 10 different exercises routines, and had plenty of times where I just want to give up. The one thing that kept me going was my commitment to a healthier life style.
Recovering from a stroke is a full-time job, and no one stroke is the same. What I have learned during my journey is that unlike a broken leg, which could take 8-12 weeks to recover, the brain heels at its own pace. Which is an extremely frustrating thing when we are all so used to putting a time table on everything. But when it comes to rewiring our brain and relearning simple things like walking, talking, eating – it is a major struggle.
Something I feel gets overlooked is the emotional aspect of the recovery because now after experiencing a stroke you are not the same person. My personal experience took me down all kinds of emotions feelings that I never experienced in my life from anxiety to depression to insomnia (due to the fact all three of my strokes occurred while I was asleep). I became insecure BUT before I got to all those feelings, I was in denial for over a year and half. I was in a place where: one, I had no idea what a stroke was and two, I was always asking myself why me??? WHY ME?? WHY ME??
Being able to make pivots throughout your journey is important and remember, you didn't arrive here overnight so it will take time to find the perfect pace to walk your marathon.
I'm proud to say at the current time, I'm down to taking five medication a day. And I just started a new diet and work out program a couple of months ago.
