As a newbie I love a laugh so I thought I’d give you a wee quiz about things that genuinely happened to me in my first year after my stroke. Remember I am Scottish so all answers are a possibility.
1. On walking back from a hospital appointment while crossing the road I was hit by a car and was sprawled across the bonnet. I had been diagnosed with visuospacial dysfunction and inability to judge speed and distance. Was the car
A. One I had owned and sold
B. One I had nicked a couple of years earlier
C. One I had sold in my daytime job
2. Standing in the kitchen one Sunday afternoon in 2017 I went completely blind in both eyes, complete darkness. It was not the first time, it could be one or both. My wife came over to support me putting her arms on my shoulders. Can you see now? My reply?
A. I hope I can sing like Stevie Wonder
B. So you think you are f…..g Jesus now
C. Who are you?
3. On my first kidney tests for possible damage due to the amount of medication given to keep me in the no end of joy of recovery I was handed a 5 litre bottle to use at home for my urine night and day. I was to return it within 4 days and if need be collect another one if I filled the first one by then. My reply?
Call me lacking in sympathy or humour, but a stroke is nothing to make light of. Though i only had a mini- stroke it’s not something I’d ever wish to make light of. I recovered well- but it’s still something which happened to me which I would not wish on anyone else.
I always get things wrong it’s a natural inborn reflex.
!. A
2. C
3. C
In all seriousness I feel I need to comment.
First, I have no desire to hurt or upset anyone.
Stroke is a pretty mean beast that deals out horrid and terrible experiences.
Some of us get poleaxed and left wondering how anyone can talk about somehow recovering,
but,
that doesn’t need to rob us of an appreciation of irony or the need to see what a joke it can be.
So if you can raise a tiny tiny smile, no matter how pathetic your circumstances, or even laugh out loud,
or giggle,
then good for you.
Sure enough there might be dark dark intervals,
but the sun does come out sometimes.
We need to make the most of that,
it is a sign that we are alive
and
will not be beaten.
In the four years since stroke it’s been a roller coaster ride, I’m not cured, but I haven’t fallen out of the car,
anyway,
it’s not all about me and I hope you will look forward to tomorrow with whatever it has to offer.
Best wishes to you.
We all have ways of relieving the tension caused by the seriousness of what we have faced, I have been known to be flippant about stroke at times, and having a limited filter have stunned a few people as I try and laugh off what has been terribly real and frightening for me, it has always been a coping mechanism. So in response to your quiz:
A Lada.
“I know the name, but I can’t quite place the face". - taken straight from Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton in What’s New Pussy Cat.
I don’t have an answer for the third one, but can attest to taking my sample bottle back and quipping to the nurse, not to get too excited, I haven’t brought a gift of Penderyn whiskey.
I know they weren’t part of the multiple choice but thought I’d chip in anyway.
Whilst you have no desire to hurt or cause offence this is how it came across. This site is about sharing and helping others. Bear in mind that others may not understand your viewpoint.
My preferred way of bringing light into darkness is to laugh, so I appreciated the intentions of this post. My answers: BBA, because they make you look like the biggest trouble maker.
I was not my intention to make light of stroke. It was my intention to show there can be humour amongst the pain and the tears during years of recovery. I have never thought why me or poor me, it happened and I tackle it head on everyday.
Do you think I find humour in being told over 10 years ago that I may no live to see the following morning? Or not being able to communicate, walk, talk and write overnight? Do I find humour in not knowing where my body is positioned in a room? Do I find humour in randomly going fully blind?
The answer to all the above and I could add half a dozen more is an absolute no I dont. There is no humour in any of that.
Where I can find humour is in what it has made me say or do because of the above. I don’t sit around feeling sorry for myself and everyday is a challenge.
More importantly to me, if I have offended you or anybody else reading my post while laughing at myself I am sorry. Please feel free to flag it and have it taken down.
Hi JimBob - For a Newbie you’re not doing too badly
You have been a welcome addition to this forum and have shared some very interesting tips and experiences since you joined. I am sure this is has been much appreciated - thank you
I think being able to laugh at yourself or the situation(s) you find yourself in is a wonderful personal attribute to have. "Laughter is the best medicine" is a phrase I have heard and I believe it is true. Laughter can also be contagious - when you laugh, almost always others will laugh with you. Of course there are different things that make different people laugh but in the main we can always find something that makes us laugh and I personally would very much encourage everyone to have a laugh.
As you say you are Scottish, I am thinking perhaps of the great Billy Connolly who certainly made me laugh.
In response to your quiz, I can have a stab at it … but I am applying some serious logic to this.
A - The car that you had owned and sold and it was out to get revenge!
A - I hope I can sing like Stevie Wonder. This has happened to you and so the joke had been sitting dormant in your brain
A - Do I look like a p…ng race horse? Just the Scottish sense of humour.
The answers are CBA. I won’t be posting or responding to posts. For me to have unintentionally offended even one person or possibly more is unacceptable behaviour on my part. I was laughing at myself no one else or their circumstances.
I don’t think you should apologise for saying what is in your heart.
We don’t all see things in exactly the same way, but it is important we are free to speak as we feel.
The thing about freedom is that if it doesn’t apply to everyone, regardless, then it isn’t freedom.
Well I can’t help it, I’m an idealist trying desperately to be a pragmatist.
(By the way, I still haven’t worked out which are the proper answers to your quiz.)
Lol – since posting I see you have revealed the answers.
Thanks for creating this thread. We need the occasional distraction.
Life can be oppressively boring and a little light relief is very welcome.
Please don’t be cowed, dismayed or inhibited by negative comments.
JimBob - I understand you might be upset that you may have unintentionally offended even one person and that for you this unacceptable behaviour. Perhaps when you have had the chance to think about this, you will reconsider your decision not to post or respond on this forum.
As a Newbie you may not have yet had the chance to see just exactly how disparate the membership of this community is and how we all react and respond to the same piece of information and in fact this is no different to life outside of this forum. Of course there are differences of opinion and sometimes people take offence based on their own views and standards. But going back to my Billy Connolly reference, you will know some may have taken offence to his brand of comedy or sense of humour but that is no reason to stop entertaining the many who didn’t
Ultimately, it’s your choice. You joined this community by choice and I expect for a very good reason and I am sure you know what that is, and now if you choose to not participate, that too is your choice. I really would like to think, once you have had the chance to rethink, you will continue to be an active member of this forum. but we are all free to choose.
In the event you choose not to respond, I would like to say it has been my pleasure to have met you and to have interacted with you albeit for a relatively short period of time and I wish you all the best.
Namaste|
P.S. I should add, I too have offended quite a few members on this forum, though it was never my intention and so I apologised sincerely and moved on. I had to choose between the joy of helping the many and the pain of hurting the one or two or maybe three or even more.
Awww dinnae upset yersel hen….you were only intending to offer some relief through humour…of course stroke is horrendous ( I had a triple whammy with heart failure and AFib) and my life was smashed to pieces and I am now relatively isolated cos I live alone….BUT I CAN STILL LARF at it all..I enjoyed your post….made me chuckle xx
@JimBob65 I too am Scottish and your quiz made me lol. Thanks for taking the time to type. I am feeling a bit down at the moment and that made me
Stroke isn’t all about doom and gloom. It’s uplifting to read jokes, funny stories, quizes basically anything that is not stroke related. Have an amazing day. Thank you for making ne smile Irene
Don’t ever stop, keep’em’coming, you are as entitled as the rest of us.
Laughter is a well-recognized and scientifically supported coping strategy used to reduce stress, manage anxiety, and improve emotional resilience. It is often classified as a positive, emotion-focused coping mechanism that helps individuals reframe challenging situations, create psychological distance from stressors, and foster a sense of control.
Gallows humour (or gallows humor) is a form of dark, ironic comedy that treats serious, painful, or terrifying subjects—such as death, disease, or war—in a light or satirical manner. It is often described as a coping mechanism, allowing people to maintain morale and find a sense of control in hopeless or high-stress situations
I was stripped of all emotions bar one, that was laughter. It was a blessing for the whole family. I even have a few humorous t-shirts that poke fun at myself which I wear to the gym. And they always bring a smile to people…and gets them talking to me which helps with my aphasia I’m not above killing two birds with one stone
Like I said, don’t stop the humour and don’t ever stop posting because of one. We all have our issues and opinions, we are all individual, and you can’t please everyone. But for those who do appreciate your sense of humour, you make their day and that is what counts!
My friend who also had a cerebellar stroke got us both printed stroke t-shirts that are boldly Gallows Humour in tone. I wear it in the Summer when I am fed up with my symptoms.
I’ve looked online for a stroke t-shirt but they’re all too serious and in your face and I’d already had enough of that reality or the humour too twee and sensible. Guess I’ll just have to design my own too
Irene
