For over 16 years now my hobby was reading and I had a you tube channel called ReadAlongWith Sue.this turned into publishers sending me books to review before they were published and I could review them…I enjoyed what I used to do but I shut my You tube channel down after I had a stroke but my other online media platforms remain. I was so tired and fatigued after my stroke and depressed I thought I’d never read a book again . I’ve recently returned to reading some physical books but mostly ebooks on my kindle app and audio books. Moral is you can achieve your hobbies you may have to adapt how you used to do them maybe?
Hello @Sue1958 - Welcome to the community. Thank you for joining us and for sharing your story. Well done on setting your goals and achieving them.
Look forward to you sharing with us some of your favourite reads.
I rejoined my local library at the beginning of last year and have read quite a few books since then. I am a slow reader and it takes me a longer time than most to finish a book and on occasions I actually don’t get to the end
Namaste|
Hi @Sue1958
Welcome to the community. What a great hobby! I’m pleased to hear you’ve got back to reading since your stroke. Looking forward to any book recommendations you may have
Anna
@Sue1958 Hi & welcome to the community. Great to hear that you have managed to get back to reading…something which you really enjoyed prior to your stroke.
I was an avid reader pre stroke & could always be found with a book in my hand. If I went shopping I would buy books like others buy shoes & handbags. It has taken me 3 years but I am now back reading books again too. Not as fast or as many as previously but I am just happy to be able to finish a book.
Best wishes
Ann
Glad to hear this! Reading is good for the soul I think.
Yep relate, I’ve always veered towards book shops, charity shops for books etc
Hello Sue,
Sorry to hear this.
Odd, but I’ve just started a YouTube channel called “Start Again”
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCekGYDKocAxZUANcv9P_fYw
Perhaps you could reopen yours ? now or one day soon ?
I’d love to hear a bit of reading ! Ciao, Roland
I struggle to read more than a paragraph at a time since my strokes but I I think my ADHD always made that hard! My photography has really helped me though and it gives me a reason to take a good walk each day. I would like to paint and draw but I haven’t much patience for that, I photograph whatever catches my eye and it helps a lot!
But you are doing what you enjoy so that’s good
And the moral of this story should be, never burn your bridges after a stroke.
Hi @Sue1958 and welcome to the forum
I got rid of a lot of my books, both on kindle and hard copy, months after my stroke thinking I’d never be able to read again. And I’ve been kicking myself ever since.
At the time, I was actually getting better, albeit a little at a time. But reading and writing still seemed a lifetime away. My biggest regret was the authors I was avidly following, it can take a couple of years between books in their series. Forgetting their names as well as their book titles
And then I got my reading ability back. Through practice, practice practice. I could never envisage I could but now I’m building my collection back up again I still can’t recall some of the authors, my sister helped with some but for others, well, they’ve been replaced by new ones
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
That’s a shame Emmerald, I gave away the ones I had read and some signed by authors even ones who mentioned me by m y review pen name “ReadAlonwithsue” do I regret it? Yes! Like you I thought nope I’ll never get back to reading too tired constantly can’t concentrate but I do have lots of books I’ve not read yet, and some of those on ebook, but hey if you can think of any and I own them….id gladly send them to you with my pleasure message me at any time, glad you’ve given it another try x
Good luck doing that, practice is the key to everything, I hope to read at length but I need more practice!
It certainly is Madjeff. Over my 4yr recovery, I’ve gone from barely managing to read a complete sentence to barely completing a paragraph.
I still struggle completing the last sentence in a paragraph before my brain wants to move on to the next. But, at the same time, I can now read a book in a couple of days again, so I can’t really complain now, can I
Lorraine
Wow as a book nerd, author and avid reader I am so glad you are embracing your passions again. Reading is so healing and good luck with your journey!
And good luck in your journey too. I believe you are starting a new job teaching disabled. I wish you well in your new roll. Having a disability yourself will help in both understanding and appreciation for both the students and yourself. And do ease yourself back in gradually and watch out for the fatigue. It’ll probably take you a few weeks to find that a new rythm and balance to avoid the fatigue.
Good Luck
Lorraine