My name is David Oddie. Two years ago I suffered a brain stem stroke, which has radically affected my mobility, balance and my capacity to swallow. The impact of the latter is made worse by radiotherapy I had ten years ago. I am due to have an operation shortly to dilate the oesophagus so I can begin to swallow my own saliva and some puréed foods. My mobility seems to be on a plateau which is frustrating. I still feel dizzy and unpleasantly drunk, which is disorientating: I don’t feel well. Boohoo!
When I was in hospital I began writing a series of letters to myself from different stages of my life, a process I found very therapeutic. The letters are now published asa book, ‘Now then.’ The second part of the book is an account of how my wife, who suffers from ME, and I coped with discharge with initially very little support.
I would like to reach out to others with whom my experience of the stroke story might resonate and share experiences of the journey.
David
@Indra hi David & welcome to the community. Sorry you’ve had cause to join us. It must have been very difficult for & your wife with her ME too.
Good to hear that documenting your journey has helped. I found writing a bit of poetry helped me initially. Something i had never done before but helped me understand what had gone on & also a good way to help my family understand how i felt.
Hi David and welcome to the forum. I tend to look at plateaus as the staircase landings, where you can stop to rest and regroup before you climb the next flight. So don’t give up hope, and don’t settle for less
Thanks. I would particularly like to dialogue with others who have experienced a similar feeling of post stroke dizziness, as if I was woozy and unpleasantly drunk. It is a constant feeling of being unwell and off balance. I walk every day and do regular physio exercises.
