Do you think that thermal gloves will help the pain in my hand from tennis elbow Anne
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I’m not sure if thermal gloves will help your tennis elbow pain. You have nothing to lose by trying though.
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Hi Anne I’ve been to electrode appointment. She showed me different places to put them to get my fingers moving so took a picture to make sure I put them in right place when I do it. Starting tonight.
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I’ve just tried to put electrodes same as picture and all I got was my arm near black electrode spasming and going inwards.
I tried 6 times but fingers never moved so I give up. I have resigned myself to the fact I’ll never walk again or use my hand again. I’m going to phone the lady tomorrow and tell her that I feel like bringing the electrodes back and not bothering as I will never get it right and have no patience anymore
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I think with electrodes you have to find exactly the right spot for them to work properly. Some people mark their arms / legs so they can get them on right all the time. This may be something you could ask them to do for you perhaps. Not ideal but at least you won’t have to spend ages trying to get it right when you use them. I know when I tried FES (a similar thing to what you’re using) it didn’t work for me. Even the orthotics team couldn’t get it to work.
You have to remember that after a stroke it can take a long time to get functional use back in your arms/legs and you have to be patient with it all. I know that isn’t easy as I am not a very patient person myself. You are walking already it is just a case of building up the strength and stamina so you can go further and in time it will get easier. One thing for sure though is if you don’t keep trying you will never get it all back. You must keep trying. You will get there.
Hope the call with the electrodes team went ok.
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Hi Anne I tried electrodes and with a few adjustments I managed to find where to put electrodes so my fingers moved then I used a black sharpie pen to mark the edges.
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Brilliant. Glad you’ve managed to sort it.
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Tried today and all that happened was my wrist lifted.
I got a call back from the lady and did everything she advised but the that is all that happened
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It sounds like you just need to make a few adjustments to where you put the electrodes. This will be trial and error for a bit I suspect.
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Did that this morning Anne just like lady advised and did stretching with my fingers but nothing moved no matter what I did.
What makes me mad is that people with dementia get more help than stroke people.
Before my stroke I had depression and now just like I read it’s 4 times worse and patience I have none. I don’t even know if I’m doing squats properly as there is nobody to show me.
Nhs need to get their priorities right.
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You may find that you have some days where things don’t work as well as other days. The road to recovery is not a smooth one.
I have put a link below to some youtube videos on squats & other exercises. These should help you work out if you’re doing them correctly.
https://m.youtube.com/results?search_query=squats+for+stroke+patients&sp=mAEA
Did your previous physio show you how to do your exercises? I am sure you’re not too far away from how they should be done.
Perhaps get your GP to refer you to physio again even if you only have 1 appointment to go through how to do your exercises correctly.
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Hi Anne last physio focused on walking.
Got me balancing and 1 leg stands but not squats.
And when it comes to doctor referring me to a physio he said there is no one except community physio who doesn’t want to know.
This morning when I yawned my fingers opened fully and when I had an itch and scratched it same happened but not when I used electrodes today?
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A few other people have said about their fingers/arms moving when they yawn or scratch their ear.
That’s a good sign as it sounds like some connections are being formed. Even if it seems odd keep trying to get your fingers moving by yawning etc as it will help your brain recognise that you arm/hand is there.
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Thanks Anne for the advice and being there.
Doctor also said don’t hold your breath.
A hospital in London had 11000 stroke patients in 1 year but yet it’s not classed as life changing or an important illness to the NHS.
They need to wake up
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Stroke aftercare does seem to be a postcode lottery. Some people get good aftercare others seem to get very little / nothing. The NHS is in a mess and I really don’t know how they are going to sort it out.
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Only way it will get sorted is with a different government love.
Bet I’m not the only one who thinks that.
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Today I looked at both my legs and at the top of my bad one seems to be getting abit fatter but not above my knee for some reason.
I do squats every day but I have a feeling not enough and 1 leg stands twice a day including knee bending
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Hi Anne I’m sat here and my thumb is spasming
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The spasms in your thumb could be a sign of the brain trying to make new connections especially if this is a new thing and your muscles were previously paralysed. It could also be a sign of spasticity though and if this is the case then that would need checking out by a Dr so that they can recommend the right course of treatment for it. Botox is one of the treatments available and I believe you already having that.
The muscles in your leg will take time to build up. Sounds like progress is being made though. If you are used to the level of exercise you are doing you need to up it a level to continue to get results - that might be doing more squats or trying to go lower with them for example. Not too low though…you don’t want to fall over.
Thanks for your advice Anne trouble is that when I wake up my knee hurts bad and good so I’m doing same amount for a while. Squats seem to help good leg.
I squat and then push up with bad leg.
When I lay on my back in bed my fingers sometimes open when I stretch but sometimes it’s just my knuckles that move up. I’m due for botox on 25th