Yes it’s very scary, Marie. But I think you will both begin to put together a support network and some resources to help you work through this together. This site is a good place to start.
I had my stroke at the beginning of January — a comparatively mild one. It took some weeks to get back to literacy and I was helped by an NHS speech therapist. I then developed an interest in “neuroplasticity” and read several books, articles, reports. That led me to Feldenkrais and I do a regular class now. I learned how important movement is for helping a damaged brain rewire itself and so I make sure I get out walking every day, unless the rain is very bad. Fresh air and sunshine are essential to my recovery. So is contact with friends — by phone, by text, and face-to-face. I have been suffering for several weeks with crippling anxiety in crowds and any kind of public place. I have some sessions of CBT planned for April. A friend has given me some good practical active, based on his own experience, of how to deal with this.
You also need to look after yourself and your own health. What do you need? You have to take care of your own health, physical and mental. I remember a pre-flight announcement once on an aeroplane. Parents were told to ensure that their own seat-belt was fastened BEFORE they attended to their child’s. Wise words!
What will work for you and your husband is not, of course, what is working for me. I simply use my case to illustrate the kinds of active steps you can both take to help recovery in the coming weeks. Things will definitely get better!
