Hi @ScottishMagic & welcome to the community. Thank you for sharing some of the things that have worked for you. I hope you find the community a useful place to be.
1 Like
Mum is in her mid-nineties and had her stroke six years ago.
It was an extreme stroke caused by a clot an which damaged a significant part of her brain (around two thirds) leaving her right side paralysed, aphasiac, vascular dementia. The clot buster she was given didnât work and she was taken to a nearby specialist who tried to remove the clot but this procedure was also unsuccessful. Based on that the consultants had nothing else to offer and we were told to accept we had lost our Mum.
All this is well documented on this forum and so I will not repeat it, but if you are interested you can search for posts under the âOur Storyâ category.
Since she was deemed beyond any help, nothing was offered and once medically stable, we were asked to take her home or into a care home. But we felt Mum was not ready to give up and she had shown us signs so we decided to give it a go and tried to help her as best as we could. We kept pushing for help and occasionally got a short stint with a physio but apart from that nothing else as in the early days she simply did not meet their minimum criteria to warrant further investment in the form of specialist support.
To make matters worse, Mum who was tee-total, strict vegetarian and very health conscious before the stroke and consequently super fit taking no artificial medicines, she was then put on medicines to âprevent further strokesâ. She didnât need any of them and we tried to get her taken off them as they tend not to agree with her. But as she was no longer able to demonstrate capacity to make decisions, these were made for her and she had to accept them.
We ended up with her being on the lowest dose of asprin as her only [preventative] medication but we did not realise and the doctors missed the fact this needed to be taken with a buddy drug (PPI inhibitor e.g. lansoprazole or omeprazole). Unfortunately, six years of asprin even on the lowest dose with no buddy drug to counter the side effects of asprin caused a stomach bleed that resulted in a hospital stay. Of course, she was immediately taken off the asprin and damage limitation, repair work was started by prescribing PPI omeprazole. This caused more problems which we are now in the process of addressing.
In all this time, Mum has herself âself healedâ countering the side-effects and dealing with all the challenges that have been put her way. This latest challenge has been her toughest and she has found it hard having survived six years post-stroke and repaired/recovered beyond belief. She was on the verge of being able to stand up and was making progress with other constraints but for now, she has had to accept she has to have a break to allow her body and brain to recover from the latest incident. Thankfully, as she always does, she is doing just that.
We will be looking to stop the latest medications but with caution as we donât know the extent of damage (from side effects) these are doing to her and how she will cope and repair this on top of her stroke recovery.
You and Mum has many parallels and similarities 
Take care.
1 Like
Manji - thank you for taking the time to explain that to me . Why are the dictating the decisions re medications and not a family member? mum sounds formidable and you sound like the Best support she could possibly have . Blessings to you both.
You donât work for Liberty - do you ?
1 Like
This might not be as mad as it sounds.
Last year, on two separate occasions I had two different GPs prescribing BP lowering medications based on a single BP reading they took whilst I was with them.
They said my BP was high and immediately prescribed the meds. I have documented this on this forum and so wonât repeat it. Needless to say, I put them right and I am not taking any BP lowering medication because
a) I donât have high BP (if anything it was the white coat syndrome)
b) There are plenty natural ways to manage and lower BP.
She has no LPA and it seems doctors can override what family /next of kin says if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the patient and as medical professionals I guess that is how they can dictate.
That said, when challenged they do not insist and so we have on occasions decided for Mum. But it is a dilemma for us as we can no longer be 100% certain we are acting in her best interests as she is non-verbal.
I donât work for Liberty and never have. Not sure if I know who they are .
A friend of mine once gave me a tie as a âthank youâ present that (the tie) was bought from Liberty!!
1 Like
I would be very interested in your natural ways for lowering BP. So far meditation/breathing and fasting are the only ones Iâve discovered.
I too suffer white coat syndrome .
2 Likes
Im on statins but I think cutting salt from cooking more fresh veg & fruit has done as much if not more. I canât prove that but I do believe it.
Anyone else?
1 Like
I havenât used salt for years but still got high cholesterol. But there isxa history of it in my family so genetics have played a part. It is still good to liqer salt intake & eat more fruit & veg though.
2 Likes
I have hereditary cholesterol. Cholesterol is reqyby the body. A lot of old people in care homes on statins die because of statins lowering cholesterol. Have a warm lemon water in the morning and eat an orange a day . As an alternative to statins pin bark extract has been used for hundreds of years in Europe and Scandinavia and indeed in clinical trials was proven to be more effective than aspirin
2 Likes
BP management:
- Diet/sensible eating (moderation rather than avoidance. I like wine, beers and spirits. In moderation and there are studies if you choose to believe that suggest they help)
- Good hydration
- Breathing exercises (I note you do this)
- Fasting (I note you do this)
- Physical activity
- Avoid stress (I practice stoicism)
- Regular sleep - try cat naps during day
- Quality time with family/partner
- Pets (cats/dogs - I donât have one but plan to get a dog)
- Acceptance (I donât worry about my abnormal health flags - high cholesterol, BMI (obese))
- Listen to your body.
Doing the above is not just good for my BP, it is good for my overall health.
I am also some who has taken cold showers for many years. (Not for everyone, but it works for me).
1 Like
Lol - I do exactly the same as you. Good to know 
Good to know there are other Brave souls out there. I loved your use of the word stoicism 
1 Like
Hello @HeatherT
My only advice is not getting better over time, both mentally and physically, but adaptability and control is key for him.
Celebrate in small wins of recovery but remember, from my experience, 1 step forward, 2 steps backwards, whereas adaptability and control finds a new outlet. Like my wife bought me a wooden chopping board because itâs a tricky thing doing sprouts without it. I used it for the first time the other day, and itâs full of adaptations that makes my life easier - winner!
M
1 Like
Actually, stoicism is something I am finding very difficult but it is probably the one thing that I am trying hardest to do because it is something I believe that is helping me the most. That and my breathing and Yoga or now âpseudoâ Tai Chi and QiGong.
Acceptance and gratitude also help.
2 Likes