Greetings Membas!
I am so pleased to come on here and write this message which it is hoped will inspire some of the readers.
My Mum has been laughing and joking over the last few days (in her own way as she is aphasiac).
Sometimes when this happens, I actually worry because I have read somewhere or come across something whereby it was suggested that this sort of behaviour is demonstrated when a person is preparing to meet their maker. That said, I have never thought this is something Mum would do and so I take it she is actually very happy, and why shouldn’t she be.
Those of you following our story will recall she was hospitalised in August following long term use of Asprin which had damaged her stomach lining. Well, she was taken off asprin and out on Omeprazole. Being a very sensitive person and one who does not take medicines by choice, she struggled to adjust and it took a while for her stomach issues to resolve but two months on, we feel that might have been achieved and she really has been so much happier.
Mum never had a plateau that she stayed at and has been on a continuous improvement from a very severe position from which she was not expected to recover or improve. But she has proven all the cynics, naysayers and experts wrong as she is healthier and stronger today than at any point since she had her stroke over six years ago.
She is sitting with me, listening to music and relaxing after her small supper.
Earlier she surprised by fully straightening her paralysed leg unaided. Sadly the non-paralysed leg has a “frozen” knee joint and she cannot straighten that - this is very unfortunate as this will now mean she has to sort this out before she can stand (which she will).
As well as that, she has been nil-by-mouth and again in the last few months, she has accepted water by mouth and she now takes half a glass easily.
All these things are hugely pleasing for us and we just can’t wait for the day when she utters a word we understand and the day she walks again.
One of the most amazing thing about this, is she has pretty much done it by herself i.e. she not had any noteworthy help from physio, OT or SaLT. Her stroke consultants and GP always say “keep her/make her comfortable” as she is too frail to undergo any treatment.
Being a warrior, she never gives up and has the scars to prove it.
Battle scars - not for those of a nervous disposition
This is just one of many bruises she has picked up and had to endure resulting from ill-trained care workers who do not understand how to move and handle one as delicate as Mum.
The arm has been bruised because carers have tried to [unnecessarily] restrain her. Instead of talking to her and asking her to raise her hand, they typically man handle her and she bruises very easily due to her age and long term use of blood thinners. Despite repeated requests to carers to be careful, to talk to Mum etc. they forget or revert to type and she ends up having bruises hare, there and everywhere, but I guess that is a small price to pay …
“Fools, I say, you do not know, my Mum has the Stroke Fairy in her sight!”
Thank you to Simon and Garfunkel for that line 
Namaste|
