Upper limb return

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Arm recovery 12 months

Hi I’m new to the community you truly helped me in my period of rehab

I’m 12 months on from a life changing ischemic stroke which left me with a Hemiplegic left arm and wheelchair bound I’m now thankfully walking everyday.

My main question is around arm return. At the moment my shoulder works where I can abduct my left arm I still have very littlemotor and function. There isn’t a day I don’t do something that involves stimulating the arm I’m just wondering does anyone know or have experience of stroke survivors recovering function in the arm. I just feel when I ask professionals there is very little positivity a sign of some hope would be great

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Hi @Kevin83 & welcome tp the forum. I can’t help with your specific question but just wanted to welcome you.

Best wishes

Ann

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Excellent news, Simon,

Great that you share this thread and your story
I am writing a book, and have been doing so in the 9 months since my stroke
(updated 2-3x per week…in real time), otherwise I’d have written a lot more here…
I know a lot of books have been written by stroke survivors… let’s hope there’s room for one more. If it can help others overcome the obstacles and struggles post stroke, I’d be well satisfied.

I know my stroke was not really the most common in terms of what caused it, and what happened with my recovery. What sets me aside from 99% of serious strokes is that my arm and hand were remapped 10 days after my stroke. That is to say while my right side was well and truly paralysed, my Chinese dr. gave commands (which ultimately were relayed by me) so that my conscious brain remapped, or took control of each muscle in turn, assigning a new undamaged part of the brain to command my right upper limb. This took about 8x 45 minute sessions to accomplish. It left me feeling I had a 3rd phantom arm strapped to my body, but that feeling has now gone, and I am left with a hugely more capable right arm.

It is very unusual for this to happen in this day and age. It is rather an old school procedure, I doubt there are many survivors who have had this “done to them”. So, that is one way in which my stroke recovery differs from everyone else, but it’s not the only unusual feature of my stroke. I have done a great deal of reading and studying particularly about the return of sensitivity ; and don’t get me started on proprioception !! My right arm had complete and full range of movement, but no feeling… totally missing a feeling of presence and weight… in the dark it was gone. I devised a routine which I performed religiously for a full month, until, 6 months exactly after my stroke the return of sensation in my hand started to return. This second remarkable event was accompanied by all sorts of methods and strategies I adopted for getting my life back.

I am not finished on that journey, by a long way. I heard someone today claim that life was boring for a middle aged healthy man like himself. Have a stroke? I thought. No, I’d not wish it on anyone, but life did not get boring for me… rather, it’s kept me very busy plus I’ve been doing more thinking than I ever did and work at exercises all day.

Sorry for the long post, but I intend to keep reporting on my progress… breakthroughs are bound to happen. Life is rather exciting, though I still walk poorly and with a stick. That too will change, one day…

Happy weekend folks,
& Good luck, Roland

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Hi Kevin,

I know exactly how you must feel.
I had a serious stroke, but my affected arm was “remapped” ( to a different part of my brain ). This has to be done 10 days after a stroke ( for BDNF to settle etc. )
I just wrote a little more about it in my reply to SimonInEdinburgh

Good luck with your arm & rehab, Roland

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Although I don’t really feel much on my left side, I am able to use it fairly well after playing with tot toys, then some rehab after a fall at 12 months, plus being angry that people would set drink or food or phone to far away for me to reach but I couldn’t talk to ask for them, so my anger got me to work on it, propping with pillows with my right hand or using the call light to throw at it and pull toward me. My impatience sometimes pays off, except the times I tried to use the hospital table as a walker when I couldn’t walk, or roll over the siderails to try to walk. I kept forgetting I couldn’t. Funny now. Not funny just hanging there until someone decides to come around and find me.

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@Kevin83 i had problems with my left arm, i have had 5 rounds of physio, plus 1 round of muscular skeletal physio. your GP can refer you for that. i now do the exercises at home 3 times a day i have more movement in my left arm not perfect but if you don’t use it you’ll lose it.
good luck
regards Chris

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