Moving on...

Troy will be moving to a new rehab facility next week. We'll keep you posted on where. Right now they are working on availability and length of time. I think I have learned more about medical, insurance and rehab terms in two weeks then students actual do in medical school.

Troy is still working hard on mobility. The nurse says that his knee buckles and his foot is still dropped. Once he's discharged from Eastern Maine Medical we'll be able to get him fitted for a brace to stabilize his right leg. He may not need to wear it forever, but for now it will help to strengthen his leg.

He thanks you all for your well wishes and kind words. We'll keep you posted more once he moves to rehab in Auburn. I'm checking his Facebook account so if you have any questions don't hesitate to email him. He may not be the one answering back to you though...his little sister will have that covered (well kind of). I'm trying to stay on top of everything. :-) Take care all and will post soon.

Not your Typical Beauty Contest Shave

OT has shaved my arm and leg to be able to place the Kinesio Tape, which activates feeling informing the brain there is an arm and leg attached to my body. And that’s my professional opinion. There’s always something lost in the translation, but you get the picture. I’ve posted pictures of what it looks like and I'll post the video later to show you how it helps the movement in my arm and leg. Just having a little technical difficulties with the video. :-)

My Daily Routine

This is my first post other than the one’s that Barb wrote. She’s typing for me. It’s hard to type with one hand, focus on the screen, and deal with my limp arm, which I’m working on strengthening in OT. My days are pretty hectic with multiple therapies. I wake up and shower at 7:30am (with help from a nurse). Then I eat breakfast. After my morning events they take me down for physical therapy where I work walking and strengthening my arm. I also have a speech therapy where the teach me exercises I can do to strengthen my throat muscles to be able to swallow without chocking. Right now, every beverage needs a tsp. of thicket (a powdered substance to mix with a regular liquid to make it thicker and easier to swallow). I pretty much on the go from 715am until I go to bread. I get a break for lunch for a couple hours. When I’m not in therapy or eating I’m sleeping. I get tired easy, but push myself to work the right leg and arm. In this picture Troy thought he would place a joke on my Aunt Marion and I...chocking on a fish bone. I don't think I moved so fast across the room! When I reached him to initiate the heimlich, he laughed. Ya real funny!!! NOT! Everything he eats needs to be mushy or cut up really good.

The Stroke

May 2nd it happened. It was told to us that it would happen again, but when we didn't know. The doctors thought it would happen before he was 14. Well they had one number correct...it was at 44 that Troy had a TIA (transient ischemic attack) stroke. The events of the evening are strikingly clear, however the reason's are not. He was transported to Franklin Memorial Hospital by ambulance, where he underwent several test which didn't result in a stroke diagnoses. It wasn't until they transported him to Bangor that they determined that he did have a stroke. The week of events were a whirl wind. The stories on this blog will fill you in on his recovery.

Walking a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes

Have you ever wanted to be someone else? To live a day not being yourself? To have opportunities that seem out of your reach? Be careful what you wish for. The reality is however, what we see on the outside is not always what is going on in the inside, especially for those who have a loved one with a brain injury. This blog will be a catalyst for helping others understand how a family has lived with a loved one with a brain injury and grown from the experience.

Troy and I will delve into why it happened and document his journey through the process of living with a brain injury. I'm Barbara Morgan-White and this is the day in the life of my brother Troy.

No one has the "perfect" life, it's what we make of the life we have that is important. Embrace who you are, find your inner strengths and empower others to do the same.