Survival-inspired Stroke Therapy
Amy and her buddies at Memorial two weeks after the stroke
The idea to go sailing eight weeks after I had a right brain ischemic stroke seemed at first like a risky and crazy dream. The stroke paralyzed my left face, arm, leg and half of my torso. When my life partner (and Captain of the boat) said, “Why not? Let’s go for it! We’ll do whatever we have to do!” it was suddenly an achievable and very motivational goal. I can’t express how much I appreciate that attitude now. At the moment of the decision, four weeks after the stroke, I was
inpatient at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, wheel chair bound and couldn’t even do transfers (from bed to chair, chair to toilet, etc.) on my own. Yet I knew I was improving every day.
The stroke happened while I was asleep. I awoke at midnight and reached for my glass of water on the bedside table and I fell out of bed. Gary ran around to me and asked what happened. I guess my speech was slurred and then he asked me to press my feet into his hands and then to look at my watch with my left arm. I could do nothing on the left side. He said, “Amy this is serious.” He called 911 and said possible stroke. I thought, “No way, not me!” I ran three miles a day, have normal blood pressure and normal cholesterol. My only risk factor is that my grandfathers both died of strokes, and I was on the pill for 30 years. I am only 47 years old. Extensive testing by Parkview Hospital, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs could find no source of the blood clot that caused the stroke. Watch out! It can just happen out of the blue—think twice about your risk factors and minimize them.
We planned a pre-trip meeting with the eight members of the sailing crew at a restaurant in Westcliffe where I live. Even that was motivational as I had to at least be walking with a walker to travel there. My home is an 1880’s farm house with each room at a slightly different level-not wheel chair friendly! So the first step was to get from wheel chair to walker and my therapists worked hard to get me there. I was so relieved that the sailing crew whole heartedly welcomed me on the trip and accepted the inevitable inconvenience and added responsibility my presence created. The members were my sister, Laura and her husband Ron Torgerson, Lynn and Mark Prebble, and Jerry and Jacky Lawrence, and Captain Gary Ziegler.
My insurance dictated that 30 days inpatient was enough so I had to leave the hospital and transcend to outpatient. I was more than ready for a change of scene even though the 30 days had been quite amazing and full of progress. My friends and family provided overwhelming love and support. My room was so full of flowers and cards that it looked and smelled like a botanical garden. Even the president of my bank (Colo Mtn Bank in Westcliffe), Roy Gillmore came to visit the hospital and gave me flowers. My Book Club brought Thai food and wine and convened at the hospital one night.
My therapist at Memorial had said I was way too young for a walker, she thought I had to make a goal to use a staff instead. I envisioned myself as this Gandolf character walking the woods at Bear Basin Ranch and loved the idea. This same therapist also got me over a major hurdle with the survival inspired method. My hip and knee just would not lock in while walking. They would sink out leaving me on the floor or at least fearful of falling at any moment. Her solution had been to activate the survival instinct to get the brain to take over this function from a deeper undamaged area where your instinctual reactions stem from. She took me to the hospital stairways and up six steps and then placed both my hands on the rails. While fully protecting me with her shoulder under my back side, she lowered my left foot two steps and then told me to move my right foot beside it. It meant full weight on my bad left. The fear of falling down those steep concrete stairs, locked in that hip and knee and I executed the maneuver perfectly. On the next two steps down they had to stop and pry my left fingers from the rail before we could continue. Prior to this, I had no grip. After that exercise, she had me try and walk again and my hip and knee were fine. I was able to grip people’s hands from then on as well.
On the sailing trip, in Lynn’s care , I was experiencing similar advancement while in a survival mode. We snorkeled together with Lynn holding a tether attached to me. Jerry and Jacky also volunteered to shepherd me around in the warm water and were of constant valuable help. (After all the struggle through the airports, I was trying to give Gary a break and asking others to help). My left knee and ankle began to bend and kick those fins furiously when we had strong currents instead of the stiff legged method I had used in the pool prior to the trip. Also the paralyzed side of my mouth gripped the snorkel until I had to stop not because my legs were tired but because my mouth was. Now I can drink with no spillage on that side and the slightly sagging cheek is fully upright.
Lynn and Amy In the Virgin Islands
I take people on horse trips in Peru, Spain and Argentina for a living. I just rode a horse today (almost 3 months since the stroke) and it was a wonderful land mark in my recovery made possible I believe by the increased balance and endurance I have from the sailing trip. I’m walking now with a staff (a beauty made by Ken Wisecup).
My arm is still immobile. (I do believe I will eventually play violin again.) I see improvement every day. The sailing trip we just did early Oct (2 months after the stroke) to the Virgin Islands did wonders for my balance and stamina and a lot of other things. Lynn Prebble who has been a sailing buddy of ours for years is a retired Physical Therapist. She felt that the sailing trip was one big advanced therapy session.
After leaving Memorial I began outpatient with TLC in Canon City. When they learned about the sailing trip, they had two weeks notice, they pulled together a meeting with all their staff to brain storm how best to prepare me for it. Got to love that attitude! They had me swimming with mask and fins in their pool twice a week and helped me transition to walking with the staff.
I’m back now living with my Mom in Canon City and going to therapy at TLC during the week. They plan on electrical stimulation for my arm and fingers to signal the brain those muscles are s there wanting to play violin again. I’ll live at Bear Basin on the weekends and do hippo therapy (riding horses to strengthen my legs and balance further).
Amy riding Serengetti at Bear Basin Ranch
I want to thank all of you who sent cards and called or visited me during this tough time. Thanks to the Custer County ambulance crew who arrived in 20 minutes! And to our friend and my personal doctor, Robert Hamilton, whose medical decisions probably saved my life, who arranged for my flights to and from the Mayo Clinic including his own personal plane which saved us thousands of dollars. And my sister, Laura Torgerson who was with me from Parkview to Mayo Clinic and ever since . I love her so much! Of course thanks to Captain Gary Ziegler who thinks I can do anything (so therefore I can!) Thanks to the sailing crew and all of my brave and imaginative therapists. The outpouring of love from so many friends has been truly phenomenal. The list is too long- however you know who you are! I hope I don’t offend anyone by not mentioning your name. And there is nothing like your Mother in times like these. She is always there for me. It’s a shame both her daughters were on this sailing trip when her husband died and we were not there for her. It’s sad there is no therapy that could have helped my Dad, although I do wonder if the survival instinct might not be recruited for other medical dilemmas such as his Alzheimer’s.
With hopes this story might be helpful to others, I’ll sign off as your neighbor and Custer County resident since 1980,
Amy
