MARATHI POET | WRITER | ORATOR

Brain stroke therapy

How I enjoyed my therapy sessions

As mentioned in the previous article I will tell you how I take my therapy session. Dr. Vaishnavi Joshi who is an occupational therapist we requested to take daily sessions in our home. After discharge the next day she came to our home for taking sessions.  But before proceeding further do you know-

What is Occupational Therapist?

Even I heard the first time in hospital. Occupational Therapist promotes a person’s ability to fulfill their daily routines and roles. Exactly what does mean that they make you capable to do your daily task as per your profession. If you are small children they make you capable of doing the school-related task which you can perform. In my case, I’m a software developer and I must type keys on the laptop so they make me able to type the keys on the laptop.

What is the difference between a Physiotherapist and an Occupational Therapist?

According to the definition of Dr. Vaishnavi, she explained me very well. She told me Physiotherapist are those जो दिमाग से काम करते है and Occupational Therapist are those जो दिल और दिमाग से काम करते है|

In bookish language- A physiotherapist will focus on treating a client’s injury and working to improve his/her ability to perform a movement of the human body. Meanwhile, an occupational therapist will help the injured person improve their ability to perform activities of daily living independently following a period of physical impairment.

Dr. Vaishnavi

We started balance activities for 10 counts (sec), wall pressing by both hands and right hand. Holding a syrup bottle, holding a chair, object transfer, elbow support exercises, lower limb, light strengthening exercises, passive mobilization exercises for Right hand, Reach & Release exercises initiated for gross motor function. Dr. Vaishnavi came for 6 days after that due to her medical condition she sends her friend, her friend’s name is Dr. Janki. Dr. Vaishnavi rejoined after she recovered.

Dr. Janki

Dr. Janki Parekh is proper from “city of dreams” i.e. Mumbai. She is a nice dancer. She came to Nagpur for her masters.  As she is from Mumbai, she knows the value of time. She came on time and leaves on time. She dedicatedly spends time on therapy. She is a very innovative girl, she makes devices for her patients as per the requirements. She makes her patient completely satisfied by making them completely recovered. I got to know her after 4 days as she is from Mumbai. We together share some happy moments. Because there are lots of chances to get depression during this recovery period. It needed the to patient stay positive and happy. We started with composite stretching and strengthening exercise with the right hand, Muscle stimulator (Electric Current on right hand) to stimulate the forearm muscles and finger flexor muscles. Later we started Thumb muscle and Median nerve stimulation. During Muscle stimulation usually we talked about Mumbai’s culture, engineering, and medical science. She explained to me in depth about each exercise- why we are doing this exercise, what we will achieve from this exercise? She is not only a doctor but also a good friend. She is also a good teacher as I understand and everything she explained to me, I don’t have any medical background still I understand it in depth. One day she asked me do I understand whatever she explained to me to date. I said yes. She later told me she likes to teach and she teaches in GMC (Government Medical College) to juniors. After Muscle stimulation, we performed wrist extension exercises with weight.

At starting I couldn’t hold any object. I was dependent on someone. Even I couldn’t do bathing, I couldn’t eat the food on my own. How it was achieved? I will tell you to step by step. It was achieved by the following exercise:

  • Threading the beads with all fingers
  • Place the clips on curtains with all fingers
  • Finger walking
  • Pull the Theraputty (Clay) with two fingers
  • Striking the coins (striker of carom)
  • Ball catching and release
  • Ball pressing
  • Thumb opposition and abduction exercise

These all exercises improving finger extension. So that I was able to do the bath and break the rotis/chapatis into pieces. But how she made these tasks interesting by giving some examples. For Finger walking, she gave the name Moonwalk of Michael Jackson. When I strike a coin sometimes it gone in the wrong direction that time she sang the song ‘Ghar se nikalte hi Kuch dur Chalte hi’. Sometimes she gave examples of Tom & Jerry, Three Idiots, etc. She used to play chess with me it helped me to grasp and release the object. She used to play catch-catch with the ball so it helped me to release the object because previously it was difficult to release the object for me. She gave me a task to walk in a straight line without looking downward direction, I used to look straight at 90 degrees. For balancing, she asked me to visualize if you are playing lagori, in a similar way you have to jump from one tile to another which helped me to gain proper balance. After achieving that she asked me to jump on cross tiles. That made my session interesting. I enjoyed her therapy session. Dr. Janki took my session for around 1 and a half months. Later Dr. Vaishnavi came back again. But before she ends her session, I learned how to hold a pen. I started the practice of writing every day. If she counts for ten-second for five repetitions, she counts in a unique way. Ex- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, then start with two by skipping one 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, start with three by skipping one 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, start with four by skipping one 4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, finally start with five by skipping one 5 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. So there is no chance to forget the count.

Rejoining of Dr. Vaishnavi

Dr. Vaishnavi who born and brought up in Nagpur. She is creative. She is a graphics designer, poet, singer, and writer. She also draws sketches and loves to cook food. She is a complete combo pack. We started with heavy exercises for lower limbs just like Planks, mountain climbers, Pelvic bridging, Superman Exercise (Previously I didn’t know the name but I relate this position to Hanuman, So once I told her that time she told me the real name as Superman exercise). Later she initiated extensive hand rehab muscular stimulation on my right hand. She again added the difficulty level by increasing again heavy exercises like crunches, invisible chair, and knee pushups were extremely difficult for me. After that, we initiated the typing on laptop and mobile with the right hand. After I got a grip in hand then we started driving in the parking area till that time I was practicing balance the vehicle and gripping the handle. She asked about my hobbies once and gave the task to me for composing a piece of music and do the animation. But I forget many things like forgetting the languages (English, Marathi, Hindi), Technologies which I was working, programming languages, Even How to hold the pen. It was very difficult for me to hold the pen. Because I forget it, how I used to hold the pen whether I hold by two fingers or three I don’t know. It was a problematic thing. So memory loss is also a part of brain stroke I later got to know.  But they both encouraged me to give my best.

What things I forgot and what efforts I took to retain them back

I forgot the languages- English, Marathi, Hindi, and Bengali. So its an effect on my creativity. I am still not able to make poems. But I am learning from scratch. For Hindi- Dr. Vaishnavi and Dr. Janki used to talk with me in Hindi. That’s how I learned Hindi. For Marathi- I don’t make any efforts to learn Marathi, because I am Maharashtrian talking to family is enough. But what was important to learn English, So most of the time Dr. Janki used to talk with me in English and the second thing I would like to mention is Sonam Sudam mam from Tutorials Point (YouTube Channel) these videos helped me to gain English knowledge.

Similarly, I forgot my technology, so I am learning it from scratch. An engineer dedicatedly spends four years learning basic technologies. I forgot basic programming languages C, C++, Java. I was working on cloud technologies that also I forgot. So I am learning it from scratch.

I forgot Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After effects, Illustrator, etc. These are my identity as a graphics designer. Even I forgot how I used to hold the pen. It was a very difficult task for me. I was confused about whether I used to hold a pen with two fingers or three fingers. I asked my family members each one’s method was different. But Dr. Vaishnavi helped me to hold the pen.

Even I forgot playing the Tabla, how used to make poems, articles, etc. So basically I lost my creativity. There are many things which I forgot, I can’t explain in words. Sometimes I overthink about all of these but my doctor suggested day by day you will recall it.

Hand Activities

For Hand activities Dr. Vaishnavi continuous to give Muscle Stimulation on the right hand. Wall pressing and activities with Napkin helped me for finger moments. But what about the typing? For typing she gave me special exercises like holding the clips and press them with two fingers, doing mudras with all five fingers, Press individual fingers on theraputty (Clay). For fine moments, she asked me to make wheat flour dough by kneading it perfectly. The most important thing paper tearing and finger stretcher, it was started by Dr. Janki, and Dr. Vaishnavi asked me to continue these exercises. Both girls are creative and innovative. They know how to treat patients perfectly. How to make patients positive and happy. Because brain stroke made you start negative thinking. But they both make me feel positive and happy always.

All about the Brain Stroke

A stroke is an abrupt interruption of constant blood flow to the brain that causes loss of neurological function. The interruption of blood flow can be caused by a blockage, leading to the more common. Although they are more common in older adults, strokes can occur at any age. Understanding the factors that increase your risk of a stroke and recognizing the symptoms may help you prevent a stroke. Receiving early diagnosis and treatment may improve your chances for complete recovery.

Causes of Stroke

A blocked artery or leaking or bursting of a blood vessel. Even hypertension is a main cause of stroke. Some people may have only a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain. I had three clots in my brain. The supply of blood blocked in my brain was the main reason in my case.

Stroke Symptoms

 

  • Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting
  • Unusually severe headache
  • Confusion, disorientation, or memory loss
  • Numbness, weakness in an arm, leg, or the face, especially on one side
  • Abnormal or slurred speech
  • Difficulty with comprehension
  • Loss of vision or difficulty seeing
  • Loss of balance, coordination, or the ability to walk

Stroke Effects

 

  • Paralysis on one side of the body
  • Vision problems
  • Quick, inquisitive, or purposeless behavior
  • Memory loss

HOW TO PREVENT A STROKE FROM RECURRING – BASIC RULES:

Lifestyle is the main thing. We are heading in the wrong direction. We continue working on computer or phone. Usually, we take street food or junk food. Smoking and consumption of alcohol are the main reason for Brain stroke. So how to prevent the stroke-

  1. Quit Smoking
  2. Quit Drinking
  3. Control your blood pressure – You have to control anger and hypertension. Be happy always.
  4. Eat healthy (Homemade food)
  5. Avoid Junk food
  6. Do exercise every day for at least 45 min.
  7. Drink more water
  8. Avoid using mobiles, laptops unnecessary
  9. Change your lifestyle – This is the conclusion of all points. Eat health, Quit Smoking and drinking alcohol, don’t take the stress.

Stroke Rehabilitation

Recovery and rehabilitation are among the most important aspects of stroke treatment. As a rule, most strokes are associated with some recovery, the extent of which is variable. In some cases, undamaged areas of the brain may be able to perform functions that were lost when the stroke occurred. Rehabilitation includes physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.

  • Speech therapy may help patients regain the ability to speak.
  • Physical therapy involves using exercise and other physical means (e.g., massage, heat) and may help patients regain the use of their arms and legs and prevent muscle stiffness in patients with permanent paralysis.
  • Occupational therapy may help patients regain independent function and relearn basic skills (e.g., getting dressed, preparing a meal, and bathing).

But I would suggest Occupational Therapy is the best therapy it covers all therapy including speech and physical.

Dr. Janki and Dr. Vaishnavi helped me to change my lifestyle. They stop my all eating habits. As per their suggestion, I stop eating rice, oily foods, and sweets. These all helped me to reduce my weight. Till now I reduced 8KG. With heavy exercises, I reduced 8 kg. It motivates me.

Chances of Second Stroke

There are high chances of a Second brain stroke. The first stroke was the trailer of the movie. To avoid it, they suggested changes in my lifestyle and gave me lots of exercises which I have to do for a lifetime. Usually, I never eat street food or junk food except for Panipuri/ Gupchup. I love Gupchup. So I asked them whether I eat Gupchup or not, they allow me to eat occasionally. But avoid it unnecessary. Even I can eat rice but occasionally. Not every day.

Thank you!

Special Thanks to my both doctors. Dr. Janki and Dr. Vaishnavi both came during Navratri like devis. Coincidently they have the names of Devi – Vaishnavi Devi, Janki Devi. But apart from joking I would like to thanks both of them for giving my life back on track. I haven’t recovered completely but they make me independent now. I can do all my tasks on my own. That’s the important task. They achieved it. They both help me to recover very fast. They made me comfortable by creating an environment. They took care of me just like a sister; for them, I am not just a patient, I’m a brother too. My therapy is continuing there are little things left. I’m practicing it every day. Not but at the least. Thanks to Dr. Vidisha. How can I forget you? She came in the absence of Dr. Janki. Because of her, I got to know the meaning of the Swahili phrase Hakuna Matata that means No Worries.

Conclusion

Make your lifestyle healthy. Do Exercise, yoga, pranayama, meditation every day. And remember one thing- This could happen to anyone. So be aware. This article especially to aware you. Learn from it. Observe little changes within you, don’t ignore anything. Even I ignored it you know the result.

How to contact my Occupational Therapist

(Click on the name you will redirect to respective LinkedIn profile)

  1. Dr. Vaishnavi Joshi – You can take her appointments for home visit or clinic visit by contacting her personally.
  2. Dr. Janki Parekh – She is available till June 2022 in Nagpur. After that, she will go to her hometown in Mumbai. If you belong to Mumbai/ Thane I would highly recommend you to contact her.
  3. Dr. Vidisha – She is available in Nagpur. Contact her by clicking the name.

Hakuna Matata!

Spread the love

Related Posts

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *