Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) Recovery – Jennifer Hale

Recovery After Stroke

Understanding Cerebrovascular Accidents

Introduction

In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the intricate details of cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs), commonly known as strokes. As a leading authority in healthcare, we provide you with expert insights into the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this critical medical condition.

What is a Cerebrovascular Accident?

A cerebrovascular accident, or stroke, occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted or reduced, leading to damage or death of brain cells. This disruption can be caused by a blockage in an artery (ischemic stroke) or the rupture of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).

Types of Strokes

• Ischemic Stroke: This type of stroke occurs when a blood clot obstructs a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. It accounts for approximately 87% of all strokes.
• Hemorrhagic Stroke: This occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue.

Risk Factors

Modifiable Risk Factors

• Hypertension: High blood pressure significantly increases the risk of stroke.
• Smoking: Tobacco use damages blood vessels and contributes to the formation of blood clots.
• Obesity: Excess weight can lead to other risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension.

Non-Modifiable Risk Factors

• Age: The risk of stroke increases with age, particularly after 55.
• Family History: A family history of stroke or certain genetic conditions can elevate risk.

Symptoms

The symptoms of a stroke can vary depending on the type and severity but may include:

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg, typically on one side of the body.
• Difficulty speaking or understanding speech.
• Sudden confusion or trouble with vision.

Diagnosis

Physical Examination

A healthcare provider will conduct a thorough physical examination, assessing neurological function and vital signs.

Imaging Tests

• CT Scan: This can quickly identify whether the stroke is ischemic or hemorrhagic.
• MRI: Provides detailed images of the brain to detect any abnormalities.

Treatment

Ischemic Stroke

• Thrombolytic Therapy: Administering clot-busting drugs such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can dissolve the clot and restore blood flow.
• Mechanical Thrombectomy: In some cases, a catheter-based procedure may be performed to remove the clot.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

• Surgery: Depending on the severity, surgical interventions such as clipping or coiling may be necessary to repair the ruptured blood vessel.
• Medication: Medications to reduce blood pressure and prevent further bleeding may be prescribed.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation plays a crucial role in helping stroke survivors regain independence and improve their quality of life. It may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and counseling.

Prevention

Lifestyle Modifications

• Healthy Diet: Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help control blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
• Regular Exercise: Engaging in physical activity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week can lower stroke risk.
• Smoking Cessation: Quitting smoking reduces the risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

Medications

• Anticoagulants: These medications help prevent blood clots from forming.
• Antiplatelet Agents: Drugs such as aspirin can reduce the risk of clot formation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding cerebrovascular accidents is paramount in preventing and managing this life-threatening condition. By recognizing the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options, individuals can take proactive steps to safeguard their brain health and reduce the likelihood of experiencing a stroke.

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) Recovery: Full Interview with Jennifer Hale

Jenifer Hale experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) on the day of her 60th birthday anniversary.

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Highlights:

00:00 Introduction
01:58 Having a cerebrovascular accident on my 60th birthday
10:04 Dealing with sensory overload
13:15 Life before the cerebrovascular accident
19:40 Post-stroke deficits and improvements
30:39 Communication and attention span
42:57 The power of positivity
50:13 The hardest thing about the stroke
56:05 A message to other stroke survivors

Transcript:

Introduction

Bill Gasiamis 0:00
Hello, everybody, this is episode 298 my guest today is Jennifer Hale, who turned 60 years old on the day of her cerebral vascular accident also known as a CVA.

Bill Gasiamis 0:14
A CVA is described as a condition where a portion of the brain experiences a lack of blood flow, resulting in damage to brain tissue. This occurrence is typically instigated by either blood clots or ruptured blood vessels within the brain.

Bill Gasiamis 0:30
Symptoms associated with cerebrovascular accidents encompass sensations of dizziness, numbness, or weakness localized to one side of the body, and difficulties in speech and writing, or language comprehension.

Bill Gasiamis 0:45
Now, just before we get started with the interview, let me tell you a little bit about my book for a minute. It’s called the unexpected way that a stroke became the best thing that happened, and it lists 10 tools for recovery and personal transformation.

Bill Gasiamis 1:00
It also tells the story of 10 stroke survivors and the steps they took that got them to the stage in their recovery, where from a personal growth perspective, stroke transformed into one of those life experiences that on reflection was filled with many opportunities for growth and personal transformation.

Bill Gasiamis 1:19
In the book, there are chapters on nutrition, sleep exercise, how to deal with the emotional side of stroke, tips and tools for mental well-being, and much, much more. To find out more go to recoveryafterstroke.com/book. Grab a copy from Amazon by typing in my name Bill Gasiamis into the search bar. Jennifer Hale, welcome to the podcast.

Jennifer Hale 1:43
Hi, how are you, Bill?

Bill Gasiamis 1:46
I’m well thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.

Jennifer Hale 1:51
I appreciate you having me.

Bill Gasiamis 1:54
Tell me a little bit about what happened to you.

Having a cerebrovascular accident on 60th birthday

Jennifer Hale 1:58
Okay, um It happened on March the sixth, which was my 60th birthday. I was fine. You know, I was getting birthday calls that morning. By 10 o’clock, my daughter rushed me to emergency because I couldn’t keep my balance, and I was dizzy, and my face kept on slacking.

Jennifer Hale 2:32
But I didn’t think anything serious until we got there, of course. So I ended up having I can’t pronounce it. It was a small blood clot in the left side of my brain. it starts with an I can’t pronounce it.

Bill Gasiamis 2:53
Acute ischemic CVA is what you’ve written here.

Jennifer Hale 2:59
Yes. That’s what it was.

Bill Gasiamis 3:05
It was your 60th birthday. Now, it’s March right now. So how many years ago was that?

Jennifer Hale 3:13
That was the last year 2023, so I’ll be 61 in five more days. Yeah. And this is a kickoff celebration for me.

Bill Gasiamis 3:27
Okay. Are you somebody who has a thing with anniversaries some stroke survivors who, when the anniversary of the stroke is coming up, start to get nervous or start to think about it negatively?

Bill Gasiamis 3:47
But there are a lot of stroke survivors who don’t have a problem with anniversaries at all. They don’t believe that the anniversary means anything other than to mark 12 months. How do you feel about the anniversary that’s coming up? Because it’s supposed to be a celebration because it’s your birthday.

Jennifer Hale 4:05
Yes, it was all sweet. Last year I had maybe six to 10 doctors in the room. Watching me, see what I was doing. And every time they say what’s your name? I tell them my name, what’s your birthday? March 6 1963 and they look. Oh no, that’s today.

Jennifer Hale 4:28
I said no, today’s my birthday we’re gonna celebrate. Just wish me a happy birthday. And I’ll still celebrate. I didn’t feel like I guess to make a long story short, I didn’t want the pity party. I didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for me because I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself.

Jennifer Hale 4:51
I didn’t want anybody. Just say happy birthday, join my party. If you didn’t want to stay you’re welcome to leave but we’re not having a pity party. I still feel that way.

Bill Gasiamis 5:07
Fantastic. It’s a great way to think about it and to go about how to deal with something serious that’s happening on a particular date doesn’t matter which day it is. Whether it was your birthday or not, really does it?

Jennifer Hale 5:20
No, it doesn’t. And then, you know, by being the 60th, that’s a milestone. So I said, I will celebrate and just be breathing still on my 60th birthday. I didn’t have sunrise at 3 63 and sundown at 3 6 2023. No. I’m still here.

Bill Gasiamis 5:52
The way I see it, was 37, when all of the stuff that happened to me happened. And I’m just glad that I’m getting to 50. This year is going to be my 50th. And it’s cool. It’s cool to be here.

Bill Gasiamis 6:09
Because 30 years earlier, I don’t know if I would have got there. That’s the thing. It’s a real gift to have another 13 years. I’m not sure how many more I have. But these 13 have been lovely to have. Some great things have happened, even though there have been some terrible things happened in life just as in everyone’s life. It’s been good to be around.

Jennifer Hale 6:37
Yes well, I appreciate you still being here. Because when I got home, my daughter gave me your information, to get a little bit more of what’s going on with me. So I’ve been watching you for over a year now. And every episode that I catch is just so inspiring. So I’m glad you’re still here too.

Bill Gasiamis 7:06
That’s awesome. That’s lovely. I appreciate that. Your daughter and was that your son that we were chatting with earlier?

Jennifer Hale 7:14
My son-in-law.

Bill Gasiamis 7:18
Tell me about your daughter and your family. How big is the family? Who’s around? What was that like?

Jennifer Hale 7:27
Well, I’m living with my oldest daughter and my son-in-law. And I have three grandchildren here, but I’m a grandmother of six grandchildren. And I have three kids, two girls, and a boy. And they are all in their 40s.

Jennifer Hale 7:47
So has this been a learning experience for the whole family? But I try to keep them informed on whatever I learn about myself, I try to inform them because they’re not used to me in this way.

Jennifer Hale 8:04
But I tell them, this is the new me. And we all just have to adapt to it because I’m surprised just like you. So I’ll just keep everybody informed. Even the kids keeping them informed of what’s going on with me. Yeah, so we’re just in pretty good.

Bill Gasiamis 8:28
And your children? Are they all living near you, the others? I know you’re living with your daughter, but are the others living near you?

Jennifer Hale 8:36
I have a daughter in South Carolina, I have a son in North Carolina. And we’re in Alabama.

Bill Gasiamis 8:46
Everyone’s all over the place. That’s okay. Do you guys get to meet up and catch up and have family events at Christmas or the big holidays?

Intro 9:01
If you’ve had a stroke, and you’re in recovery, you’ll know what a scary and confusing time it can be. You’re likely to have a lot of questions going through your mind. How long will it take to recover? Will I recover? What things should I avoid? In case I make matters worse?

Intro 9:18
Doctors will explain things. But, if you’ve never had a stroke before, you probably don’t know what questions to ask. If this is you, you may be missing out on doing things that could help speed up your recovery. If you’re finding yourself in that situation stop worrying, and head to recoveryafterstroke.com where you can download a guide that will help you.

Intro 9:40
It’s called seven questions to ask your doctor about your stroke. These seven questions are the ones Bill wished he’d asked when he was recovering from a stroke. They’ll not only help you better understand your condition. They’ll help you take a more active role in your recovery. Head to the website now, recoveryafterstroke.com, and download the guide, it’s free.

Dealing with sensory overload after the Cerebrovascular Accident

Jennifer Hale 10:04
Well, this year, I kind of opted out of everything because I couldn’t, I’m still sensitive to noise and crowds, and only can take so much light, then I have to have enough light, like, certain times of the day, I need more light then when I’m kind of relaxing, I don’t need that much light.

Jennifer Hale 10:31
But it just depends on my body. So I just follow whatever my body says, and do I respect my body? So I didn’t have any celebrations, which was okay, because I needed to rest.

Bill Gasiamis 10:45
Yeah, I remember opting out of a lot of social events as well. And then, at some stage, feeling like I was missing out, so I would go along for as long as I could. And then sometimes sleep on the bed or the couch. And sometimes just leave early, just go to that place and set the expectation that we’re going to come for a few hours, we’re going to see everybody, and then we’re going to leave and get home early.

Bill Gasiamis 11:13
And that started to get better. After two years, after three years, after four years, everything started to settle down. And I was able to be at an event for as long as I felt like it or as long as I wanted. And fatigue wasn’t the thing that was causing me to not want to be able to go home.

Bill Gasiamis 11:32
And of course, noise sensitivity was an issue. And all the overstimulation from other people’s laughing and chatting and having a great time. That was all a bit too much. And I think it’s the wise decision to say, Hey, you guys have a good time. But I’m gonna rest I’m gonna sit this one out. And then I might see you at the next one.

Jennifer Hale 11:57
Yeah, I saw my grandson, he was six at the time, and he was playing football during the summer. And his sisters were the cheerleaders in their seven, eight, ten. And I missed the whole game, except the last one, I forced myself to go.

Jennifer Hale 12:19
So I couldn’t be sad I went to one. But I had to put earplugs in my ear. And at the time, and get on a cane. And the whole night, when he got to watch I had to go, but I did get to see one of their games.

Bill Gasiamis 12:39
It sounds like it was worth the struggle worth the effort. Yeah, the children would love to have you there. Everyone would have loved to see you out and about. And the good thing about it is you took some precautions, you put the earplugs in, and then you used your cane you did whatever you had to do to get there. And then when it was enough, it was enough.

Jennifer Hale 13:06
It was enough. Yeah, come home. Put the cane to the side and lay down.

Life before the cerebrovascular accident

Bill Gasiamis 13:15
And rest. Were you actively employed when you had your stroke? What were you doing on a day-to-day basis?

Jennifer Hale 13:25
At the time, I was working a part-time job. Going to school full-time online. I was four times, which I still am. I was blessed enough with instructors. Let me they extended my time when I was in rehab to do my work online. And so when they did that, on my left side is my side that went out.

Jennifer Hale 13:57
So I just have my right side. And I was just doing what I could until and I made my dates. And I made my scores my points. And I’m back in school. Back in school now. Last year had a break. Summer break. And I just recently started back eight weeks ago.

Bill Gasiamis 14:22
What are you studying?

Jennifer Hale 14:23
I’m studying Christian counseling.

Bill Gasiamis 14:30
Wow. So how much longer have you got until that’s complete?

Jennifer Hale 14:36
Oh, wow. I just started when all this happened. So it’ll be a while. Maybe another three and a half years? If not four because I’m going part-time now. I’m not doing full-time.

Bill Gasiamis 14:55
Yep. And will that allow you to do what when you’re qualified, what is the hope? What kind of role will you be able to participate in?

Jennifer Hale 15:06
I can, counsel in church, you know, or I can have my place or office in counsel. You know, my goal, what I really would like to do is counsel children and be a part of the younger kids, and growing up and helping them through their decisions and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, I can counsel at a time when I get done.

Bill Gasiamis 15:45
Are you doing Christian counseling? Because you were very active in your local church?

Jennifer Hale 15:53
Well, the church that I attend now is my daughter’s last church. I just got in. I’m not involved still. Once again, it’s hyper, and before I decided on Christian counseling years ago, I used to be very active in a church. And I used to do counseling in the church, but it wasn’t what I expected.

Jennifer Hale 16:24
How can I explain, it was more. It wasn’t enough for me, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t feel like it was a warding enough to the people I was trying to help. So I wanted to get more information on how to use the skills to help people instead of just letting a person talk, talk to talk, and never getting to a solution. So I wanted to learn the skills and what to use and what to say, to help a person get to the bottom of the situation. Yeah, I don’t know if that makes sense.

Bill Gasiamis 17:07
It sounds like you’re doing your best to help people, you felt like perhaps you could help them but more and better, and you decided to get qualified in the particular field so that you could offer a better thinking about the people you are helping you want it to make sure that you can support them to get an outcome rather than just a tendon and, and perhaps not get to an endpoint.

Jennifer Hale 17:37
Right, exactly. That’s perfectly the endpoint. Because we can go around the same circle and never get to the bottom of it. And that’s, that’s not my goal. I wanted to make sure I was helping somebody.

Bill Gasiamis 17:51
So what happened at the time of the stroke, you experienced the symptoms, and you went to the hospital? Did they check you out? How long did you stay in hospital? And then how long were you in rehabilitation?

Jennifer Hale 18:11
I stayed in the hospital, I think, I want to say 10 days, if I remember straight, and I had a little bit of rehab there. They walked me around. And then I went to rehab. And I was in inpatient rehab for almost three months, two months after.

Jennifer Hale 18:40
Then I was on outpatient, until another month or two, and then insurance, no more. So, that didn’t stop me what I did was I would get on YouTube and look for exercises to help and I would exercise and then I went to the why and went the pool and worked on my legs and my arms and anything that will give me movement I get it.

Jennifer Hale 19:12
To this day. I don’t have insurance at this time because was between moving from one state to another and still trying to get my disability to get this. It’s kind of hard to get it off my neck. So the only thing I do now is just make sure I eat right, exercise, and do everything I can to keep my body in shape.

Post cerebrovascular accident deficits and improvements

Bill Gasiamis 19:41
They are good things to do. So you were in therapy until the insurance ran out. And then you went home when you went home. What did you go home with what kind of challenges were you experiencing?

Jennifer Hale 19:59
My left leg I would. So I had to tell my brain to pick up my leg when I was walking I named my left arm I named it baby. So baby was pinned to my side, she was not moving at all. And all the time she would move is when I yawn, and she would go straight up but then she’d come down.

Jennifer Hale 20:28
But after the rehab, I didn’t have any movement. My movement didn’t start until I joined the why starts when we’re not swimming, or moving in the pool. And then one day, my daughter was getting ready to go to work. Now I already knew I could lift my arm and I told her by and she was like, oh my God, it’s moving so it’s almost 90% now I just can’t move it on top of my head.

Jennifer Hale 21:01
My leg is strong. It doesn’t drag wherever now, I didn’t have to tell it. You know? Yeah, get going. And the only thing now, of course, is this one. I can’t pronounce it, you know, when you try to talk is a fish. phage. And now and then I lose track of thinking, you know, I can’t think too fast. Because everything just stops. Fifth, the outside appearance just coming along pretty well. But now it’s more inside.

Bill Gasiamis 21:46
The healing on the inside of the brain.

Jennifer Hale 21:49
The brain and my eyes.

Bill Gasiamis 21:53
How are your eyes affected?

Jennifer Hale 21:56
Blurry it’s like dusty. And they said the blood clot was small and wasn’t enough for them to operate was small. So okay. But when I was in the rehab, inpatient rehab, I watched everybody that was in there with me. And I thank God that it could have been worse. What is just amazing on what a stroke can do to a body. It’s just amazing. And you see the different effects of it?

Bill Gasiamis 22:42
Would you say you’re different? You say that? Your speech? If you think too quickly, everything stops. So is your speech affected by that as well? Are you talking at a slower pace than perhaps you would have before?

Jennifer Hale 22:58
Yes, yes, real slow. Sometimes I have to think about what I’m gonna say before I say else it just sounds like I’m reading.

Bill Gasiamis 23:11
So now the thinking has to happen. And then once you’ve gathered the thought, you can say it before you just used to talk. And he used to come out and there was no thinking about what you had to say.

Jennifer Hale 23:26
I had to think about what I was saying now.

Bill Gasiamis 23:31
Why do you believe that the therapy didn’t start for your left side and that you didn’t get much stronger while you were in rehab? And then you started to see improvements when you got home. Can you do you have a theory on that? Did you do something different when you came home?

Jennifer Hale 23:52
To be honest, I think the difference was once I moved to Alabama where I’m now they just completely health everything Spanish, and smoothies, and a lot of berries so the household is full of nothing but healthy snacks, and well healthy food period, and how you said turmeric.

Jennifer Hale 24:22
Turmeric,

Jennifer Hale 24:23
Turmeric. I think that that and walnuts did it. Does that that’s all I eat? All of a sudden seemed like everything just started. No relaxing. And then being in the swimming pool helped because my muscles weren’t filling in. So I can move and still have resistance and it wasn’t hurt.

Bill Gasiamis 24:58
I remember the swimming pool was really lovely to be in after the stroke, even though I couldn’t walk and move my left side either. Of course, I was supported by the therapists and with those flotation devices, so I was feeling safe being in there, but I was able to exert myself as much as possible and get that resistance from the water, and then also not be afraid that I was going to fall over and hurt myself.

Jennifer Hale 25:36
Right? Yeah, I think that was it. Because you can’t if you had three feet not going, you can’t go too far. It was good to have that resistance. That’s the part that I like, no, not moving around, and no nothing.

Bill Gasiamis 25:59
Was it difficult for the children to see you in the way that they saw you? How did they support you? And they all live in different places? And it sounds like you were living somewhere else at that time as well. Where were you living?

Jennifer Hale 26:16
I was living with my daughter in South Carolina. Well, let me back up because I know I saw, um, right before the pandemic 2019. I flew, and I stayed in California. But I flew to South Carolina to view my son and his birthday, and then everything shut down. So that’s what made me stay here. Because I couldn’t, I couldn’t go home. I said, Well, my kids and grandkids are here.

Jennifer Hale 26:49
So my eyes weren’t hanging around. So that’s how it truly happened. And then the daughter I was standing in South Carolina, I was living with her. And it was just a blessing because she worked the night shift. And she was asleep when I was going through the dizzy spells and on. And I tip I called her She didn’t ask her, and I texted her. And I said, Oh when I was just getting ready to take a nap.

Jennifer Hale 27:20
Don’t take a nap. Stay up. So I stayed up. My daughter ran up the stairs and she said, Mom, you do like you get ready to mirror looking at myself and she’s like, having a stroke. And I said, Oh, okay, and I was real calm. She said this go and I said, Okay, wait, let me let me call my hair. No, you don’t have time to comb your hair. You got to go. You don’t know who we’re gonna see when I get there. I gotta go. It’s my birthday. I gotta make sure I’m good. So she got me there. Thank you, Lord. Everything was okay.

Bill Gasiamis 28:06
And then your other two children were not near you. They get the news. How did they respond?

Jennifer Hale 28:13
They were at a hospital. My son at the time. He couldn’t make it. But he kept calling but my daughter. They came? Yeah, they were at the hospital. My sisters and fathers flew out from California. So I had a lot of support in the beginning.

Bill Gasiamis 28:35
You got one of those big families that when something goes wrong, everyone just turns up.

Jennifer Hale 28:42
At the rehab, they say you like a movie star around here? I said that’s my family they are shy about nothing.

Bill Gasiamis 28:58
It sounds like you’re the matriarch as well, it sounds like you’re the head of the family. And a lot of things happen. Because people look up to you and they respect you. And probably your attitude. It sounds like has always been your attitude. I don’t think that this is new for you this way, about solving problems and overcoming challenges. I don’t feel like you just started this has that always been you?

Jennifer Hale 29:23
It’s funny that you say that because I’m the oldest of eight and I’m okay, we’re so close in age that I never felt like I was the oldest because it was that close in age. I will always be there to support whatever they need or whatever they need from me. So and then yeah, they asked you a question.

Jennifer Hale 29:51
Negativity was never my thing. If you didn’t have anything positive to say as they used to say you can’t say anything nice. Don’t say anything at all. So yeah, it’s me, I believe there is too much in life to be disappointed about things. That’s not gonna matter.

Jennifer Hale 30:11
A minute from now, you know, if you can make the best of it, do it, you know if you can’t figure it out. But no, I never know, you know, I’m not gonna say I don’t have bad days, because I do. But I let it take sick, take its course with it, don’t settle it don’t settle in long enough for me to feel sorry for myself.

Communication and attention span are affected by cerebrovascular accident

Bill Gasiamis 30:39
That’s a very good example, of aphasia. Was it worse before this particular interview, has it improved, what have you noticed, has changed with the way that you communicate now?

Jennifer Hale 30:56
It improved a whole lot. Because in the beginning, all this was over here. And a friend of mine told me he said, chew gum, just chew gum, and you’re gonna find that to eventually your side is going to kind of even out. And I did I used to shoot like, stick sticks out the sticks.

Jennifer Hale 31:23
And I still chew it, you know, but he was right. Eventually, it came. And I had exercises that they gave me that I still do. I say my ABCs. And when I read a book, I read out loud. So I, you know, the more I use it, the better it gets. But sometimes, I don’t like to hear myself say to me, I sound like a robot. So after a while, I just get quiet because I don’t like that part. And then we’re all ready for exercise some more, but when it’s much better, that’s your question.

Bill Gasiamis 32:08
So you hear yourself in your ears like a robot? Did you ever hear like a robot? Did you ever notice yourself? Being aware that you can hear yourself before? Does that make sense? Do you know when you’re talking? I’ve never actually paid attention to, the sound of my voice sometimes people will say you love the sound of your voice if you’re the kind of person who talks a lot and is chatting all the time.

Bill Gasiamis 32:41
And I’ve always said Yeah, I do like to send them my invoice. But I haven’t paid attention to it. Are you saying that what happens now is the sound of your voice comes into your awareness? And then as a result of that is and it does that because it sounds strange.

Jennifer Hale 33:00
Sounds strange. It sounds just like a yeah, just sounds strange. I can’t even explain it. Like

Bill Gasiamis 33:12
Like an electronic voice.

Jennifer Hale 33:15
Just like that.

Bill Gasiamis 33:18
And do other people’s voices sound like that to you? Or is it just your voice that sounds like that?

Jennifer Hale 33:26
Just my voice, with other people. You only can talk for so long as I have. I can’t talk take a break. If I’m around somebody who talks talk talk. Yeah, to take a break. And I never that bothered me before. Because, you know, communication is the key. But now I’m very in tune with conversations. And if it’s a conversation that I feel like it’s not meaningful or it’s not adaptive if I could say that, in other words, I don’t want to just hear you talk. I you know, it gotta be some some information to what we’re talking about.

Bill Gasiamis 34:30
There has to be a point to the conversation, not just your chin wagging.

Jennifer Hale 34:36
Oh, that’s good. Yeah.

Bill Gasiamis 34:39
That’s an Australian saying.

Jennifer Hale 34:42
Oh, what is it said again?

Bill Gasiamis 34:44
Chin wagging.

Jennifer Hale 34:46
Chin wagging. I’m gonna borrow? No, I’m not gonna borrow it and I’m gonna say it if you don’t mind.

Bill Gasiamis 34:55
You own it. So what we do is we can say something Unlike let’s go for a chinwag, that means let’s go for a talk. Let’s go for a bit of a talk. Let’s get it. And then this goes over here. You could, you could say something like, you know, he’s just having a chinwag. He is just talking, and he’s just getting things out.

Bill Gasiamis 35:17
He’s just saying stuff. You know, it’s just it’s just to describe what people are doing is that more than anything, they’re just moving the chin rather than having a deep and meaningful or important conversation. It’s just, it’s just a term that suggests there’s talking going on, but there might not be a lot of substance behind it. But that’s,

Jennifer Hale 35:40
yeah, yes. Okay, for a little while. And then after, wow, my brain just shuts down automatically, because I’m not receiving nothing to keep, keep it productive, you know,

Bill Gasiamis 35:54
to keep you stimulated and focused and try to work out what’s going on. And then it becomes it sounds like then it becomes just noise. And then that becomes tiring because I understand how noise can make the brain tired. Especially if it’s just for no purpose.

Jennifer Hale 36:16
Right. And there’s no Hartfield is that’s one of the things that when I realized that about myself, I caught a family meeting remark by its children hearing that, um, no, look, I’m not the same, you know, I’m not, you know, it used to be timely to talk to two and three in the morning just, you know, chinwag but no, we can’t do that anymore.

Jennifer Hale 36:45
And you have to make sure what you talk about is important or something that’s going to be worth listening to because my attention span shuts down real quickly. And I don’t want you to think I’m being rude when I’m not, I just have to listen to my head and it says enough is enough. I check out.

Bill Gasiamis 37:09
And you’ve got to save that energy for the important conversations, so you can have those and pay attention to them. And some of the other conversations, just take some of that battery energy from that space.

Jennifer Hale 37:24
Right. Right. Right, is on reserve, I’m putting it on reserve. And I noticed if I don’t talk all day, by the end of England. I have a lot. You can wear me out for a minute. But if you start in the morning, I’m gonna last.

Bill Gasiamis 37:49
You say it’s so well, that’s so true. That’s exactly what I experienced. I was never able to communicate it. I would just say, Look, I’m not interested in talking and people might take it the wrong way. Or, or, or just sound like I’m getting overwhelmed or I don’t want to hear about it. Or just don’t tell me I don’t want to know. Sounds like you have a better way of letting people know.

Jennifer Hale 38:16
I’m not in the business of trying to hurt people’s feelings. I never was, you know, because if it’s something about you, I don’t care about I don’t set myself up for the nonsense. So I try to be front. This is how it is. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but I gotta look after what my body’s telling me to do.

Bill Gasiamis 38:46
Your grandmother so the kids are around from time to time. What is it like when they’re around? Because they’re full of energy and they want your attention and they want to play and they want to be loud. What’s that like?

Jennifer Hale 39:00
In the beginning, as I said, I named my arms baby. It took a while for them to comprehend what was going on because, to be honest, all my grandkids my oldest granddaughter she calls me Granny the one under her calls me Ma. And the three around here call me Grandma Peachy so they all have their little name for their personality and my personality.

Jennifer Hale 39:35
So they used to see grandma peachy, you know, she always doing something, you know, but when they saw I couldn’t I so and I used to make T-shirts, printed T-shirts and I will get them involved. Crafting was my thing. When they said I couldn’t do it. They were Oh No Grandma Peachy. They will be so and they will all come and rub my arm or relate it and who went to the store?

Jennifer Hale 40:09
They will take my hand all three of them will grab one grab a wrist one or grab the elbow one regret and they all walked me across the street. It was so attentive in the beginning when they sang Grandma Peachy Can Move a little bit Oh, it was over.

Jennifer Hale 40:30
Okay, you guys still gotta calm down not fully back but they do have to understand you know, when I’m in my room you know that’s my rest time and they knock on the door to make sure I’m okay then when I come out to I laugh and talk with them but when it’s enough they understand they don’t feel bad it just okay grandma peachy will see you whenever you come back out. They’re very understanding.

Bill Gasiamis 41:08
Children are very smart and they understand they get things a lot more quickly than some adults will ever. It’s amazing how children can respond and know where the boundaries are. Know when you need attention and know when it’s okay to leave you alone. That just really gets it.

Jennifer Hale 41:31
Right? They do get it they do. You know, and I didn’t want them to feel sorry for me. I wanted them to still know that. I’m still your grandmother. I’m gonna do all I can with the shirt that I have, but you can’t wear me out. They understand they give me my rest.

Bill Gasiamis 41:55
Why did you choose to name your hand or your arm Baby?

Jennifer Hale 41:58
You know what? I just say Oh, baby you’ll be okay. And I guess it was just the nurturing part that came out. No, it was just lying in the hospital bed. And after the nurses do what they do, put my arm on a pill. And I looked at it because I couldn’t it wouldn’t move. I think the Lord I have feelings though.

Jennifer Hale 42:30
It was some people who did have to fill in it still couldn’t move. I think the more I have feelings because at least I can feel the sensation, you know. And I will say babies all right, you won’t be okay babies. So I don’t know if that was just my way of telling my arm it was gonna be okay. Because the baby’s still going strong.

The power of positivity

Bill Gasiamis 42:57
Yeah, I do love that. It reminds me of a story when I was in therapy in rehabilitation, inpatient rehab, just after my brain surgery. And I was trying to get my left side to work in and there was a gentleman there who had a problem. I think it was on his left side. It doesn’t matter that one of his arms wasn’t working properly. And at the beginning, he was calling his arm a bastard

Bill Gasiamis 43:23
Wow, what a reaction. That was my reaction. I couldn’t believe it and I had a conversation with him about that. And the reason he was calling it a bastard was because it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t do what he wanted it to do. And then I said to him if your arm did work, if it did what you wanted to do, what would you call it? And he said I would call him my friend. I said that’s interesting.

Jennifer Hale 43:58
So contingent if I’m saying it, right. If you work for me, I’m gonna call you my friend. If you don’t work for me, then you that other things.

Bill Gasiamis 44:19
So the thing was, it was conditional. It had to be doing something to be his friend. So what I said to him was, what if you just call it your friend now? Pretend it to your friend already? And see what happens. And you wouldn’t believe it. As soon as you change the word that he was using to describe his hand. His hand worked and moved and it did that task. It happened in the space of less than a second. He changed the word. He looked at his hand. Okay. A friend moved, and it moved the way that he wanted to.

Jennifer Hale 45:04
See, yeah, that negativity, I tell you, none of it, if it’s not positive I don’t want any part of it, and that showed him how powerful he is, you know, his mind and his arm. That was some good advice because I don’t know if I could have sat around and listened to him talking to his arm like that.

Bill Gasiamis 45:31
That was so interesting to hear. And then I had another friend who’s had a stroke. And she again, I think it was, it doesn’t matter which side one of her arms was not working the way that it was before the stroke. And the therapist that came to her house, called it the bad arm. Now let’s help your bad arm, and my friend said, don’t speak about my arm like that.

Bill Gasiamis 46:00
It’s not my bed, we’ll have to find another name for you to use, do not use the bed. And that particular therapist got a little bit annoyed and upset. But my friend wasn’t going to have it she was Clare Coffield, and she wasn’t going to have it, she wasn’t going to put up with it.

Bill Gasiamis 46:18
And she gave that therapist, a nice little lesson in how to speak about this sort of situation. And Clare already had a name for her. And it wasn’t I can’t remember what it was. But it wasn’t the bad arm it was in the positive it was named something in the positive.

Bill Gasiamis 46:45
So it is a very interesting thing for me to hear that you would instinctively which is lovely. It says a lot about you that you would instinctively name your arm Baby and then that’s an example of how we can get in our way for recovery without realizing it. Some people, don’t realize that the unconscious thoughts or the words that they have become used to using how they’re working against them.

Jennifer Hale 47:21
Right, right. Even in rehab, they were calling my arm. How’s Baby today? Oh, Baby’s fine. Oh, that’s good. Everybody knew to call my arm Baby. And it kind of lifted to know that Baby sounded so refreshing or sensitive or you know, just, you know, we’re going to take care of baby today. Thank you, you know, so yeah.

Jennifer Hale 47:52
And you know, and it’s just amazing, where, what I’ve noticed, since I’ve been going through this, how sometimes people are not sensitive to your situation, especially when you think they should be if you’re a therapist seem like you’d be more sensitive. But they get so I guess now to the fact that they just, oh, is this a job?

Jennifer Hale 48:22
And sometimes you have to remind them that I’m not just your job, you know, we’re here to be a team. But I’m not here, you know, I know you can pay to help me. Because without mentioning any facilities in Atlanta, in the beginning, it was kind of tough for me, because I did nursing for over 20-something years. That’s how I raised my children. So I’ve been in the medical field.

Jennifer Hale 48:57
So I’ve always respected people. I was a CNA. So as they say, I was hands-on, you know, hands-on, but I respect them I honor them you know, because that is so hard when you’re a different person than what you used to be in, you know, so when this happened to me, and some of the nurses would come in and just, oh, no, slow down. You’re not just gonna toss me around like that, you know?

Jennifer Hale 49:36
And then they’d be shocked because what I noticed was, they think because you had a stroke, you don’t have this. So they would just say what they wanted to say. And then when I said oh, no, I understand everything they will be shocked.

Jennifer Hale 49:52
No, so they insist. They won’t be sensitive anymore. They just want to Oh, she had a stroke. She’ll be all right. No, I’m not gonna be all right. I understand everything you tell me. Well, why don’t you just be nice across the board?

The hardest thing about the cerebrovascular accident

Bill Gasiamis 50:14
It’s a far better approach. I agree. What’s the hardest thing about stroke for you?

Jennifer Hale 50:28
The hardest thing is watching other people watch me. Like, if that makes sense. went before this happened, you know, I felt like I was part of the team, you know, you could walk into a store, nobody. But now I noticed people kind of lay the look and turn their hair or they, they’ll try to speed up in front of you. So they don’t have to look at you. And like I said, In the beginning, my whole site was over here, when I close my mouth, in the halfway decent.

Jennifer Hale 51:09
But when I open it, people jump because they don’t expect to see the slurred. So when I noticed that kind of stuff, I just kind of chuckled to myself. So for me, I respect the fact that I am a new me. And eventually, I’ll be back which is going to take time. But for others, it hurts my feelings to watch you watch me. Because you should. I’m still a person.

Jennifer Hale 51:41
You know, I’m still part of this community. Nothing has changed, you know, you seldom see people say, How are you doing? Do you feel it? Okay. They turn to here like they don’t, they don’t see you come in. So it’s almost like they want to exclude you away from you. But I still make them known. I’m still here. Hi, how are you?

Bill Gasiamis 52:12
People don’t know. The hardest part. Yeah, people don’t know how to be around unwell people. They don’t. They don’t know what to say. They don’t know if they’re afraid they’ll say the wrong thing. Or it scares them to see somebody that’s a similar age to them. That’s unwell. Because oh my gosh, that could be me.

Bill Gasiamis 52:34
I’d rather not think about it. There are a lot of things that go on in the mind of somebody who’s, we’ll call them normal. Not that. Not that that means anything, but we’ll just call them not somebody who hasn’t had a stroke, perhaps. It is very interesting. What is the thing that stroke has taught you?

Jennifer Hale 52:59
To be patient with me? To be patient. There’s no sense of rushing anything anymore. Even when I come back to 110% I’m gonna still be patient with myself. Because I watch once again, everybody hustling bustling moving fast going, like what? Why am I moving so fast? You know, work? patience with myself? Yeah.

Bill Gasiamis 53:32
Were you not so patient with yourself? Previously?

Jennifer Hale 53:39
No, I don’t think I’m the one that will put myself on the back burner. And that everybody else. So now I’m learning that I have to put myself on the front burner.

Bill Gasiamis 53:55
That’s a good lesson to learn because some people give, give, give, give nothing left. And then that’s not good for anybody because then you get burnt out, or you can’t give and be You can’t give to yourself and feel good about yourself. And there’s no point burning out and making it about other people. It has to be at some point about you. And now especially, it has to be about you first.

Bill Gasiamis 54:27
Because if it’s about you, and you get better, and you heal, and you get back to being the type of person in the family that can handle the noise they can handle the events that can if you can get back to that then you’re a you know, your job role in the family. Improves, so to speak, we’ll call it improves. I don’t know what the word is but you go back to to your role, and that benefits, everybody.

Bill Gasiamis 55:04
Whereas if you don’t go back to your role, because you haven’t been able to make it about you and focus on yourself for the first time in your life, then that’s not good. That’s not good and shows you why you might get back into your family a little different than you were, you might speak slower. Or you might still walk at 95% instead of 100. But still, it’s better to have you back with these little deficits than to have you wiped out and on the sidelines and always right, not around.

Jennifer Hale 55:42
Right, right. Yeah, that’s true. Yeah. I’ve learned a lot through this journey.

Bill Gasiamis 55:52
What would you say to somebody listening to this, who’s just started their journey as well? Well, maybe they’re a few years in. What advice would you give?

A message to other cerebrovascular accident survivors

Jennifer Hale 56:01
Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up. Every time you wake up is another day to make a better way. I try to learn something different every day. Give yourself a goal, I might not be able to get this cup up today. But tomorrow, if I could just wrap my fingers around it. Just make a goal for yourself and work at it because it happened. The baby was picked to my left leg. I couldn’t do anything with Baby. Now baby can wave at you. So give yourself time and hope that it happens. Don’t give up on yourself.

Bill Gasiamis 56:58
Beautiful words. I appreciate you reaching out and joining me on the podcast. Thank you so much.

Jennifer Hale 57:06
Thank you for reaching out to me. As I said, this is my birthday kickoff celebration. I’m glad I did it with you first.

Bill Gasiamis 57:15
Happy birthday for five days this interview will go out in a bit longer than five days. But it’ll be your birthday celebration interview.

Jennifer Hale 57:31
Yes, yes. Thank you so much, Bill. Thank you.

Bill Gasiamis 57:39
Well, thank you for joining us on today’s episode. I hope you enjoyed my chinwag with Jennifer. To get a copy of my book just go to recoveryafterstroke.com. To learn more about my guests, including links to this social media, and to download a transcript of the entire interview, go to recoveryafterstroke.com/episodes.

Bill Gasiamis 58:01
A big big thank you goes to all those people who have already left a review for the show on Spotify or iTunes. It means the world to me, that podcasts live and thrive because of reviews. When you leave a review, you’re helping others in need of this type of content to find it a little bit easier to write your review and to leave a few words about what the show means to you.

Bill Gasiamis 58:25
Just do that by going to your Spotify or iTunes app and leaving a few comments and a five-star review. And just tell people who might be reading what you feel you got out of the show what it did for you and how it helped you. If you’re watching on YouTube, please do comment below the video I love responding to people’s comments on my videos.

Bill Gasiamis 58:48
If you are a stroke survivor with a story to share about your stroke experience come and join me on the show. The interviews are not scripted, you do not have to plan for them. All you need to do to qualify as a stroke survivor who wants to share your story in the hope that it will help somebody else who’s going through something similar. If you have a commercial product that you would like to promote that is related to supporting stroke survivors to recover there is also a path for you to join me on the show for a sponsored episode, or for ongoing sponsorship.

Bill Gasiamis 59:21
Just go to recoveryafterstroke.com/contact, and fill out the form explaining briefly which category you belong to. And I will respond with more details about how we can connect via Zoom. Thank you once again for being here. Listening, interacting, commenting, and giving me your feedback. I do deeply appreciate you. See you in the next episode.

Intro 59:43
Importantly, we present many podcasts designed to give you an insight and understanding into the experiences of other individuals. The opinions and treatment protocols discussed during any podcast are the individual’s own experience and we do not necessarily share the same opinion nor do we recommend any treatment protocol discussed.

Intro 1:00:00
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Intro 1:00:17
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