Rehabilitation After the Stroke

The rehabilitation after the stroke was odd to me. In my brain, I could do it all–my body and brain were not working together. The occupational therapist gave me math problems/games to do. In my mind I was doing them correctly, on paper it was a different story. And of course, in my mind I felt like I wasn’t getting the right kind of therapy. I figured if I could get back to work (I was a healthcare analyst), I would be in the environment I was used to and loved.  

After four months of rehab, I went back to work. It didn’t last long. I went back half days at first, thinking I would increase as I went along. But those full days didn’t not come, and my half days were harder and harder. I didn’t understand assignments which sounded easy, but in the long run where just bits and pieces of the larger conversations. I would get focused on a millisecond of conversation and think that was the assignment. As I got more and more stressed, deficits I thought I had under control or had vanished, seemed to be getting worse. In the end, I had to quit. It was a big blow to my recovery and my spirit.