Since my stroke, as I learned
how to walk again, as I learned how to use my arm again, as I learned how to
live in my new life, I was often told we are re-training your brain. The pathways that knew how to do these activities
had been severed. So we needed to make
new pathways.
For the most part, this
training has worked. But, I guess after
46 years of sending messages through one pathway, my brain sometimes forgets
about the new pathways. This mostly
happens when I am tired, either physically or emotionally.
If I ever wake up at night
needing to go to the bathroom, my brain is half awake. I find myself staggering
like a drunk, trying not to fall because my left leg has forgotten how to
walk. It has taken the wrong pathway. Since my stroke, I usually wake up to go to
the bathroom almost every night. So you
would think that my brain would remember.
But, no, it’s too tired to make the new connections.
Another example is when I get
emotionally overwhelmed and cry too much.
When we went to the comedy concert, as I mentioned I got way
overwhelmed. So, when the concert was
over and it was time to leave, my body did not want to cooperate! My leg dragged, my face sagged, my arm hung
limply by my side. I just wanted to get
out of there and my brain had short-circuited.
One experience took me
completely by surprise. Larry and I had
gone to a movie. There was one short
scene that scared me and I jumped in my seat with a little squeal. Luckily, it was short and I recovered
quickly. So I was very surprised that at
the end of the movie when I went to stand…I couldn’t! My leg totally gave out on me. I had to lean on Larry as I limped out to the
car. Weird.
Thankfully, these episodes
are short. My brain just needs to rest
recharge and remember that, yes it has been re-trained.
