"Why do I wear a 'wheel chair/cycling' glove on one hand?" I've been asked. D,y'know I've done that for so long I had to think about it :)

That'll be my right hand then. Which DOES work. Sorta. Only that arm, hand and leg belong to someone else. Perhaps I'd better explain. It's a misconception that Strokes hit everyone the same way. In fact, strokes are highly individual. It took me a long time to realise from the comments people have made (*see note end) that Stroke survivors are supposed by many to be totally paralysed, unable to communicate, and somehow lose their intellect. As a multiple stroke survivor, I can tell you....Errr.. No......

I have feeling in my right side. Much reduced, but I do. I have some control. But my right arm and leg and I have spent some time negotiating a peace treaty. Heads or tails result , if you'll forgive the expression.

The glove thingy. Hmm. I've learned a lot about that.

It insists on curling in and pulling in towards my palm. Now, like a lot of fella's, I'm not great keeping my nails short, and I don't bite'em. If, when I'm resting, I didn't protect my palm, my nails would dig in. Voilá !

The interesting thing is it would seem this is quite natural. Little babies can swim and hold their breath quite naturally. Put anything in a babies hand the little mite will grip it. If you look at their hands when their asleep, they tend to be curled.

The human brain is an astonishing beastie. Strokes cause brain damage. Strokes are indiscriminate where they cause damage. Put simply, as fast as it's damaged, it reroutes and makes new signals to attempt to do a task, if that task is repeated often enough.

Even more amazing, if it needs to start from square one, it will. Other primates, like chimpanzee's have a built in similar function to prevent them falling from tree's while asleep in their nests. I can see the sense in that. My right hand grips our rather posh wrought-iron-thingy headboard at night while I'm asleep. So my brain has recovered an instinctive and baby function.

Now you know :)

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I TRY make my own bread. I'm rubbish at it. Gosh I've tried. Anyone want a house building? Got the bricks. It doesn't help that I tend to use one hand kneading. Heck, it's a exhausting.

So I'm giving in. I'm buying a Bread machine : This one. I'll not be buying ready-mix.

I'll let you know how I get on.

catch'ya :)


*note:- because of peoples preconceptions about 'stroke' and 'brain', they often think that anything affects the brain affects 'mind'. Certainly it can and does. And maybe it has? So even people who have been around stroke survivors talk about you as though you aren't there. That is SOOO annoying. But being invisible does have it's advantages. Maybe I'll strip naked and jump up and down one day. Ummmm. perhaps not. Ahem.