Survivor Louise Ingram - American Stroke Association

L E T T E R S
As a caregiver, I read with interest “A
Chinese Stroke Connection” and “Evaluating
Needles” (March/April 2006) about acupuncture.
My husband Larry had a stroke four years ago and is
flaccid on his left side. He has physical therapy, pool
therapy and massages on a weekly basis. Two years
ago he started acupuncture treatment with massage.
All of a sudden he developed big black bruises,
which the doctor couldn’t explain. We were afraid of
internal bleeding. The doctor wanted him to go back
to the hospital and have quite a few tests. Some were
done with no explanation of what was being done.
I figured it out on my own: Larry takes warfarin.
That was the cause of the bruises. Once we stopped
the acupuncture, everything went back to normal.
A word to the wise, many survivors take blood
thinners, so before going for acupuncture, check with
your doctor.
Pauline Germi, Caregiver
Miami, Florida
I’d like to add to the experiences
described in letters from Debby Goodspeed and Scott
Bonagofsky (January/February 2006).
I am not a quitter, but on occasions I have felt
like giving up. When I asked the neurologist who
treated me in the ER why I didn’t get TPA, he told
me I wasn’t a candidate. I wanted to know why,
and he became angry with me and said, “Forget
about it, those brain cells are dead!” Other questions
were answered with “I’m not the expert.” Then he
attempted a joke, “Little clot, big disability.”
A rehab doctor and another neurologist told me
that my ability to write and walk would return in a
couple of months. Now, two years later I still cannot
write or eat with my dominant hand and walking is
painful. I was told by another doctor that everyone is
different and I should know that the doctors were only
guessing. When I describe other deficits, I have been
told, “We don’t see that with a stroke like yours.”
Now I realize that a support person should have
accompanied me to all appointments because some
doctors do not like to give out information or answers.
Lorraine Michalski, Survivor
Marshfield, Wisconsin
September/October 2006
Connecting You to Us
I had a stroke in September 2002. I went
to rehab for a week, where I began having pain and
a burning sensation on my right side. The doctors
attributed it to the stroke and told me within a year
I would not even know I had had a stroke. Little did
they know.
The burning pain and numbness in my right hand
got so bad I couldn’t even shake someone’s hand. I
even had trouble touching things. Months went by,
and it did not get better. After a year, someone where
my wife works gave me a copy of Stroke Connection
and I read an article about “thalamic pain syndrome.”
It sounded like what I have. I searched the Internet
and found much more information.
I went back to the neurologist, and she told me my
stroke was in the thalamus area and that most people
who develop this pain have it for a long, long time
and it may never go away. She put me on Neurontin.
Now I take 1600 mg a day, however, I believe it has
caused my balance problems to get worse.
My foot has gotten better, but my hand, and
especially my fingers, are sometimes unbearable if I
miss my pill. My hand feels like a burning toothache
that won’t go away. But from my week in rehab, I
know there are others worse off than me.
It has taken a long time to write this letter, but
thank you for your magazine as it could have taken a
lot longer for me to find out what my problem was. If
anyone else has found a new medication for this pain,
please let me know.
Douglas Pollock, Survivor
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Your magazine came when I was feeling
low and hopeless. My 68-year-old husband is also the
survivor of a very bad stroke, like Joseph Markowski
in the November/December 2005 issue. Seven months
of a feeding tube, very slow improvements. I am so
grateful for articles like this. I read them over and
over. Thank you!
Helga Scriven, Caregiver
Johnstown, Ohio