Stroke Book : A Guide to Life after Stroke for Survivors and Those Who Care For Them

by Biermann, June; Toohey, Barbara

• ISBN13: 9781585423743
• ISBN10: 1585423742
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-03
• Publisher: Tarcher

Summary

An indispensable guide for victims of stroke and their caregivers, from the authors of The Diabetic's Total Health and Happiness Book. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, an American suffers a stroke every forty-five seconds. More than 700,000 Americans each year find themselves struggling to recover from this affliction. June Biermann, a former stroke victim herself, and her coauthor-and caregiver -Barbara Toohey offer a sensitive and essential guide for sufferers and those who care for them. The Stroke Bookprovides readers with: - analyses of the latest developments in stroke therapy; - tips for creating a smart nutritional plan post-stroke; - information on managing complex rehabilitation needs; - ways stroke victims can reclaim their quality of life following a stroke, and how caregivers can manage their own stress. With stroke now the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, Biermann and Toohey's optimistic, user-friendly guide to living well after an attack is a vital tool for recovery.

Author Biography

June Biermann and Barbara Toohey are the authors of the bestselling The Diabetic's Book and The Diabetic's Total Health and Happiness Book.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Foreword by N. Paul Rosenthal, M.D., Ph.D.	xiii
Authors' Note	xv
Barbara's Introduction: The Woman Who Has Everything	xvii
June's Introduction: A Stroke Most Dolorous	xx
PART I THE STROKEE CHRONICLES	1	(100)
1. The Science of Strokes	3	(16)
A Stroke by Any Other Name	3	(1)
What Is a Stroke?	4	(1)
June's Strokes	5	(2)
Risk factors: Why Me? Why You? Why Does Anybody Have a Stroke?	7	(8)
Different Strokes for Different folks	15	(1)
June's Stroke II	16	(3)
2. After the Stroke	19	(19)
Coping with the Inevitables of a Stroke	19	(1)
Home Nurses, Helpers, and Caregivers	20	(6)
Caregivers: The Bad and the Beautiful	26	(3)
Fatigue and Exhaustion	29	(1)
Emotions	30	(4)
Setbacks	34	(4)
3. Recovery	38	(46)
The Basic Therapies: Occupational, Physical, and Speech	38	(13)
Complementary and Alternative Therapies	51	(8)
Medications	59	(3)
Blood Pressure-Lowering Medications	62	(1)
Generic Drugs	63	(4)
Emergency Measures	67	(4)
Conquering Constipation	71	(4)
Sex and the Strokee	75	(3)
Safety first, Last, and Always	78	(6)
4. The Pursuit of Happiness	84	(17)
A took at Your Life View	85
Courting Your love of Life	81	(14)
The Zen Path to Stroke Success	95	(3)
Getting a Little Buddhism in Your Life	98	(1)
The Other Ten Commandments for Strokees	99	(2)
PART II A CAREGIVER'S COMPENDIUM	101	(119)
5. Caregiving for a Strokee: The Nuts and Bolts	103	(36)
Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver	103	(4)
Preparing to Care	107	(2)
Help with Basics	109	(7)
Helping Your Strokee Keep Op Appearances	116	(5)
Reducing Your Strokee's Pain	121	(2)
A Kinder, Gentler Caregiver	123	(1)
Disabling with Kindness	124	(1)
The Strokee's Roller Coaster	125	(1)
TEA for Two	126	(2)
Gil's Story	128	(3)
Mean to You	131	(1)
Complaint Department	132	(1)
Complaints without Words	133	(4)
Helping Brain Cells Recover	137	(2)
6. Taking Care of the Caregiver	139	(45)
Support Groups for Caregivers and Their Strokees	140	(1)
Coping with Depression	141	(6)
Shrinking Sorrow	147	(3)
The Two Roads to Curing Depression	150	(2)
Secrets of a Long Life	152	(2)
The Reluctant Strokee	154	(1)
Focusing Your Life	155	(2)
Brain Training	157	(2)
Sweeping the Mind with Meditation	159	(5)
Caregiver Weight Gain	164	(6)
Stretching	170	(1)
Beyond Stretching	171	(2)
Sleep	173	(4)
It Does Compute	177	(2)
Read It, Don't Weep	179	(2)
Your Right to a Life	181	(1)
The Last Right: A Right to a Respite	182	(2)
7. The Business of Caregiving for a Strokee	184	(17)
Hospitals and Health and Rehabilitation Centers	188	(2)
Patient Advocacy Is Job Two	190	(2)
Keeping Your Strokee from Going Down the Tubes: An Example of Patient Advocacy	192	(2)
Some Financial Considerations	194	(1)
Things Are Looking Up	195	(2)
Paul Berger Conquers the World with an Attitude	197	(3)
Better Stroke Recovery Through Chemistry	200	(1)
8. Other People's Strokes	201	(19)
Katherine Sherwood: Painting Herself Out of a Corner	202	(3)
Kirk Douglas: A Champion Gets Up Off the Mat with a Renewed Lust for Life	205	(2)
Patricia Neal: A Thoroughbred Wins the Roses	207	(5)
Robert Evans: from Rag Trade to Riches	212	(2)
Hoy Horn: The CVA or the Tiger? Roy's Accident	214	(2)
Pamela Crim: The Legislative Eyes of Texas Are on Pamela Crim	216	(4)
Ever After: Epilogue	220	(3)
Appendix A: Books About Other People's Stroke Experiences	223	(1)
Appendix B: Stroke Organizations	224	(3)
Index	227