Merry Christmas

All prepared for Christmas so now just sitting waiting for it to happen! Have put the tree up and amazed little dog hasn't pulled it down yet, she just keeps going and looking at the decorations and wondering if she dare touch. There is no way we can put any presents under the tree as that would be just too tempting for a puppy.

Went to the Stroke Association Community Cafe at the Witham, disappointing that not many people turned up but was good to meet fellow stroke survivors and hopefully others will come along when they hear about it.  Also went for Christmas lunch with Arnold, Linda and Amy, really pleased that Arnold decided to try to get onto the course at the Aphasia Centre in Newcastle after I first met him, and that he has been accepted onto the course starting in January. Hope you look after him girls!

Have also been sent a copy of the video I made with Amy and Kathy, would like to link it to my blog but will have to consult with the IT brains of the family over Christmas!

I have been trying to persuade Channel 4 news that when they use sub-titles in news stories and features (eg when translating foreign speakers) people who have aphasia and/or are partially sighted cannot read the subtitles and therefore cannot enjoy the article.  I have emailed them 3 times now and did get a reply the second time saying my emails had been passed to the editor and presenters but nothing has changed.  They don't use the audio help which other channels use.  I think I need to start a campaign!!

Really proud of my son John who recently won the Guild of Motoring Writers award for his blog Engage Sport Mode.  He had to attend the award ceremony at the RAC in Pall Mall London and have just heard he is short listed for another award.  Dealers are now giving him cars to test drive after years of ignoring him with the exception of Audi in Newcastle who obviously saw his potential some time ago.

I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.

Latest News

Can't believe how short the days are now and it is dark just after 4pm, where has the year gone? Have now had some rain so stream starting to fill up, came as a shock to some of the lambs as they have had a very dry time since they were born. Also the little dog wondered what it was at first but soon got used to it and realised there is lots of mud to play in.

Have had a bit of a rough time health wise lately and very frustrating as my leg is still not working properly, still getting some physio but will have had my 6 allowed sessions soon!  The doctor tried some muscle relaxing tablets which resulted in my arm and hand not working properly!!!  Have stopped taking the tablets and very slowly getting some use back in my arm and hand.  It isn't nice going backwards, the most annoying thing is the lack of grip, I set off carrying something only to find I drop it and only realise this when I get to my destination.

Seem to have had lots of visitors recently which is very nice, we also had Senna Dog to stay for just over a week which pleased her friend Nell.  John and Ceri went to New York and Boston for his birthday and really happy as they got engaged in Boston and now busy planning their wedding next year.  Nell and Senna get on really well together and tire each other out!

Have been busy with Stroke Association as I have met another chap who is thinking of going to the Aphasia Centre, hopefully I have persuaded him to try and get a place.  Also been on a training course with Amy Waite as part of my role as "expert patient".

We have finished with the vegetable plot for this year, it's not worth trying to grow anything here over the winter.  Also been busy giving some of the windows a coat of wood stain to preserve them, I can do some of the preparation by sanding them down and Liz can do the painting.  

Going to a Stroke Association Communication Cafe tomorrow in Barnard Castle, this is the first meeting so hopefully plenty of people turn up.

Catching up with news

Just realised it is almost 3 months since I wrote on my blog but it has been a really busy summer and a new dog to keep me active😃

Physically I have noticed a few changes, the main one being I have more movement in my right arm and in the last few weeks my thumb has started to move which is great as although my fingers could move my thumb refused. I don't have any strength in my hand or arm but you never know what may happen in time.  I have also noticed my right eye doesn't hang down like it did so I am even more good looking! Haha   On the down side I have had to return to physio for my leg as it's not as good as it was and I can't walk as far as I was able to in the past.

We thought we had bought a little Jack Russell the same as as 2 previous dogs but Nell has grown into a long legged variety and has obviously taken after her father not her mother!  But she is still a great little dog and we are busy trying to train her, which, anyone who has ever owned a terrier, will know is not easy as they are very energetic excitable characters!  But she is clean in the house and sleeps well at night so we can't complain, she just loves life, chickens, sheep, muck and running around and very unusually for a JR she loves water so is often in the stream.

I had a visit from Amy Waite who is the Aphasia Communication Support Co-ordinator for the Stroke Association, she talked to me about the Aphasia clinic at Newcastle University and asked if I would consider being an "Expert Patient" for the Stroke Association.  This would involve talking to people with Aphasia but also explaining to people who are unaware of Aphasia what it is, how people are affected and how they can help and communicate with aphasia sufferers.  After some thought I agreed and have already met with one chap who is thinking of going to the Aphasia centre. As part of my role I today made a video about my story with Amy and Kathy.  Waiting to see what that turns out like😳

The garden has done really well this year and really pleased with our vegetable plot, we now have a stash of potatoes and a freezer full of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and jars of pickles!  Just waiting for the frost for the sprouts.  The good weather has meant we have got most of the big jobs completed with a few mishaps, cross words and laughter.

Decided to buy a quad to help me get about the place, so had a trip over to Hawes to buy it.  The throttle is worked by my right thumb which we thought might be a problem but after a discussion we decided to leave it where it was and it makes me use my thumb more.  Have been busy moving stones  and soil helped by my little dog.

The monster has arrived.

One of the things we promised ourselves after I finished at the Aphasia centre was a new puppy to replace the great dog we lost last year.  See attached

She is of course a Jack Russell and is very demanding unless she is having one of her naps! But she is keeping me busy and is great fun.

Still haven't heard anything about my angiogram the NHS lives up to its poor reputation.

Went up to Newcastle to meet friends from the Aphasia clinic and visited Saint James' Park, there was a problem in going to see the pitch as they were preparing for the Kings of Leon concert, it was looking very spectacular.  Good to meet up with friends.

Good news is we have sold the flat but means we now have no where to stay if we go up to Newcastle.

Been taking part in the Limbs Alive research and been busy playing my circus games, this came an end last Friday and Sharon came to do final assessments etc and take away all the equipment.  

In the garden things are looking good, the potatoes have just come into flower and everything else is growing well, plenty of lettuce and radish!  Have to be careful to keep the rabbits off but we now have a secret weapon (when she gets a little bit bigger). Nell the Jack Russell

My speech hasn't been so good this week probably because I have been abit tired and missing the students bullying me!!

Moving on

During my last week I was approached by one of the tutors Rose who asked if I would go along one Thursday to a NETA (North East Trust for Aphasia) session and show some of the participants what I am able to do with my ipad.  As I had to be In Newcastle the following Friday I said I would go the next week.

I went into a group session of about 9 people and started by showing them the speech function, one of the ladies who was new to ipads was gobsmacked by what it could do.  It was very satisfying to show them what I had learnt knowing it will help fellow Aphasia sufferers, hope I will be able to do more of this in the future.

On the Friday I was at the RVI for a cerebral angiogram.  We got there for 8am at my allotted time, didn't go in theatre until 2.30pm the procedure only takes about 20 minutes but then have to spend 4 hours recovering including lying flat for an hour.  So we didn't leave the hospital until 6pm - it was a long day!!  Finally got home just after 8pm.  Great to find our neighbours had fed the sheep and put the chickens to bed!!

Liz had a list of jobs this week!  So have been busy in the garden and we actually managed to paint the wall in the hall which has been waiting for paint since it was plastered about a year ago.

Our veg plot is doing well as Liz has a good supervisor - obviously.

  

End of course

Went to the university as mentioned in my last blog to speak in front of 20+ professional speech therapists about how using my iPad has helped me with my Aphasia.  These were speech therapists who are out in the field and not familiar with what can be achieved with an iPad. It has certainly helped me and given me some independence, I have come a long way from when Liz had to read all my emails and tweets to me.  The session was led by Fiona who asked me various questions and my answers were directed to the delegates. This was things like using the speech function so I can listen to emails, news items etc and also how I use to microphone to speak to the iPad so I can reply to emails.  I told them how my iPad now recognises me and how I speak which I think is really clever.

The session seemed to go really well and hopefully they will encourage aphasia sufferers who have an iPad to use it to help them communicate.

When I went back down to the coffee room to meet Liz I was grabbed by Rose who asked if I would go into one of the iPad sessions at NETA  one Thursday and show people what the iPad can do. I agreed to this and we arranged I would go the following week.

The final week of my course consisted of Tuesday and Wednesday doing more assessments and on Friday the session with Eleanor which was a questionnaire on how I had found the course.  We finished off with a party for us all and our partners. This ended up with 3 teams having a quiz.

Then that was the end of the course!

I would like to thank all the tutors and students but especially Dominique, Emma S, Eleanor and Emily who have had to put up with me for 12 weeks, they have helped me enormously in the 12 weeks and I am now able to read from the newspaper and also read and reply to emails and contribute to twitter.  This may sound trivial but if you suddenly find you can't do it you will find it is a major thing so I am grateful to the 4 of you for helping me do this. Good luck with your exams and future placements! 

Thank you to all the tutors for giving me this second opportunity (I take it a third go is out of the question!).  The small groups and large group have been really good fun to take part in.

I would also like to thank my fellow clients,

David Fettis - who I failed to convert from a caravaner to a motor home owner.

Ian Hardy -  for showing us you don't have to have a stroke to have Aphasia 

Ian McCoullouch (Flint) -  the musician of the group, hope you will be strumming that guitar soon.

David Fulton - my fellow compatriot from the last course.  

Looking forward to seeing you next Friday do you think St James' knows what is coming!

Very busy times!

Life has got very busy at the moment.  Have been back at the Aphasia centre for two weeks, can't believe this is my last week starting tomorrow.  

Last Friday was the day we did our Aphasia Awareness presentation to ten speech therapists, we were allocated different parts of the presentation and then we had to do our own stories of how we had had a stroke and how it has affected us.  As everyone of us has a different experience.  It seemed to go very well after all our hard work and practising so we were very pleased. 

Now in our final week we will have to do assessments to see if we have improved over the 12 weeks.

As usual we are now all worrying what we will do next, meeting with fellow aphasia sufferers is good, in some areas there are groups for stroke sufferers but these are not always beneficial for people with aphasia especially if they have lots of quizzes or play bingo!!

Whilst I was up at the University last Wednesday  my tutor asked me if I would go up this Thursday afternoon and speak to 25 people about how my iPad has helped me cope with not being able to read and write and also about my blog.  

As I said in my last blog I have been accepted on the Limbs Alive research programme with Newcastle 

RVI so have been busy playing my computer games.  The research nurse Sharon comes once a week to make sure I am doing it right and to do a number of assessments.  I then have to wear wrist tags for 3 days to monitor the movement in my arms.  At the moment it is too early to say if it is making any difference but I am happy to try.  The readings from the tags are showing I am moving my right arm more so that is good.

On the wettest foggiest night we got our final lamb, she was born in the rain and absolutely tiny, Liz had a long night with the mother who wasn't very well and didn't want to feed the little girl so it was a couple of bottles until the mother pulled herself together.  They are both fine now and although small the lamb is full of bounce.

Time off

Even though I am not at university I still have lots of homework to do.  Each of my four students have set me some work.  I have to email a student each week to send in my homework to them.  So really there is no time off!

Today my 90 year old mother in law has been testing me on my spellings and the sentences I had to write, she is a hard task master!!

Great news I went up to the RVI hospital at Newcastle just over a week ago to see if I could be accepted on the Limbs Alive research project and fortunately I was. So I have now been given the laptop and video games to start working on my right arm. 

Whilst up in Newcastle I met with my fellow class mates so we could go through our presentation on Aphasia awareness.

To date we have got 3 new lambs a set of twins and a single, Liz is really pleased with the new arrivals (2 girls and a boy). Just waiting for the next one to lamb

On holiday

We now have four weeks off for Easter holidays to give the students a break, hope you are all working hard and revising for your exams!

On the last day I was given homework from all 4 of my students, this includes sending them emails with an update of what I have done.

I do have to go up to the university next week for 2 hours in preparation for our presentation to 10 people to make them more aware of Aphasia (Liz is not amused at having to go up there!)

We have had Senna to visit twice in the last week which is really good, also good to see John and Ceri.  Senna just makes herself at home and looks for the old toy box, any treats and rabbits!  She spotted a group of very young ones playing yesterday, her eyesight is amazing

We are now on tender hooks waiting for the arrival of our lambs which are due anytime now, last year we had deep snow, this year we have had a few foggy days but it is now warm and sunny, perfect for lambs. 

When John was here yesterday he set up our Wii which we haven't used for years but Liz thought would be good to get me using my weak arm and leg.  I had my first game of golf in over a year albeit indoors and virtual but it was great fun, need to get in some practice so I can beat John!

New research

I have been approached a few times to take part in new research since my stroke and have always agreed as I hope it will help others in the future, however, the latest idea seemed a little strange but I am willing to give it a go.

I am getting a new friend to stay, her name is Mary and she is a chimpanzee as a leading university have discovered that the communication skills including hand gestures and facial expressions of chimps can help people with Aphasia.  She arrives next week so I will have to take her to the Aphasia centre in Newcastle with me as she can't be left at home alone.

The university is looking for more people to take part in the research so let me know if you are interested.

Another topic discussed last week

We also discussed world events which had caught our eye in the news.  I talked about the International Space Station.  Have enjoyed watching the coverage this week from Houston and the ISS

Another beautiful part of Teesdale!

Beautiful Teesdale. High Force

Another week

Finally achieved the goal of emptying our old oil tank, been a long boring job of trickling 150 litres of oil out but got their in the end! 

Had a good week to get out for a walk as weather been really good, Wednesday was so warm you could just imagine Spring had arrived and the cafés and bars on the Newcastle quayside were full.  Haven't had any rain for a out 8 days now and Liz is starting to complain the grass will never grow (starting to sound like a farmer as they are never happy with the weather) 

Therefore was disappointed as this last weekend has been so windy I haven't been able to get out for my walk.  I usually don't see many people when I am out but it is surprising how many people notice I haven't been out walking! They must watch me from behind the curtains!

The theme for this week at the Aphasia Centre was travel and on Wednesday I had to take in a photo of any area of outstanding natural beauty I had visited.  As I live in an AONB I downloaded a picture of High Force waterfall which is in Teesdale,  I was tempted to take a picture of our view as it is  just as beautiful.

I did some more reading skills with the students this week, still struggling with some spellings which is frustrating as it is random ones I get wrong.

The debate on Friday was "should lottery money be used to fund the arts" which I disagreed with because I believe some of the funding which goes into art is a complete waste of time. I think some of it should be for funding deprived youngsters to go on outdoor courses (so they could go for free) that way they would learn some life skills. Some youngsters who live in cities don't see outdoor life.

Also on Friday I started writing My Story which will be part of our project to make people more aware of Aphasia.  My group of five are all writing their stories of what happened to them when they had a stroke, my problem is I don't remember the first 3 months.  

Week five

On Saturday I went to my Mother in Laws 90th birthday lunch at Crathorne Hall, she just had immediate family and a few close friends.  It was nice to go out for a meal for a change and the venue was special to mother in law from her childhood plus Liz and I had our wedding reception there, sadly I have no recollection of this! (no Liz we are not doing it again)

Most of the week was taken up with practising my spellings and then using the words I have learnt in short sentences.   Emma gave me some homework using short sentences using the words I can't remember.  For some reason I am still struggling with the word ARE. Liz thinks it is because it is missing an S.  I have to take my homework back to be marked!

Still enjoy arriving for the clinic early so can sit and have a chat with the other 4 in my group, it is great that   we can all communicate and good to sit and chat to a group of men for a change before we get stuck into our lessons.

Friday is our debate day and this week I had to be Chair for winding Ian up last week over caravans!  The topic this week was "You can never have too much money". It was an interesting debate which I mostly managed to keep control of.

Some pictures for a change

Someone commented that I have very few pictures so here are some from last week for a change.

Senna came to stay for the weekend, she was dog tired after a walk. Seems to have settled in ok!

We had a slight leak in our boiler on Monday night! Managed to get it fixed fairly quick with the help of Percival and Kempy.

Some entertainment from the flat window on Tuesday night when new boat arrived at HMS Caliope base, it was pushed up the river by the dredger.  Note the Quayside bus in the background!

Waiting for the Quayside bus on Wednesday morning.

Week four

The theme this week was television and films, we talked about our likes and dislikes, I said I like watching Golf on TV and I dislike Soaps and Reality TV.

Friday was a good day as our small group started with a debate.  The topic being " The EU demands the UK to cut pollution from traffic fumes"    

The statement for debate being - " the government has a legal duty to protect us from air pollution"

We had to say if we agreed or disagreed with the statement and then five 2 reasons for our decision.

I said I agreed and my reasons were there are to many people living in the UK which causes more pollution and I suggested that 200,000 people should leave each year for the next 10 years.  My second idea was to ban caravans off the roads in the UK as towing a caravan increases air pollution as it reduces the mpg of your car.  I don't think Ian the caravaner was too pleased with my thoughts!

In the afternoon I worked with Dominique, who kindly stood in for Emily,  as she helped me get onto ReadRight on the computer.  It is a software sponsored by the Stroke Association I think with Durham University to help people with partial sight problems to read better.  Liz had seen it before but as I couldn't read at all I couldn't use it.  One problem we have found so far with this is it isn't designed for people who are learning to read against so if you don't know a word you are stuck!

It's nice to be able to travel home in the dry and we got home in daylight, the days are getting longer and Spring is in the air, let's hope we don't get a shock and find Winter hasn't gone yet!

End of the week

Spent this morning moving 3 large dumpy bags of logs which had to be transported into our log store and stacked neatly, this is hard work when you only have one arm and hand to do this with plus it is my left arm which works and I am right handed. This was a joint effort with my trusty assistant Liz.

Fortunately it's a nice sunny day for a change so the logs didn't get wet whilst outside.

The sheep are enjoying the sunny day and have been drying their fleeces, but the weather this week looks to be following a similar pattern of one sunny day followed by wet and windy day.

I have suggested to Liz that we move to Australia where it would be warmer but she advised me we wouldn't get in because of my stroke. 

At University on Friday morning with Ellie I had to reply to some emails which I thought would be great until she told me I couldn't use the speech button, I managed the task well but it took a long time.

My project group did more work on our project thinking about how we would deliver the content at the end to our audience. We have an hour and half to fill! 

I was disappointed I had to leave an hour early as Emily was not well, hope she has a speedy recovery.

It was disappointing there was no one to stand in for her.

More work

The weather has been a bit milder this week so the sheep have dried out and the mud is not as sticky!

With Dominique on Tuesday I managed to do 2 paragraphs of reading which she had downloaded from the Teesdale Mercury (my local paper) I was very impressed!  I then had to underline the important parts of the paragraph and then Dominique took it away from me and I had remember what it was about.

I then had to do 25 spellings of the simple words I keep getting stuck on, I got all but 7 right so these 7 are now my homework!  I have to learn them!

On Wednesday we started with the group session and we talked about where we had been on holiday, we were suppose to take in a souvenir or picture from a holiday but because I didn't come home on Tuesday night I couldn't do this.  I struggled to remember a holiday so talked about a business trip to Australia.

After this I went with Emma to do more reading and writing, she read a sentence to me and I had to write it down.  This whilst a simple task I found quite hard, but as Emma said it wouldn't be doing me any good if I found it easy - she is a tough taskmaster!  During our session Emma gave me some more words to learn which again are all small words as this seems to be where I have most problem.

Now looking forward to Friday even though it is a long day and also working with my small group on our project.  Flynn has been in trouble this week as he keeps forgetting to text his wife when he gets to the university!

Annoying

One thing I find very annoying is people asking Liz how I am doing, when I am stood next to her!

Week Three

Had a busy week socialising, on the Monday we were invited out for coffee with Gilbert and Jo (local farmers) and had a great time chatting and meeting their new Jack Russell and two original daschunds

Then on Saturday we went to see Willum and Marion (farmer friends from where we used to live) plus their two black Labradors who we know well.  It is great to get out to see friends and good to chat without worrying about getting the words out properly. I need to do more of this, and this is why I find the group sessions at the clinic good for me. 

The weather this week had been really bad with strong winds and lots of rain, we had snow at home on Wednesday morning but as we were up in Newcastle at the clinic by the time we got home it had melted into slush.

This week concentrated on food and drink, one session was about the cost of some food items, I should have remembered  this from last time but couldn't so once again struggled with things like the price of milk and bread!  I used to go shopping with Liz every Saturday morning but now find it hard due to my sight problems and the way supermarkets put displays on the corners of aisles and in silly places. Have you noticed how they put displays of wine on offer in very awkward places.

On Wednesday I did some spelling with Emma which I found difficult as I wasn't feeling 100% but she pushed me so I completed them.  Aphasia is a funny thing, some days you seem to be doing really well and you feel you are making progress but then on days when you are feeling tired or under the weather all your problems come back. But you have to push yourself and get on with it.

On Friday we worked on our Aphasia Awareness Project and set a timetable for how we could achieve our aim, we are looking to go in during the Easter break.

#aphasia

One year on

Today is the first anniversary of my stroke, how life has changed in 12 months.  I still can't remember the first 3 months after having my stroke, but Liz and my family have told me what happened to me.

When I was in hospital I was at deaths door so really grateful to the doctors and nurses who saved my life.  Now still have problems with my right leg and arm, I suffer from Aphasia but the biggest problem is my sight and that is really hard to come to terms with.  I will never drive again and that is hard to accept.

Over the year my circle of friends have changed and there are now new people I associate with who perhaps in the past I wouldn't have spent very much time with. One person in particular who has helped me this past year is Ann who comes most Thursday mornings but also has thought to take me Christmas shopping and looked for ways to help me even before I went to the Apahasia clinic.

Hope I can progress with my speech therapy in the coming months and that I improve physically.

My glass is always half full not half empty! 

Week Two

Back up to Newcastle on Tuesday, the weather is still wet and windy but have to feel sorry for people living in the south especially the south west and in Somerset.  Feel especially sorry for the farmers struggling to keep their animals safe and fed.

One of the topics we discussed this week in a group session was what we would do if we won £10,000000.  I said I would give some to friends and family, didn't know whether Liz would like a bigger farm to keep more animals, and buy her a new car.  I would also buy a Lamborghini and have a driver who take me out in it (Liz wouldn't drive it with me in it).  

My small group is having a project  to promote the understanding of Aphasia, so over the course of the weeks we will work on this project.  Interestingly on the news this morning their was an article about Dementia awareness and how Salford is the first town in England to promote awareness of Dementia, they are doing this by training taxi drivers, retail staff etc, wouldn't if be great if Newcastle could become the first city in England to be Apahasia aware!

In Emily's session on Friday, I had more tests to do for spelling. I wasn't looking forward to this but she pushed me to complete these as they use this information to see how you have improved over the weeks by final tests in the last couple of weeks. 

Friday as usual is a long hard day and I am always tired by the time we get home thank goodness there is a weekend to recover!

Back to big school!

This was the week I returned to the Aphasia Centre at Newcastle University. I am really lucky and thankful for getting a second session.

My first session was on Tuesday afternoon, at least Liz and I knew where we were going this time so it was back on the Quayside bus to meet my new class mates.  It was good to see John the volunteer in the coffee room when I arrived and in some ways it didn't feel like I had been away (did Christmas really happen?). Janet the secretary came and introduced herself to the new people but laughed as she already knew me!   I met with my new class mates for a cup of coffee before we went into class and then we were met by another 5 people for our first full group session.  Today was mostly introductions followed by my first individual session and the shock of new students, disappointed that my old students have gone onto other things and I will have to get used to new students and they will have to get used to me but the new ones seem very nice. On Tuesday I have Dominique, Wednesday Emma and on Friday I have Ellie in the morning with Emily in the afternoon.   Sorry but it will take me 3-4 weeks to remember their names!

In my session on Tuesday, Dominique asked me what I knew about Cinderella, so I said "is this the one with the 7 dwarves"  she said "er No".   

It is good to meet other people who have had a stroke and yet again it shows how a stroke affects everyone differently.  One size will never fit all.

It was good to meet with Fiona (the boss) on Wednesday morning so I was able to thank her for giving me the opportunity of a second session.  She asked me what I wanted to get out of this course and we discussed what I wanted to achieve.  It was good to see Rodney the volunteer and he remembered  how I like my coffee!

Wednesday was taken up by a group session and then I was introduced to Emma who gave me more tests to do.

On Friday was a mixture of my group, the whole group and 2 individual sessions which were taken up with yet more tests.  It is interesting to watch new people and how they react on the course.

I understand why we need the tests so how we progress can be measured but hope next week we can get on with some proper work.

Good News!!

Liz came back from buying some sheep feed with News of a Jack Russell puppy that was for sale, she sounded perfect. At the same time I had a phone call from the University offering me a place on the next aphasia session starting next week. I was really pleased about my offer but meant we couldn't take up the offer of the puppy. 

I'm looking forward to getting back to the University although nervous as the rest of the course will be new people. 

This news is good news for me learning to read and write, and the gap hasn't been being too long and I will have completed most of the homework that was given to me at the end of last term. 

The course runs for nine weeks and then we get four weeks off for Easter followed by another three weeks. Liz is pleased about this timing as we will be at home when the lambs are due to be born. 

My blog will continue during the next session of University work. 

Christmas 2013

We don't normally but this year we thought we would send a letter out with our Christmas cards to update people with my progress and also to let some people know what had been going on in our lives during 2013. It was lovely to receive messages of encouragement and support back from people, some had no idea I had had a stroke and we had visits, phone calls and letters from old friends. This really cheered me up.

John came home for Christmas and brought his dog Senna with him, it was lovely having a dog in the house again, she is so full of fun and energy.  Although her present opening technique needs to improve but she is young and in time will perfect this as Megan did (she was an expert).  We did have some snow on Christmas Eve and morning but it wasn't much and soon melted.

In the village there is a pub and a club (the smallest club in England).  We always used to go to the pub but unfortunately this year the landlady left and it was given to a manager until it could be sold.  This did not work out very well and the pub has now closed down.  We started going to the club occasionally on a Saturday evening.  

I like going to the club because it is a small room with a roaring fire, everyone has made me very welcome and speaks to me, usually it is one big conversation and we have a good laugh. Whereas at the pub I knew some people felt uncomfortable talking to me and would therefore avoid me - this hurts as I haven't changed inside!  I realise it is hard for some people and in the past I was probably just the same but if you ever encounter this situation take a leaf out of one friends book - Martin came over to me one night in the pub and said hello, he then said he was really sorry but just didn't know what to say to me, I explained I was just the same the only difference being it takes me longer to say things sometimes, after that we had a great chat and he always talks to me in the club now.

The main thing to remember about stokes and aphasia is it is not contagious and by talking to someone who has been affected you will not be infected!

The only thing on offer for me now are speech therapy group sessions and clubs for older or disabled people, this is not my idea of fun!  I need to interact and communicate with everyone.  Stroke victims need to be consulted on what they want rather than trying to fit us all into one box!  The future looks very bleak if that's all I have to look forward to!

The final lap

Just as I had got into the swing of university life and using the Quayside bus talk started about life after the course finished.

One event during the last few weeks was the other group of four ie Robin, Geoff, Bill and David went to a cafe and had to order their own food and drink.  They practised for this outing in the university coffee room first and then did it for real. I wish I had been the waiter!

Jean, Carl and Linda were all working on a leaflet/poster aimed at making people aware of Aphasia. I was left on my own to do my blog! 

The last 2 weeks of 1-1 sessions were taken up with with reading and learning and with assessments, we were assessed when we started and these latest ones were to see how we had progressed over the weeks.

On the last day my group of 4 ie Jean, Linda, Carl and me had to do a presentations of the work we had prepared,  to the other group, tutors and students and also invited family members.  In my case both Liz and my son John attended.  

Jean, Linda and Carl presented their leaflets and I had to do a presentation about my blog with my able assistant Laura.  I was very nervous doing this as it had been almost a year since I had done anything like this!  I think both Liz and John were pleased with me and John got a shock at how well I had progressed

The one message we all tried to get across was WE HAVE APHASIA WE ARE NOT STUPID

I then had to go and do yet more assessments before Nadine went  through how I had progressed with Liz, John and myself.  It was good to see I had improved although still a long way to go.

We were then treated to a lovely Buffet lunch and then the students had prepared a Christmas party with games and quizzes.  Our team was pleased to win 2 prizes - chocolate coins and chocolate sprouts! 

As a parting gift (!) I was given a folder containing lots of homework which the students had put together.

It was then time to leave and it was sad to say goodbye to the students and tutors and also to my fellow aphasia sufferers.

I would like to thank the tutors and students for helping me get this far and encouraging me to use my iPad more and to start this blog.  Hopefully I will meet some of them again.

Fiona (The Boss).  Me (pupil). Nadine (student)

Eight weeks into course

It was possible to see how everyone was progressing within the group.

In my own case I was starting to read and write which was something I couldn't do after my stroke. Progress is very slow and it is like being at infant school all over again, I can't for instance read a newspaper but was beginning to recognise some letters and words. On a bad day it all went to pot again!

With Robin he was starting to say good morning which was something he couldn't do before and was a great break through.

One of my best tricks with the students was telling them that I was too tired to work today so they would suggest we should do something simple, then I would laugh and say no let's get stuck into it. At times I had difficulty understanding one of the Irish students and with me having speech problems it could be a bit of a problem but we always got through it in the end.

In the large group sessions it was up to 2 of the students to lead the session and the other students would mix with the rest of us and take part in the exercises.  This was a good way of teaching and learning both for us and also for the students.

One of the things both the tutor and the students encouraged me to do was to start using my iPad more.  They taught me a number of things it could do to help me including reading out loud, so for example I could get it to read my emails (up to now Liz had had to read everything to me) it could also read the News and my twitter account which was great.

They also showed me how I could reply to emails and tweets using the speech function, at first the iPad couldn't understand me but gradually it has got used to how I speak.

They then suggested I started writing a blog, which is what you are reading now.  

Being partially sighted

As this is my blog I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about what it is like being partially sighted.  This is not meant to be seen as having a go at people because until it happened to me I certainly didn't realise how hard life can be.

My sight has been affected by my stroke and the right side of both eyes can't see anything. This means I only see the world on the left side and this can result in quite a few mishaps.

The worst one recently was when I walked into a lamppost in Newcastle, Liz turned back to find me giving the post a good telling off, don't know who was more shocked, Liz, the lamppost or the poor lad who was behind me.

One of the advantages of walking with a stick is people can see you have a problem, but I don't have a white stick.  Perhaps there should be a system of having a white band on a normal stick for people who have problems with their sight.

A few of the things partially sighted people have problems with are:-

Wheely bins left in the middle if the pavement

Cars parked on the pavement

Kids who leave bikes or skate boards lying around

People either talking in their mobile phones and oblivious to their surroundings or busy texting and not looking where they are going.

Liz and I tend to disagree about where she should walk when we are out, I like her to walk on my left side so I can see her but she thinks she should walk on my right hand side to stop me walking into lamp posts etc!  No doubt we continue to argue about this.

I now like to have my food put in the same place on my plate so I can find it (this was a tip I picked up from the Council sensory guy - Richard who came to see me)

I sometimes loose things like potatoes and vegetables off the right hand side of my plate as I push them off and don't see them,  Liz often asks if there is something wrong with that potato on the table.

When people come to visit I like them to sit on my left hand side so I can see them.

Often when I am reading or doing my aphasia exercises with Liz I miss the end of words and sentences as I just  don't see them. 

The hardest thing to come to terms with due to my sight problems is not being able to drive as I have always been into my cars and find this really hard to accept.

How Aphasia can affect people

Now four weeks into the course and I beginning to understand how aphasia affects the group of people I am with.

Geoff - had a slight speech impediment but physically he had recovered from his stroke and he was able to write, because of this he was always our scribe in group competitions.

Carl - like Geoff physically had recovered well, he was able to speak (a lot) but if you questioned him on certain things he sometimes struggled to answer and he couldn't read or write.

Jean - walked with the aid of a stick, she could read and write and could speak but had to speak very slowly and often got words wrong or couldn't find the word she wanted. But we helped her by waiting and encouraging her to find the words.

Linda - struggled with her walking and speech was difficult. But if you listened to her carefully you could usually understand what she was saying and if we didn't she was able to write it down.

David - walked with a limp and his right arm didn't work, he spoke slowly so he could be heard, on some occasions like Jean he would get stuck on certain words.

Bill - had slight problems with walking and with his right arm! but his main problem was his speech! he found this very difficult.

Robin - had problems with his right leg and no use in his right arm and he had speech problems, as the course progressed he seemed to get more confidence in the words he could use. He used to draw what he was trying to say, these drawings were brilliant.

Me - problem with right leg and no strength in right arm but gradually getting some movement, my speech is pretty good now and at the begining of the course I couldn't read or write.

This shows that with 8 people how a stroke can affect them all so differently and the lasting effects can take many forms.  We all have Aphasia and this has affected  how we communicate. However, we all agreed Aphasia affects our communication, it does not mean we are STUPID.

Working with the group of 8 was really beneficial as we all supported each other, for example we demonstrated the patience and time needed by people with aphasia to express themselves, we didn't rush people who were struggling to find words.  In group competitions we used the skills within the group to best advantage.  The tutors would not put you under pressure and helped you to find the answers within the group, this may mean we worked with each other to encourage someone who was struggling to find a word or express themselves.

You may have noticed that we are all affected on our right side by our strokes, this is because when the left side of the brain suffers a stroke, the right side of your body is affected.  Also the left side of the brain is responsible for speech and communication.  

The tutors who worked with us in the group sessions are remarkable and I can't thank them enough.

First week at "school"

1st October I started at the Aphasia Centre at Newcastle University on an 11 week course.

Liz and I travelled up to Newcastle on a Tuesday morning ready for the afternoon session, we then stayed at our flat Tuesday night for the Wednesday morning session.  We came home Wednesday afternoon and went back up to Newcastle Thursday afternoon to stay at the flat ready for the full day session on a Friday. 

Our flat is on the Quayside and Liz made me go on the Quayside bus up to Haymarket so that we could easily get to the King George VI building at the university.  Going on a bus is very alien to me as I haven't been on one since I was a child.

The other problem with being partially sighted, is avoiding students who walk around with their noses in their phones!  I can't tell you how Liz deals with them. 

I had no idea what to expect on the course and was feeling slightly nervous at my first session.

I met the other participants in the coffee lounge which is manned by volunteers who have been on previous courses and that really helped.  The others were Carl, Jean and Linda.

We went into the classroom and four more participants, who had just finished their individual sessions,

joined us.  These were Robin, Geoff, Bill and David.  We then had a full group session where we introduced ourselves. After the group session we had an individual one to one session with a student.

This was the format for the course, full group, small group and individual sessions.

I found the work to be hard but the students were really helpful and pushed me on which was really what I needed. The students I spent most time with were Lauren, Olga, Nadine and Laura (D)

During the group sessions we discussed and learnt about dealing with the effects of having a stroke, then in the individual sessions we dealt with the problems I was experiencing which was a really good mix. I was learning to read and how to spell again which was all very alien to me at that time. 

It was a hard week especially on a Friday which was a long day but I achieved it without falling asleep.

Megan

One of the saddest times during the summer was when my little old dog Megan became ill, she started having seizures and did not want to eat. Going for walks was out of the question.  Then at the beginning of August she died.  She was almost 18 years old and we had had her from 6 weeks so a huge loss to us all.  

We decided to bury her down by the stream and was in the middle of doing this when Ann turned up, she has a knack of turning up at just the right time and having her there really helped Liz and I.