Mind of my Stroked Brain

Disclaimer :- these are my thoughts based on my observations. They are not backed by research or medical proof. Take it with a pinch of salt... _____________________________ This is not a recent observation but observed over the past 4+ years. I have not been able to make sense of it for a very long time and after I processed it in my head, I didn't know how to express it and write about it... Giving it a shot now... ________________ When I drove the car/ rode  the bike, I have always been very bad with directions and orientation. And I am a "man" - so I wouldn't stop to ask for directions either. And I was not slow either... Net result was, i usually over shot an exit, hit a dead end, etc and invariably I would have to take a U turn and go back to get further. When in Australia, my wife would be struggling to let me know the directions with a big and bulky map book only to witness the U turns anyway (these were the days when Google maps were not yet in).  After I had

"Spasticity" is a term I've encountered only after my stroke. It is very common in the neuro recovery/ rehab world. It's when various parts of the body become stiff/rigid, either involuntarily or through limited muscle action but is not yet receiving messages from the brain to release/relax. sometimes your affected body part feels like a stone and sometimes very painful. But you just have to wait for it to relax on its own. It feels like nothing like a cramp. It starts with more intensity in the morning and reduces slowly as the day progresses, I guess as there are some movements and more blood circulation. I don't know. My sleep on most nights is very broken due to cough or waking up frequently for bathroom breaks or something else. It's rare that I get more than 1hr at one stretch. But what I have observed, more importantly, is that I have a very increased spasticity and I am able do something new which I never could before, when I have a good night's s

So, this is what i have experienced/ observed as the stages in rehabilitation.  Stage 0 is when you can neither move/ control the muscle. You can't even feel  it. Note: these are not just the big ones we know of, like biceps, triceps, hamstring,calf etc. Its every hundreds of small ones we never knew existed. Stage 1: is when they do passive movements. Just multiple movement of the same muscle. They supplement it with electric stimulation to trigger movement of the targeted muscle. It could take 6 - 8 months typically. Many of my left side muscles are still in this stage ,even at 2 years... Stage 2: is when the muscle gets some involuntary movements. It feels really weird and crazy to feel some part of  you twiching uncontrollably..i am guessing this is when the brain is doing trial and error connecting and having fun. I have noticed it very short time for a few muscles and months for others. ..its not the reaction when someone touches or moves the muscle, it has to move on its own