Nancy Mayo and Getting On With The Rest Of Your Life After A Stroke

Charlotte Comrie - Nancy Mayo - Gary Gray photo credit The Guardian


Hi to all of my stroke survivor readers

This post is for all of you as well as your caregivers and your families.

Being able to accept the abrupt change in your life that having a stroke can bring can be very difficult to come to grips with let alone manage your life after a stroke..

The health care system in North America and the world deals mainly with stroke from a clinical viewpoint So where does that leave you when you are discharged  from rehab and left to get on with your life after a stroke?

Dr. Nancy Mayo of McGill University in Montreal Canada is a true pioneer in this field of research.

I first met Dr. Mayo in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island in November of  2007 at 5 years post stroke. ( that was when the picture above was taken)

We were both in Charlottetown to attend the "Strategies for Stroke Recovery" conference that was being held there.

I gave an address on Friday Night that was titled "The New Normal" and Dr. Mayo gave the keynote address the next morning titled "Getting On With The Rest Of Your Life After Stroke". As I had been invited to attend Dr. Mayo's presentation I took along a recorder and recorded it. The recording is in audio only so you don't get to see the visual side. {the slide presentation)

There are many great points that Dr. Mayo highlighted in her presentation. As she was addressing a group of  health care professionals that day the first half hour is a bit dry with clinical background information. In the last half hour she begins to draw out the needs that are faced by a stroke survivor and family that is being discharged from rehab and facing life after stroke back in the community.

Since November 2007 Dr. Mayo  has developed a 36 page booklet called "Getting On With The Rest Of Your Life After Stroke" that is designed to assist stroke survivors and families to cope with life after a stroke.

In April of 2009 the Prince Edward Island government included in their annual budget announcement that Prince Edward Island over the next four years would be adopting an "Organized Stroke Care Model" to deal with the challenge of stroke within our province. (see my 4 page background report prepared and distributed to all of our provincial elected reps prior to the budget being announced)

In April 2010 the opening of both the Acute Stroke Care (Unit 8) and the Rehab Stroke Care (Unit 7) were announced for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. At the same time the announcement for the Secondary Stroke Prevention Unit for the Prince County Hospital in Summerside was postponed to October 2010.

I am going to stop there for today. There is more to this story and I will get into that another day as we continue to explore this journey of getting on with the rest of your life after stroke together.

In the meantime I welcome any stories and/or comments that you would care to share with me and all of our readers about your life after a stroke.

thanks!

Gary

Where Can I Get My Blood Pressure Checked On PEI?

Welcome to all my readers with high blood pressure,

My question is: Where can I have my blood pressure checked on Prince Edward Island? If you are thinking I could use any of the machines at the pharmacies, then that seems like a simple answer. Let me share with you what my pharmacist said about those machines. He told me that he was not having one installed in his store because in his opinion the readings on those machines were not very accurate. He said that if you really thought that your pressure should be checked then have it checked by going to a hospital emergency department.

Of course the nurse at my doctors office always checks my BP on every visit. How often is that? Every six months or once a year? Longer?

As a stroke survivor with a chronic fatigue condition as well as paralysis, and balance issues I have a routine of having a visit to my doctor every three months. As I am on blood pressure meds I like to have my BP taken on a regular basis. It is also a comfort for me to go eyeball to eyeball with the doc so that if I have any concerns or something is beginning to trend in the wrong direction then he can pick up on it sooner.

If I feel that I need to be checked sooner than the three month cycle than I can call to make a n appointment or check in at the local emergency desk.

The Dept of Health on P.E.I. is also making available a new program to help people enjoy living a healthy life with chronic conditions. This six week program is well worth the time spent as it teaches skills to manage our chronic conditions on a day to day basis.

The benefits of such skills bring us peace of mind and the knowledge that we are taking good care of ourselves in our day to day lives.


I would really like to hear from you as to how you manage your condition. Where and how often you get your BP checked along with  any other checkups that you require.

Has your doctor or other health care professional recommended that you attend the Healthy Living program?

Click here to learn more about the program.

Do you think that there should be blood pressure clinics in public places like malls, stores and public events on Prince Edward Island?  How important is knowing your blood pressure to you?

Thanks for reading my post and I hope that you will share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Eat Atlantic Challenge Sept 2nd

Eat Atlantic Challenge Sept 2nd: "
This post has been re posted from Rachelle Wood by (garydotgray)


Do you know where your food comes from? On September 2nd Maritimers are asked to only eat Atlantic produced products that day and beyond. With the rising awareness of ethical eating, consumers are choosing to shop closer to home. Locally grown produce is often more nutritious while producing a smaller carbon footprint.




Co-op Atlantic is organizing local events to help celebrate this special dietary day. Members of the public can enjoy samples of Atlantic produced products at the Charlottetown location on Walker Drive. Follow the Eat Atlantic Challenge on facebook wall to find out more details and to make your dietary pledge.



I signed the pledge, and here’s my PEI produced meal plan for today:




Breakfast: 2 PEI free range eggs + 1 local bakery whole wheat bread, PEI roasted coffee with honey drop



Snack: handpicked PEI apple + slice of Cows creamery cheddar cheese



Lunch: garden veggie stir fry with oishi sauce and uncle’s homegrown chicken



Snack: fresh fruit smoothie with Island berries and Purity dairy skim milk



Supper: PEI lobster, corn on the cob, garden fresh yellow beans, new PEI potatoes



Local eating just makes sense. It’s easy to do and often more affordable. Planning your meals a day in advance can help you stay on track. To find out more about local eating or where to buy food, read the 100 mile diet.



The Eat Atlantic website hosts a kids club, which includes healthy inspired projects for kids and parents. Learn more about nutrition and how your food is grown on this interactive website. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to be a healthy food role model for your children. Openly discuss nutrition with them and take family outings to local farms.



How do you plan on enjoying Eat Atlantic day? Hopefully with lots of food

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