"Never Give Up!": Recovery is a Life Sentence: A guide to dignified stroke recovery

The hard truth is that stroke recovery will take you a lifetime. You won't hear that from your doctors or your therapists, because the truth is considered discouraging. However, I believe that the truth is liberating and the sooner you know, the sooner you can settle in for the long haul. It's not that your doctors and therapists are keeping the truth from you. It's a matter of perspective. They are focused on the process of regaining your motility, whereas I am also looking at the process of retaining what you regain. You will spend the rest of your life re-evaluating your performance. Critiquing the way your body moves is a habit that is difficult, if not impossible to break. You will become hyper critical over time and it will be with you for most, if not all of the rest of your life. Thus, recovery is a life sentence. Read more