Search Results for: blog was tabbys behavior a harbinger of the stroke

Tips for Reducing Your Stroke Risk

A stroke can strike at any age — it isn’t just a problem for senior citizens. Women between the ages of forty-five and fifty-four are at especially high risk of a stroke. What can you do to protect yourself? Here are some tips from the American Stroke Association. Manage blood pressure. High blood pressure encourages plaque build-up… plaque can form clots that cause stroke. Get your blood pressure levels checked at least every other year. Manage cholesterol. High cholesterol also encourages plaque build-up… plaque can form clots. Get your cholesterol levels checked at least every five years. Quit smoking! Lighting … Continue reading →

Middle-Aged Women and Stroke

According to the American Stroke Association, more than one hundred thousand women in the United States under the age of sixty-five have a stroke each year. Compare that to the approximately 83,000 American women who suffer a heart attack! Most strokes occur when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain. There is another type of stroke that is comparably rare — a blood vessel in the brain bursting. If you’re going to worry about stroke (and you should), focus your worry on those clots. More statistics from the American Stroke Association: Stroke risk is highest in women between the … Continue reading →

Black Clouds

Have you ever seen a cartoon or a comic strip featuring some poor soul who has a black cloud overhead following him (or her) wherever he (or she) goes? They can’t get a break. Everywhere they turn, everything they do, doom awaits. I’ve had days where I’ve felt like that. Days where no matter what I try, I can’t shake the black cloud. I know Wayne has too. Usually we don’t experience it at the same time, though, so whoever’s got the sun on their side tries to stand as close as possible to the other. That way we can … Continue reading →

Tabby’s Special Powers

Right after my mom died my heart hurt, but not to the extent it’s been hurting the last few weeks. I think I was sort of numb the first several days following her passing. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and to be honest, a little relieved. Knowing something’s going to happen, but not knowing exactly when, then to see my mom tormented in the manner she was…I was just thankful she no longer had to go through any of that. That none of us did. But now the tears everyone said would spontaneously start to flow for seemingly … Continue reading →

Missing Grandma Dorothy

When my mom first came to live with us, I don’t think Murphy, Mr. Meow or Tabby knew what to make of it all. They knew who Grandma Dorothy was, but she lived somewhere else. That meant she’d come and stay a little while and then leave. But this time she came with two big suitcases, unpacked, and stayed. She left for a few days when the ambulance came after her first mini-stroke. But then she came back again…though not entirely herself. Still, Grandma Dorothy was like another stray I’d brought home. Murph and the cats accepted her, loved her, … Continue reading →

Why It’s Wrong To Be Left Like a Dog for Dead

Have you seen the video footage of the hit and run that happened in Hartford, Connecticut? A 78-year-old man was crossing the street, got hit by a car, spirals in an awful display of flying legs and arms to the ground, and the car speeds away. That’s bad enough. But other cars kept going past. People walked by. Some stopped and looked but no one rushed to his aid. It’s not until a police cruiser that’s just happening to go by on his way to another call stopped that the man got help. I saw the story as I ate … Continue reading →

Good Food Fast: These Essentials Make It Easy

If I thought I was busy before my mom moved in with us and then had her stroke, I had no clue what that really meant. I barely have time to shop for groceries these days, much less fix meals. But I want us to still eat healthy and eat well, so I’ve learned to keep certain essentials on hand to make that easy. Minced Garlic My mom and I are garlic fanatics. Wayne says he’s not as crazy about it as us, but he’s the first to gobble up garlic-loaded anything we put in front of him. Not that … Continue reading →

Five Tricks for Navigating My Mom’s Dementia-Filled Days

When my mom had her mini-stroke a few weeks back, it negatively impacted her dementia in a major way. She went from exhibiting mostly mild symptoms with a few moderate ones thrown in, to exhibiting mostly moderate symptoms with a few severe ones thrown in. If I was gulping about being a caregiver before, I’m triple gulping about it now. I had hoped some of this was related to the stroke and that in time she’d come back to me. But she’s not shown any improvement. If anything, she gets a little worse each day. This has presented major challenges … Continue reading →

A Significant Gift?

Because I suspect Tabby’s behavior was a harbinger of my mom’s stroke, I’ve been watching her more carefully these days. If she’s more cuddly with my mom than usual, or more vocal, I monitor my mom’s every move like you wouldn’t believe. I’ve experienced too many times now when one or the other of my pets is trying to tell me something. I try to pay attention now! That’s why I didn’t know what to make of Tabby’s latest gesture. Still don’t actually. Wayne thinks I’m reading too much into it, but I think it’s significant. Gifting You know how … Continue reading →

The Notebook: The Epitome of Devotion

I’ve been reflecting on devotion and devotion levels recently. Because the stroke seems to have enhanced my mom’s dementia, the romantic in me has also been reminded of the movie The Notebook. If you have not seen this movie, in one of her blogs Christian Blogger Dale Harcombe summed it up best: “Caution – don’t attempt to watch this movie unless you have a full box of tissues handy.” Where the storyline is the epitome of devotion, the movie is the epitome of a tearjerker for sure. Wayne was actually the one who reminded me about the movie. I had … Continue reading →