Is there one thing that keeps you motivated?

Hi hope you're all having a good day. I'm trying to think of things to help motivate my sister to start working at physio & taking control back of her life after a stroke in 2013. We laugh & she loves motivational quotes. Is there or was there one thing that made you think 'sod this I'm going to work my butt off?'

[paxo05]

Hi NothDR75

Only one thing did the trick....the alternative to not trying was giving up.

Went to the giving up place and realised what I was giving up on. The fear of returning to that awful place seemed to give me the push I needed...still does actually.

Not really a great motivating mission statement but it works for me.

PAX

[Sem2011]

A physiotherapist said to me after discharge from hospital. 'USE IT OR LOSE IT!'.

It is so true!

[randomphantoms]

Hi north

This may sound a bit off....something approaching neglect and an understanding that it is MY brain and the only one who can do anything about it is me.

Plus food.....I wanted to eat what I wanted to eat so I had to learn to do it for myself.

One of those truisms "what you put in is what you get out" helped me a lot even when progress was glacially slow.

Wishing you and your sister well

Lovenhugs

Xoxo

[Hidden]

Thanks you. These are all really helpful.

[sospan]

Its that determination not to be beaten or written off.

There is a modern welsh song of defiance "Yma o Hyd" which means "still here". The sentiment is all about no matter what you throw at me at the end of the day I am still here.

The chorus sums it up and could be for all head injury survivors "in spite of everyone and everything. We are still here"

[Sem2011 in reply to sospan]

I love the chorus, defines our fight and continuing fight!!! I will try and remember this when not feeling great. Thanks!

[EleanorS in reply to sospan]

I know and like this song, I can understand its for the Welsh cause being Welsh ( but to be the odd one out I dont have an area of life where it's where I'm coming from with this particular battle cry , I don't have a battle cry, if indeed the song could be termed a battle cry.) gosh what am I going on about. It's Saturday have a good day.

[angelite]

Hi North,

I would say my need for unaccompanied mobility !

My love of walking with my dogs and live music ? ! !

They were certainly an incentive, as was getting back enough mobility to return to work, albeit on only a few hours now.

What problems does your sis need to work on ? Does she like music ? Maybe a trip to see a favourite band ?

I love ska and began with sitty downy dancing at venues, progressed to standing swaying with stick then ultimately to gentle on the spot moves, stick free ! : )

I go to as many live music venues as I can afford/manage now and dance in my moderate style until my legs give up ! ( I have some spasticity ) I generally time these events with a week's holiday from work afterwards to recuperate : ) x

[RogerCMerriman]

um denial! It took me a while to get used to the idea I'd damaged my brain not just cracked my skull.

further on, so i could travel independently, on the bike/on foot and in the car. I do remember my first all of 3 miles ride along the river on my own, no one looking after me etc, was great and that is what drove me to push futher.

[EleanorS]

I heard a physio say to someone you've gotta get out of the joint somehow

[SAMBS]

" The Lord helps those who help themselves".

I make no apologies for being a non- churchgoing Christian who believes in God and Heaven.

I was brought up Catholic, rejected man made catholic laws when 15 and excommunicated myself from the church! When I was 7 I had my 1st Holy Communion and was given a little wooden Crucifix, about 3.5" high, with a metal Jesus nailed to it. When my eldest was born I wanted him christened, so became Cof E.

I still have that cross with me and many's been the time these last few years I've said my Prayers to God while holding that Crucifix.

I am convinced he's been showing me the way forward, with all my medical research into my whole history from birth, in finding websites that help me understand my conditions and blood tests results, where the doctors are still baffled by my "blood disorder" and cause of cirrhosis, they've ruled out the obvious ones. now my hypothyroidism is caused by autoimmune condition, which I can trace back to birth!

but only after asking for a specific blood test my own doctor wouldn't request, so I got a locum to give me the prescription for it!

tomorrow I see the Endocrinologist, and I' m taking my iPad with me to show her. if she dismisses me and says I only specialise in Liver conditions, much like my Thyroid specialist (again at my demand I see one) said I only do The Thyroid and didn't even want to discuss I'd had a tb infected gland removed from my neck when a baby!

I'll shout and holler again in the French hospital tomorrow if I have to, I've done that twice now in last 3 months and if necessary I'm going to stage a 'sit in' and won't be moved till someone listens to me and reads all my research, done via honcode or trusted sites, it's them and God that have led me this far!

I've had no medical recuperative assistance since my BI and I'm ' b.........d' if now 2.5 years on I'm going to let a load of French Wally's put me down again!

the help is there in Uk for BI! I know there are waiting lists, which we don't have here really, but get your sister if you can, to take it and by helping herself to her recovery, especially for speech and walking, the sooner it's done, the sooner she'll start her own recovery and take pride in her achievements. I'm worried I left it too late to start looking into my compounding health problems...

.....but yes determination now, is my motivating factor!

[Hidden]

For me it was a case of, ok, I can either collapse in a ball of selfpity or accept that I have 2 kids who need me and I didnt survived to just ` be` I need to `live` Yes, it has taken many years to get to a positive place but I am here now, and I aint budging! Good luck to your sister

[sporan]

The common theme seems to be use what ever support,crutch,cane,stick or religion, doesn't matter which and it will help the pesaverance to win through to the other side.

I use the joy of spending time with my family doing the best I can to do 'normal' things. A day around National Trust gardens, river or beach walk with my wife and when possible the dogs, a day with my son at a motor sport action day (2 day recovery plan followed but I did it), fun and games with my grand daughter and daughter.

Sometimes they see through my mask of 'normal' or occasionally it slips, but the joy I get is SO is worth the strain. No pain no gain.