Life After My Stroke – Therapy with Tailwind

Last night, while watching TV, my arm was able to bend at the elbow fairly regularly. This is something new. My brain surgeon told me that my arm recovery would start at the shoulder, move down to the elbow, then go to the wrist, then fingers. Therefore, this new movement in the elbow is encouraging. The shoulder movement for me has been consistent, since first starting exercises with the tailwind months ago. Sincerely, Shary

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Good Tuesday morning, Everyone! Well, yesterday I had another appointment with a hand therapist. Fortunately, she was a different gal than when I first went to the rehab clinic last week. She, however, was no more encouraging than the first gal I saw. As my incredible husband continues to remind me, I am a walking miracle, despite having a left limb that doesn’t cooperate. My recovery so far has been FAR MORE than anyone expected, so it is important to remember that since I have defied all odds for survival, I can certainly adapt an attitude of defiance, where it concerns my arm/hand rehabilitation. Again, I must ignore the negative feedback, and simply do everything and anything available to me to try! I will not be discouraged because my tailwind use has already proven to give me some additional functions never imagined. I made another appointment with the therapist, anyway. We’ll see what happens. Sincerely, Shary

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Good Friday morning, Everyone! As I mentioned previously, I am about to reenter the world of traditional occupational therapy, though it wasn’t successful previously. Before getting started an evalulation was ordered by my doctor. My new therapist was NOT encouraging at all, and she mentioned that most people post stroke one year, do not regain much function at this point. She did a thorough evaluation, and while doing so, I mentioned the tailwind extensively. I explained how many new tasks I was able to do because of the tailwind use. She wasn’t impressed, so I allowed her some quiet time to think about her potential therapy program for me. I insisted that she develop a rehabilitation program specifically for me. After a bit she told me that she “couldn’t guarantee anything”. Well, what I, personally, have learned through all of this is that I CAN guarantee nothing, if I DO nothing! So, therefore, I am ignoring conventional wisdom about stroke recovery. I am moving forward with my tailwind exercises, as if I hadn’t heard her discouraging words. I have another appointment Monday! Sincerely, Shary

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Hi – this is Kris  Appel, the President of Encore Path. In response to the blog reader who asked if Shary purchased a Tailwind or was using it at a therapy clinic, I wanted to mention that Shary was using the device in her home, at my request. Shary was selected to participate in a trial demonstration of the Tailwind, with the hope that her experience would be helpful to others. She does not sell the Tailwind, or work for Encore Path. In fact, we have never met. She has generously agreed to share the challenges and successes of her stroke recovery. Her comments are not edited, they are her own thoughts and feelings about the Tailwind and stroke recovery. Thank you very much for reading, I hope you find inspiration in her words.

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Good Thursday morning, Everyone! I must first acknowledge, yet another, wonderful thing Kris has done for me! Since receiving my tailwind, it never occured to me to seek further hand/arm rehabilitation, until Kris mentioned some other tailwind users having success with therapies they used to do, I had not even considered that possibility. However, this idea has ignited a new interest in seeking additional stroke rehabilitation, that I had once dismissed! I already have a call into my doctor seeking a referral for more therapy. Perhaps the tailwind has done enough for me to regain some function and activity that I had tried in the past unsuccessfully. Will keep you posted on the progress. Sincerely, Shary

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Thank you for asking about the Tailwind. Yes, it is possible to use the Tailwind even without the use of a hand. The Tailwind comes with a strap to enable users to hold on to the handle. Some users also employ a soft wrist support to assist the hand during the early stages of the Tailwind exercise.    –Kris Appel, President, Encore Path, Inc.

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………….Last night I discovered yet another reason for using my tailwind. I baked my world famous carrot cake for a birthday party I gave, and fortunately it was terrific! My husband pointed out to me that because my left arm is no longer in the fixed, inflexible position that it had been, prior to using the tailwind, I was able to manuever in the kitchen with a lot more ease and confidence. I credit my tailwind with this arm recovery! Even though I can not use my left arm to help YET, it no longer hinders my efforts. Sincerely, Shary

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Hi Carol – thank you for your comment on our blog. I would be happy to discuss pricing with you, please send an email to kris@encorepath.com or call 410-522-8709. Thank you, Kris Appel, President, Encore Path, Inc.

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Good Friday morning,Everyone! Yesterday, while talking on my portable phone, I accidentally dropped it, and I unexpectedly caught the phone in my effected arm/hand! It happened so suddenly that I didn’t realize I had done this at first. As the time slowly goes by, my tailwind slowly works its magic! Happy Valentine’s day! Sincerely, Shary

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Good Tuesday morning, Everyone! Regardless of the fact that my left arm doesn’t always cooperate, I am, indeed, retraining my arm and its movements. I realized after exercising last night that I have been doing over 1000 repetitions consistantly since January. Until using the Tailwind, I could never have dreamed my effected arm would be able to do such exercises. At this point, I am boring myself! Sincerely, Shary

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