What does success mean after becoming disabled with a stroke?

@scottrl - curious about your opinion. Will you summarize what you feel is success following a stroke?

@lisalucier Interesting question.
I think of post-stroke recovery not as something with linear phases, but as having dimensions. They don't happen serially; elements can be independent of the others.

I call these "The Three SU's: SUrvive, SUstain, and SUcceed." I talk about this whenever I have the opportunity to address a group.

Briefly...

Survive means the basics of getting through the day -- getting in and out of bed, feeding myself, getting dressed, keeping myself clean, etc.

Sustain means just that, being able to keep going. Doing the laundry, paying bills, buying groceries, exercising, keeping appointments, etc. Sustaining my YouTube channel gives me a good outlet. It also means sustaining relationships -- staying in touch, getting together with others, staying engaged in my marriage.

Success is something that is loosely defined. Basically, it's anything I feel is a success. The first time I could drive a car. The first time my affected hand started helping without my concentrating on it. The first time I ventured out on my own to have lunch. The first time I could hug my wife with both arms -- that was a big success! Also, when I was invited to give a talk to graduate students at Texas Christian University, I celebrated that. When my silly Dad Jokes started getting aired on local TV, that showed I could still be creative (I write all my own jokes). A big success is whenever I get an email from someone who's seen my YouTube channel and found it helpful.

Since every stroke is different and every stroke patient is different, the parameters will be different. Whenever, I talk to stroke patients (or anyone who's had a major trauma), I suggest they have their own criteria for success.

And I re-evaluate my progress continually. I had hoped to regain more use of my affected side, and maybe I will, but after 7-1/2 years it's not looking good. But I keep working at it.

Just to add a little...

Traditional "recovery" would mean being able to do everything I could do before.

That wasn't going to happen for me. Would that mean my recovery was a failure, and by extension, I'm a failure too?

I wouldn't accept that. I'm still the man my wife married, just differently-abled, as they say.
So how would I measure my progress?
That's when I hit on the Three SU's idea, and later named my YouTube channel "From Recovery to Discovery" to reflect what I was learning along the way.

Tagging a few other Mayo Clinic Connect members who've talked about stroke to see how they'd define success following a stroke @methel @winjki @lindamangan13 @grrranny @wlb2 @gdcm @carlie8326 @ionashepherd @esthermarie @dani118.

Symptoms are better and worse depending on the day. Sometimes my eyes focus and sometimes not. More or less dizzy. Weakness and tiredness vary too. Its hard to assess improvement but I know my perception is off too. On the whole though improvement has slowed down...it is better as time goes on
I continue to push myself but not too much..and rely on others when the bad days come. Continue exercises and stay active is my advice.

@winjki

I had a hemorrhagic stroke, and it particularly affected my left hand, and I’m left-handed. Being able to write my signature again (as in signing checks) was a very significant accomplishment. I pretty much got the fine muscle control back in that hand, but even with the pick it up and put it down exercises, it doesn’t have the overall strength compared to the right hand. (Usually the dominant hand is stronger according to the OT. )

I am at one year post-stroke (6/1/25) of my right Hippocampus. My main issues were balance, learning to walk confidently (without falling over or looking very “tipsy”); word retrieval issues in language; and short term memory loss. From where I was a year ago, after lots of Advanced Neuro Therapy, PT, Occupational Therapy, I am much improved….but certainly not back to normal. I still walk pulling to the left, looking a bit tipsy or unsteady (I hold my husband’s arm outside the house because I fear falling…which is much better than the gait belt + walker I used while learning to walk again.) I would love to improve my walking skills and be able to walk confidently on my own without even thinking about it…I’m not there yet. I start more PT again in September in hopes of improving. I just took memory testing at Mayo to see how much improved since tested early in my stroke recovery. No results yet, but I know I have vastly improved….but nowhere near pre-stroke levels. (My long-term memories remained fully intact.) I used to have an exceptional memory and could replay events in my head like videos; I can still do that with long-term memories, but struggle to do the same post-stroke. (Example: I used to recall all details about vacation hotels, tours, sights, what we did and could recap it all in detail. Now, I remember bits & pieces (snapshots of things) certainly enough to enjoy my time on vacation …but have a very difficult time describing much at all about the hotel in which we stayed, what our room was like, and some things we did. (The big ticket tours, or most excited I will remember…not so with other tours.). I remember more of an overview summary of things versus all the details. I wish some of this will return over time. Word retrieval issues have improved a lot, but I will still say “creative/similar” words from what I actually mean. (Wood-breaker/wood pecker; the car isnt listening/the car isnt looking; air conditioning/air purifier…etc). This issue bothers me the least and isnt too much of a problem. If I am nervous, I do notice pulling some words I want to say is more difficult. All in all, if I could relearn to walk more confidently so I could walk by myself, not worry about falling, to gain my independence would be #1 for me….the rest could remain as they are now. (I was 69 at the time of my stroke, and my friends of a similar age tell me the memory & word-finding issues are something they now deal with not having a stroke. However, I didnt have these issues before.) My doctor says that improvement can continue after the first year, so I am hoping for that.

@methel
I guess the accomplishments are different for each one of us depending on where we were stricken. But check witing is hard for me too and my hands were unaffected.....the important thing to remember is that progress is not linear....you will have good days and bad....but not giving up is a success ! We tend to focus on what we cant do rather than on our successes ...there is always something we could do better ....but we dont give up and remain cheerful....( when we can) that is success!

@winjki

The oddest thing about my recovery. I learned to crochet as a kid, right-handed because my great aunt taught me and she as the custom disapproved of left-handedness. But in college I taught myself to knit, left-handed. But after my stroke, I decided to take up knitting right-handed. It was just easier. And so sometimes you fight and win. Sometimes you fight and lose and sometimes you decide to sit this one out.

@methel @winjki @gdcm and others - do you have any comments about how you have adjusted your lifestyle, ambition, relationships, expectations, etc. since your stroke?