That's a good question, Colleen.

Initially, I was 300 miles from home when I had the stroke, so I couldn't expect anyone to drop by and cheer me up.

But communication -- just an answer to an email or text -- would have been nice. It's *very* lonely to lie in a hospital bed day after day with no one to communicate with. (My wife was with me of course, but she was busy during the days with bureaucratic stuff. At one point she had to get back home to look after the house, pay bills, etc.)

As time passed, and once I got back home, the isolation became more pronounced. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't sleep, so I would have been lousy company, but damn, I could have used some distraction. (For that matter, I still could. Just someone to come by and take me to lunch, for example.)

Overall, I think it's been harder on my wife. Although she gets more social contact, she still has to be about 95% of my social life. She loves me, but she desperately needs a break now and then. I should get out on my own more often, but I don't really have anyplace to go.

Things are getting better, but I feel as though I didn't have a stroke, but leprosy -- someone to be avoided at all costs.

When I get a contact from someone who says, "Hey, just wondering how you're doing," it makes my day. Hardly ever happens.

It's not all bad, and I don't want to sound self-pitying. I'm making my YouTube videos, and I had an invitation to talk to grad students at TCU last month, so I'm making progress. People tell me my recovery story is inspirational, and I hope I can share it with many others. But sometimes it feels like pushing a rope.

That's way beyond your question, but I hope it helps clarify things a bit.