First of all, thanks so much for getting back to us with some more information.
I hate that his insurance company is trying to drop him right now! That is heinous! Does there seem to be a way to prevent it? Does he need an advocate to fight for him or anything? One of our moderators (Pat Elliot) is very knowledgeable about this area; I"ll mention your question to her too.
I want to say that it sounds like your friend is still acting like an athlete! He's active, he's improving and he wants to get even better than he is. Those attributes are going to take him far, no matter how much more improvement he makes. Just going from bed to wheelchair to walking with a brace is huge. Good for him!
I should have asked where you were in the country, Kathryn. I don't want to give you links that aren't helpful. But here is a stroke recovery research program that does clinical trials (it is in Washington D.C.; there is a PDF brochure you can download at the bottom of the page):
http://www.medstarresearch.org/body.cfm?id=391
And here's a link to the Stroke Recovery Center, which is on the other side of the country (Palm Springs, CA):
Here is one piece of exercise equipment that some stroke patients apparently find success with. A caution, this is the marketing page for this equipment, so of course all the testimonials will be good. But it still may be interesting to your friend:
http://www.nustep.com/stroke/
Here's an article from the American Heart Association on how important your friend's rehab and extra exercise is:
I'll let you explore those links, and I'll forward your question to one of the doctors on our Medical Advisory Board. In the meantime, please let us know where you live (just city and state).
And hang in there. From all I read, your friend is doing marvelously, and there's no reason he can't continue. (Except for that nagging insurance problem. Is there really a chance that he will be dropped?)
Comment Reply
Kathryn,
First of all, thanks so much for getting back to us with some more information.
I hate that his insurance company is trying to drop him right now! That is heinous! Does there seem to be a way to prevent it? Does he need an advocate to fight for him or anything? One of our moderators (Pat Elliot) is very knowledgeable about this area; I"ll mention your question to her too.
I want to say that it sounds like your friend is still acting like an athlete! He's active, he's improving and he wants to get even better than he is. Those attributes are going to take him far, no matter how much more improvement he makes. Just going from bed to wheelchair to walking with a brace is huge. Good for him!
I should have asked where you were in the country, Kathryn. I don't want to give you links that aren't helpful. But here is a stroke recovery research program that does clinical trials (it is in Washington D.C.; there is a PDF brochure you can download at the bottom of the page):
http://www.medstarresearch.org/body.cfm?id=391
And here's a link to the Stroke Recovery Center, which is on the other side of the country (Palm Springs, CA):
http://www.strokerecoverycenter.org/index.php/front
That site has bimonthly newsletters that you can read here:
http://www.strokerecoverycenter.org/index.php/newsletter
Here is one piece of exercise equipment that some stroke patients apparently find success with. A caution, this is the marketing page for this equipment, so of course all the testimonials will be good. But it still may be interesting to your friend:
http://www.nustep.com/stroke/
Here's an article from the American Heart Association on how important your friend's rehab and extra exercise is:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/109/16/2031
I'll let you explore those links, and I'll forward your question to one of the doctors on our Medical Advisory Board. In the meantime, please let us know where you live (just city and state).
And hang in there. From all I read, your friend is doing marvelously, and there's no reason he can't continue. (Except for that nagging insurance problem. Is there really a chance that he will be dropped?)
January 22, 2010 - 9:30amThis Comment
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