Hello enableme member

In this enableme newsletter we’ve shared the most recent conversations, questions, goals and blogs written by the community.

Pain after stroke is the topic for the next podcast, here's your chance to ask your questions.

Building on this topic StrokeLine delves into chronic pain and tips about self-managing your pain. There is good evidence to show having multiple chronic pain treatment strategies is the most effective approach.

We also look at who is in the enableme community and how to search for users by topics, age, location or name.

The next group chat on sex after stroke will take place on February 14 – Valentine’s Day full details are below. 

All this and more!

Happy reading....

Pain is common after stroke. It can start while the body is healing, but it can also stick around long term. When it does, it makes daily life difficult, and can wear you down over time. But even if you can't make your pain go away, it's still possible to do something about it.

In our next podcast, we'll speak to pain experts about reducing pain levels and improving your quality of life. Please use the form below to ask the questions you want to know about managing pain.

Ask your question here.

StrokeLine blog delving into pain and how it can be managed is here.

Forums:

• Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes offers his 10 Top Tips for Getting a Job
• From Mahila: Has anyone tried Alternate therapies like Ayurveda and the like
• Sue posts: Out of my comfort zone
• Jonesy: Was your stroke noticed?
   

For all conversations click here

Blogs:

• Paul posts: Thank goodness for speech therapy...
• David posts: Inspirational woman skates through life, including a stroke!
• Lee asks: I'm seeking to know if anyone has been told they've had multiple strokes and didn't know?
• Alex works to understand his recovery
• Shelagh: Better management of my fatigue
   

For all blogs click here

Ask a question:

• Donating blood after stroke?
• Ken Steinborner: What can you do about swollen feet?
• smartypants: I have arm shaking, upper arm pain and high tone, unsteadiness what do I do?

Click here for questions asked by your fellow community members. Perhaps you can contribute some of your own experiences, learn something new or ask a question?

For many stroke survivors, dealing with chronic pain is a major part of life after stroke. Stroke survivors may have to deal with injury pain, nerve pain, or both.

Pain becomes chronic when it lasts three months or more. Anyone who has been through it, or lives with someone who has, knows how debilitating it can be. In chronic pain, the focus is on management rather than cure. Self-management of pain is about taking control: becoming the expert, and focusing on being as well as possible. 

Click here for more.

Have a question on pain, ask it here.

enableme has grown from strength to strength over the past two years. But do you know who makes up our community?  There are:

• 1750 stroke survivors
• 1236 family, friends and carers
• 816 health professionals

That makes over three thousand people reading, contributing and accessing resources to guide their recovery and helping them to find their way.

Do you know that by clicking on the user tab in enableme you can find people by interests, location and age? Click on the tabs below the banner photo to see who is in the community that you may relate to.

On another note, we are excited to say that there have been 235 forum conversations started, 370 blogs published and 1033 comments made. 

WooHoo!

Following our podcast on sex and relationships after stroke, the next enableme group chat will feature Clinical Nurse Consultant, lecturer and researcher Sandra Lever.  Find out what you want to know.

The chat will take place on Valentines Day Tuesday 14 February at 11 am AEDT (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart time).

Click here to chat. You will receive a reminder email with instructions on Friday.

Goal setting is a great way to take charge of your own recovery. Goals are highly individual – that’s the beauty of them.

However, others on enableme may have had a similar goals, or may even just have something to offer about setting a goal and going for it.

 

Advice on how to go about achieving a goal is always helpful, but just being cheered on is great too. Getting back to work, study and driving are popular goals on enableme, but we’ve had everything from stressing less, to learning to brew beer and taking the grandkids to Disneyland.

Check out members' recovery goals here and add your advice and support.

Goals:

• TimF: To gain better balance to play golf
• Gordon Hamilton: I want to go Trecking again
• AlexB: Get movement back in my arm

 

Remember if you need help, or have tips to help us improve enableme, we would love to hear from you at enableme@strokefoundation.org.au

We look forward to assisting you in your recovery and helping you to live your life well after stroke.

Many thanks,
 

Diana Kerr | Online Community Coordinator
National Stroke Foundation | Level 7, 461 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000
T +61 3 9670 1000 |StrokeLine: 1800 787 653