"Occupational therapy after a stroke"

In Sept 2023 I had elective surgery for a stroke - the procedure was a carotid endartectomy.  I have previously praised the care I had for this and the majority of the follow ups.

This review is about the help I received from Lois in the OT department at PRI. I was referred through my Stroke Liaison Nurse because the stroke had left me with  a tremor in my right hand which made my writing illegible and my mouse control on the computer almost impossible.  I had a stroke follow up appointment with Dr Sneddon, who suggested medication to help with the tremor, however I wished to try and get help from an OT before starting on medication; she was in agreement with this.

Right from the start I found Lois a very understanding, amenable person, a great listener and very professional whilst being friendly at the same time; she also had a way of encouraging you and boosting your confidence. She gave me hand strengthening exercises at first and allowed time for these to work (or otherwise) before my next appointment. 

She also suggested different types of pen and pen holders plus variations to my computer to try.  At my next appointment my hand strength had improved vastly but had not completely stopped the tremor so I decided to try medication - Lois asked me to let her know how I got on, even though she said she had done all she could as the tremor was not down to hand strength alone.  Unfortunately the medication made me feel extremely ill although it did improve my tremor in writing but not on computer.

I had looked at various sites on the internet, at Lois's suggestion to see if I could get any help there.  I found a number of sites which offered help with mouse control either through use of an ergonomic mouse or software.

I was really unsure what to do so asked for another appointment with Lois.  She explained fully how they could help and said that the websites I had chosen were legitimate ones; one of which had been used by the NHS and so reassured me that I was not going to be the victim of any kind of scam.

I last saw Lois recently, but due to holidays and family commitments (a new grandchild) I have not had a chance to order anything yet.  I plan to do this and will let Lois know how I get on. I wish her the best for her future and grateful thanks for all her help.