Not every therapy tool or routine works for every person. Recovery is not a straight line, and your body will tell you when something is off. Some exercises are too hard at first. Some can cause strain or make you feel unsafe. Some devices feel awkward or just do not fit your daily life. That is normal. My therapist and I changed plans many times until the routines matched my body and lifestyle. You should expect to do the same.
I was lucky to regain mobility early. It was not fast, but I could stand and do a slow shuffle while I was still in the first hospital. The rehabilitation hospital moved me further. Their team was strong, and they got me up quickly. According to guidelines, you should get close to three hours of therapy each day once you move out of the ER and into a treatment path. If your hospital cannot provide this, find out where you can go to get it. When the brain needs to rewire, every day matters. Early therapy helps build those new pathways before they fade.
Recovery moves through stages. You may start in an acute hospital, then an inpatient rehab center, then outpatient sessions, and then exercises at home. Each stage brings new tools and new routines. Some will work. Some will not. If a tool or routine fails you, speak up. Adjust it. Try something else. Your body changes week by week. What felt impossible once may feel easy later. What worked earlier may no longer fit.
You also need to know that emotional and mental swings are part of the process. There were days when I could push through everything. There were days when I wanted to stare out the window and do nothing. Sometimes that lasted 15 minutes. Sometimes it lasted a full day or more. People dealing with strokes, neurological conditions, or degenerative illnesses know this feeling well. You are rarely around anyone who has lived through the exact same thing, and that can feel isolating.
When therapy feels impossible, take a step back. It may not be the tool. It may be fatigue. And fatigue is real. Work stress, family stress, or busy social seasons can drain you fast when your brain is healing. As I write this, it is the holiday season. Crowds, noise, and long days can overload anyone recovering from a neurological event. Give yourself permission to rest. Free time is not failure. It is fuel.
Caregivers need the same advice. I did not need a full time caregiver for long, and I consider that a blessing. But I saw how draining caregiving can be. If you are the patient, encourage your caregiver to take breaks and protect their own energy. Healthy caregivers are better caregivers.
You will also run into problems with insurance. When tools or treatments get denied, it adds stress. If you reach a point where the system blocks your progress, remember that you have options. You can leave. You can change providers. You can pursue care somewhere else. I will write more about why I now live in Mexico instead of the United States, but the short version is simple: your recovery path should support you, not drain you.
You are allowed to adjust, complain, rest, try again, and rebuild. Nothing about recovery is clean or predictable. The only rule that matters is this: keep going, keep trying, and keep putting your well being first.
Leave a Reply