Medicine can explain what a stroke does to the brain. Living through one teaches you what happens afterward, when medications, fall precautions, blood pressure management, and adaptation become everyday life.
What Disabled Looks Like
I spent years understanding disability as a healthcare provider. Then multiple strokes put me on the other side of the exam room and taught me how different understanding disability is from living with it.
Apparently, My Nervous System Didn’t Get the Memo
Trauma responses don't always make sense from the outside. Sometimes the danger is long gone, but the nervous system is still sounding the alarm. A look at PTSD, hypervigilance, safety, and learning that not every alarm means there's a storm.
The Captain Need Not Apologize for the Storm
Trauma has a strange way of convincing us that we're responsible for every storm around us. From constant apologies to broken sleep, night terrors, and the need for noise in an empty room, I'm beginning to recognize the difference between navigating the storm and believing I caused it.