Pixiq

My area of expertise is working as an art therapist with stroke survivors. Last Tuesday, my son, Bryan, suffered what appeared to be a stroke. He is only 19. Ten minutes after he called me, I picked him up. Mistaking his sluggish glazed-over look, I thought that perhaps he was just ill. Within 5 minutes of questionning him, it became apparent that was not the case. I knew the signs - he couldn't talk; I asked him to smile: he couldn't. I asked him to raise his arms over his head. He couldn't. A lone tear fell down the right side of his cheek.

Thirty minutes later, he was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Over 24 hours later, with a clean CAT scan and a negative MRI for any brain damage, I and the neuroglogists were able to piece together what happened. Like most college students, Bryan is stressed. As a result, he has a prescription to Adderal - he only takes it for exams and when writing papers. He has taken it a few times with no undue results. But this time was different. When I went on the Internet and saw all the contraindications that my husband found, the unknown fell into place.

Once out of Trauma and back in the ER, it dawned on me to use my IPhone so that Bryan could communicate by typing since he had lost strength on his right side and writing proved difficult at best. Using the IPhone, he was able to answer the neurologist's questions to help resolve what caused his stroke-like symptoms.

Bryan was one of the lucky ones ...about 48 hours later, Bryan was released to home with halted ability to voice his communications. He was relearning how to talk. It's not easy but he is a work-out-aholic and has attacked this the same way he does everything: full throttle. And he is regaining his voice, one day at a time. No residual weakness remains on his right side and he should have a full recovery. But others might not be so lucky ... so if you have a son or daughter who is taking Adderal for focusing, think twice about whether you should pull the plug on that one. After Bryan's experience, and what I read on the Internet, I would say, flush it down the toilet and try Pranayama instead. Breath control, relaxation, loving family members, caring friends, especially his dear friend, Andrew, and determintation helped Bryan regain his voice and his life. 

And the IPhone, oddly enough, became his voice, when he had none. We have IPads at our  theapy clinics  at Nazareth College where I work and now I really understand how useful these devices can be in emergent times.

Light on ...