What Everyone Should Know About the Brain's Ability to Heal

[Nevilledog]

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The New York Times
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A pregnant pause between a question and answer may be uncomfortable to some, writes Dr. Jill Taylor, a neuroscientist who had a severe stroke. But it "doesn't necessarily say anything about a person’s ability to think and reason intelligently."
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania campaigning in Greensburg, Pa., in May.
nytimes.com
Opinion | What Everyone Should Know About the Brain’s Ability to Heal
What society can learn from John Fetterman’s stroke.
9:45 AM · Oct 26, 2022

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/25/opinion/brain-stroke-recovery-fetterman.html

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https://archive.ph/2PELV

Our brains are made up of billions of cells that work together to create our every ability. I can make sounds and speak words because those cells in my brain are wired up and functional. You can understand me when I speak because those cells in your brain are online and working. You are using specific groups of cells right now to translate the letters on the screen or the page into words with meaning.

Wipe out those cells, through a stroke or other brain trauma, and you may no longer be able to read, but you might still be able to speak, sing or write. It’s all about where the brain is damaged — which systems of cells are traumatized and which are not.

Take the much-discussed case of the Senate hopeful John Fetterman, who after a stroke has retained the ability to read, think and respond to questions but has not yet completely recovered. He has stumbled over words and has experienced difficulty in auditory processing — an issue that many people will be watching closely at his debate against his challenger, Mehmet Oz, on Tuesday. To bypass the wounded cellular circuits, Mr. Fetterman is choosing to use tools like closed captioning in some interviews to read questions as they are asked.

I can share from personal experience what having a problem with auditory processing feels like. It’s like there’s a small delay between what you hear and your ability to understand the meaning of what was said. Twenty-five years ago, when I was 37 years old (your brain might be both reading and calculating my age right now), I experienced a major hemorrhagic stroke in the left half of my brain. Within a few hours I could not walk, talk, read, write or recall any memories of my life. I had instantaneously become an infant in a woman’s body.

*snip*

[skylucy]

1. Excellent article!

[Goonch]

2. 👇👇👇

[Lunabell]

3. I worked as a nurse with dozens of stroke survivors.

The involved nerve pathways can absolutely be bypassed with new growth around the damaged tissue.

I had a patient who was paralyzed on one side and very depressed. Though I'm not religious at all, I knew she was. Every day I encouraged her to lift both of her arms to praise her lord. Even if she had to use the good side to lift the one that didn't move. That her brain would actually form new pathways with the physical and occupational therapy.

I'll never forget the day I walked into her room, her family was all present and EVERYONE lifted their hands in praise, high up in the air along with my patient. "Praise the Lord!" And they surrounded me and hugged on me with tears in their eyes and were so grateful for my compassion, education and encouragement.

The brain is very adaptable to healing itself.

[elleng]

5. Thank you!

[wnylib]

18. I posted in another thread about a

Last edited Wed Oct 26, 2022, 08:29 PM - Edit history (1)

great Aunt who lived with us when I was a child. She was in her 70s and diabetic. She suffered a massive stroke during the night, which we discovered in the morning when she didn't get up.

The only thing she could move were her eyelids, so my mother communicated with her in yes or no questions, using one or two blinks for answers.

She stayed at home and neighbors helped my mother care for her. They talked with her, shared gossip with her, and made her feel part of everything around her.

She was a very strong willed, determined woman. It took several months and a lot of effort, but she made a remarkable recovery, in increments. Each time she got some movement somewhere, she practiced it, with people encouraging her.

Eventually she was able to walk and talk again. She walked slower than before and occasionally slurred a word, but not often.

I think that a combination of factors helped in her recovery - remaining in familiar surroundings, getting visitors every day who included her in news of things going on, constant encouragement, letting her give feedback in the form of answers to yes/no questions, and her own strong motivation and practice.

[Lunabell]

26. That is inspirational.

The brain is an amazing organ.

[MagickMuffin]

4. This is Jill's TED Talk about her experience of having her stroke

I knew immediately who you were mentioning here.

[elleng]

11. WOW!

[scipan]

15. I remember her now!

She had an amazing experience that's well worth listening to. It altered how I think about my brain. This "spiritual" right side is probably why I describe myself as an atheist but a spiritual one.

The brain is amazing.

[StarryNite]

16. Absolutely amazing.

Thank you for sharing.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. I have a delayed response because of hearing loss

If I'm looking right at the person who's speaking to me, it still can take a moment for me to process what they said and what my eyes saw looking at them. I'm looking forward to getting hearing aids when they go OTC next year.

[SheltieLover]

7. Brain plasticity is amazing & so is this candidate!

And so is our candidate!

[onecaliberal]

8. My husband could not sit up even after his stroke.

He walks around, does chores and has even gotten his drivers license back. The brain is amazing. PT works.

[iluvtennis]

9. KnR. n/t

[bobnicewander]

10. Thank you

for posting this. Last October I experienced a trauma that has affected my memory and I still can't be sure that I may lose my train of thought in the middle of a sentence. Perhaps my age has something to do with my situation. I will be 82 in January.

[Rebl2]

12. She mentions

pause’s between question and answer. I seem to remember President Obama doing this on occasion. You could see that he was gathering his thoughts before answering.

[Abigail_Adams]

23. And yet . . .

I unfortunately have an elderly home health client who watches Fux Snooze. They spent the whole afternoon repeating that his speech shows that Fetterman is "unfit to serve." The Chyron showing under this was "Dems in Panic"--you know, the usual demagoguery. They had no word on Oz's opinion that a woman's abortion decision should be between her, her doctor, and local political officials, however. Gaaaah!

[GenXer47]

13. I'd vote for Bram Stroker's Dracula

over Dr. Perfect Hair any day.

[unblock]

14. I'd say it's stoker, not stroker,

but maybe there's a x-rated version i'm not aware of...

[in2herbs]

17. Didn't one of the witnesses re J6 who was a republican judge take "pregnant pauses" in his

answers to the Cte? If I remember correctly, he was ridiculed in the media (end even by some on DU) for this), so this kind of ignorance against Fetterman is not limited to Fetterman.

[Nevilledog]

19. Luttig.

His pauses were intentional, he has not had a stroke.

[in2herbs]

22. I am aware that there is no reporting of him having had a stroke. I was just pointing out the

similarities and reactions.

[Nevilledog]

24. Gotcha

[Evolve Dammit]

20. Excellent post. My daughter currently has a concussion and is struggling with her academics. nt

[Warpy]

21. My dad was resigned to going into a nursing home after his stroke

I saw changes in the first two days I was there and told him if he went through some intensive rehab, he'd get back about 95% of what he'd started out with.

It took him years to forgive me for packing him off to "that jail," but he did get back 95% of what he started with. He just had some weakness when he got tired.

Generally speaking, the most dramatic recovery comes within the first 6 months of a brain injury. Recovery continues after that 5 months as the brain continues to grow and replace damaged connections. What little I heard of Fetterman during that debate sounded like he'd just been overtired before he started.

[Pyryck]

25. I applaud and support the man, and his family, for fighting the good fight and wish all the best!

He seems to me like the kind of person that won't let anything stop him. An inspiration for everyone fighting the good fight FOR, and in support, of democracy! Someone to support and VOTE for!

Personally, I like to think that I can look to him and Dr Taylor and others for inspiration over the rest of my years as I learn to deal with my Essential Tremors while hoping to avoid the 1-in 3 odds of having a major stroke after experiencing a TIA (transient ischemic attack) or "mini stroke" in the upper left side speech area of the brain back in early June. If they can forge ahead then I can too!