Neopets daily is the best way I can think of to help a stroke survivor in their recovery.

Neopets is an online world that allows you to create your own virtual pets and do cool stuff with them. (I have a bat named YobeetheDopey.)

My favourite is playing the games. Since Neopets has long been my choice for post-stroke therapy, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourites and make suggestions for which ones might help you most in your recovery.

I drive myself insane trying to win at Typing Terror. I should have black-eyes or as least a broken nose from the number of robots that have crashed into me.

It's a fun and exciting game that takes the stroke survivor to the brink of insanity. Robots with words written on them race toward you. Your only means of exploding them before they crash into your cockpit windscreen is by typing the word completely.

The words get longer with each level you advance to. They also come faster. Thankfully, you get to take a break after each level. The next level only restarts when you hit the spacebar.

Typing Terror helps the stroke survivor with recognition and response. Two things we are very slow at. The words on the robots give us a challenge unsurpassed. The words not only come straight at you, but they might be upside down! It's a nightmare!

1. Research your doctor's suggestions. Google everything.

2. Talk to your pharmacist about any prescribed medicine.

3. Read the little info sheet that comes with your medicine. Know what the adverse reactions could be.

4. Find out if there is an alternative medicine you could be using or any natural means like co Q-10 or something.

(http://www.webmd.com is an excellent source for possible alternatives and learning about your meds.)

5. Search the internet for answers. That's what your doctor does, so why don't you?

(Don't forget Google Scholar. I've found lots of stuff using it.)

6. Realise that your doctor doesn't have all the answers. Your doctor is a teacher. Your job is to take what he teaches and make sure it's necessary for you.

7. Get a second, third and fourth opinion.

For an excellent video by Dr. Vincent Bellonzi on not trusting your doctor and more tips, check out this site: http://www.strokefactsforpatients.com/tips/never-trust-your-doctor )

Never surrender! Never give up!

Today's Stroke Fact Tip is one of the toughest things you can experience. The embarrassment of that first time out in public after a stroke.

We look freaky. People stare. Little kids cower behind their mothers. It's tough. So here's some tips to help:

1. Look, smile and if possible give a little wave.

2. If you drop something give it an Olympic rating. Say something like, "Dang. That was a 1.0. I could have dropped it better than that."

It works. It makes people laugh and releases the tension.

3. Look for ways to help other handicap people out when you're in a store or even someone who isn't handicap!

Those three little things may not seem like much, but for me they were a huge help.

Never surrender! Never give up!

Stroke survivors tend to walk on the uneven side. It's because one side gets hit harder than the other during the stroke.

Sometimes we don't realise how impaired our walking is. I remember one day my roommate came home and I was all excited that I could finally stand up straight and walk.

She grinned, opened my bedroom door which had a full length mirror attached and said, "Look again."

Dang. I was leaning to the left and my feet were funny.

It took weeks of physical therapy to get my body evened out. It was a super painful process and one I never hope to repeat.

But I learned a lot. I learned that after awhile you can't remember what walking normal is. I had to watch Evil Edna, my physical therapist, walk back and forth across the room to see how it was done.

My brain wasn't very cooperative either. It had a hard time registering and processing what I was seeing.

Trying to apply it was even more demanding. Twenty minutes in - I was ready for a nap.

There was one thing I wish we had done when I was re-learning to walk and that's to have used music. It would have made it tons easier.

How? Music provides a rhythm that can help stroke survivors regain the rhythm that comes naturally in walking.

Think about it. The next time you're at Walmart or any other store where music is played watch how your body responds to it. When the music is fast paced - you'll find yourself walking faster. When the music slows - you do to.

It's one of the gimmicks retailers have used for years to get people to stay in the store and shop longer. Get your customer to slow down....they'll buy more.

So, here's my tip for the day! If you're PT doesn't provide music or the kind of music that gets you going - take your own. Explain why and she'll go along with you on it.

Crank up the music and practise at home in front of a full length mirror. Let yourself go. Get lost in the music and you just might find your recovery time shorten.

Never surrender! Never give up!

The symptoms of a mini stroke are easy to remember with this simple neumonic:

F.A.S.T

F - Face, is it drooping?

A - Arm, does your extended arm fall?

S - Speech, is it slurred?

T - Time. Don't waste it. Get to a doctor or ER
fast.

FYI, mini strokes are another name for TIA's - Transient Ischemic Attack. Transient, being temporary and Ischemic being a temporary decrease in the flow of blood to the brain, either due to constriction or blockage in a blood vessel.

Because the signs of physical weirdness only last 24 hours or less, people have a bad habit of ignoring them. It's not exactly a smart thing to do.

I know. I did it all the time and laughed, because I'd had around 50 TIA's and nothing ever happened! Then my luck ran out and I got nailed. I lost the left side of my body, dragging it about like a mummy, slurred like a drunk, my face fell and I drooled.

I was lucky. I didn't have permanent damage, but it still took several years to regain what I'd lost. It also put me on permanent disability.

Now for a little secret! There's a sneaky thing about strokes. It doesn't happen often, but strokes can pull out other problems.

My strokes pulled out another neurological illness - dystonia. There's no recovery from dystonia. There's no cure.

So what does dystonia look like? Without my meds - I look like a mini version of Michael J. Fox.

Scary? You bet! But entertaining to friends and family - once they get used to you flipping food across the table.

So, avoid having a stroke. Pay attention to the signs and take action. You never know what might be lurking in the dark and you sure don't want to have a stroke just to find out.

Remember F.A.C.E. Get to the hospital fast. You'll be glad you did.