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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,000 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 50 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the complete report. Filed under: Other Read Full Story

Before writing on the subject at hand it is necessary for me to explain what I mean by the term: “ripple effect”. When one throws a stone or any object into a pool of still water it causes a number of ripples that spread outwards from the centre. I do not remember, very clearly, the physics involved in the phenomenon, it being many years since I last studied the subject. In common parlance, a “ripple effect” refers to a cascading and infectious effect, where one phenomenon has a tendency to... Read Full Story

By Jacqueline Colaco It all started with Doc’s idea that he would FIX ME – and for sure, he did! The story goes like this. We were childhood acquaintances living in Fraser Town, Bangalore, each the youngest of several children and were contemporaries in age, as were our siblings. He studied in a boys’ school and I in a girls.  We would meet at the occasional birthday party, picnic or family get-together.  Then we went our separate ways – he into medical college and I into banking. Later... Read Full Story

by Jacqueline Colaco If ever there was one, this is she – Mini Jacob!  With her gentle persuasion and her winning smile, Mini is able to coax the most reluctant muscle or joint (read: stubborn patient!) into greater mobility. Sensitive, but strict!  No lame excuses hold water with her.  The ‘I can’t’ syndrome does not work either.  Her ready repartee smashes all verbal attempts to escape. Like when I say, “I am too old now – leave me alone” she retorts, “But life only begins after 40... Read Full Story

Who’d have thought that what works for a luxurious facial also works for the muscles on a stroke victim’s face!  However, when you think about it, it seems obvious. And it wasn’t until I actually saw the way the muscles on the face are laid out, that I made the connection. Study the attached diagram, and you’ll see that it’s almost as if Nature had laid out the blueprint for the flow direction of the massage. To get started, first sit comfortably at the patient’s head with the top of the... Read Full Story

Sometimes the stroke sufferer feels like a trophy. A memento to a time that was. Kept there in a corner on a pedestal with four wheels, two large, two small; or left sitting like Patience on a pillar with four legs and a cushion at the back lest the once valuable article should fall down and break. Dusted off periodically and if the curate of the museum remembers, the cobwebs are removed. It’s not that I’m not grateful, it’s just that some days I wonder what would happen if the statue... Read Full Story

How can I thank you? There are no words When the depths of gratitude Cannot be found By echo sound In the well of words Of unsaid thanks. The silent care you spend on me The smile that never shows How tired you must be The moments grabbed of silence When I know I must be asleep While you, through your quiet vigil Remain alert lest I should stir. And through all my frustrations My impatience My anger at this still Lifeless half self of me You give me a... Read Full Story

The first three letters of the word STROKE are another point to remember when assessing whether an individual is at risk. This story came to me as an e-mail, so please be aware – I have no way of knowing how accurate this is. The story goes… During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall – she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) … she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.


They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate... Read Full Story

Every now and then one comes across new ways to identify the onset of a stroke. This is a recent discovery of mine put out by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland . Some time ago they launched a campaign to raise the awareness of stroke. The mnemonic FAST makes it easy to remember and here’s what they recommend. A stroke, as those of us who have been closely associated with anyone who has suffered one, is, as they put it, is quite plainly a “brain attack”. How do you know whether someone is having... Read Full Story

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Minty-Fresh™. Crunchy numbers A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats. A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2010. That’s about 5 full 747s. In 2010, there were 7 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 47... Read Full Story