China or Die: The Shocking Truth About Your Complete Recovery Options After Suffering a Stroke

By Ruth E Lycke

If you or a loved one has recently suffered from a stroke, then it is imperative to get this book into their hands or read it as soon as possible. Not only does it offer options and hope for healing from a stroke survivor who has now survived, found healing, and thrived for more than seventeen years, it also offers insight from a spouse and family members, which help you understand the complexity and overwhelming devastation of a stroke to a family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546258995

Ruth E Lycke

Ruth E Lycke is a nurse, paramedic , clinic manager, and now founder of TCM Restoration LTD a China rehabilitation company that champions the treatment Ruth received for her stroke in China. Ruth was the first American to receive life changing restoration treatment 3 years after a massive stroke she experienced at the age of 42. She now makes this restoration possible for people around the globe. If you or a loved one has recently suffered a stroke then it is imperative to get this book into their hands or read it as soon as possible. It offers inspiration, options and hope for healing from a stroke survivor who has now survived, found healing, and thrived for more than 17 years. It also offers insight from her husband and family members that help you understand the complexity and overwhelming devastation of a stroke to a family. A must read!

Book preview

China or Die

The Shocking Truth About Your Complete

Recovery Options After Suffering a Stroke

Ruth E Lycke

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

Copyright © 2018 Ruth E Lycke. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse    10/18/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5901-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5900-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5899-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018910595

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Dedication

Chapter 1   A Day I’ll Never Forget

What is a stroke

Rehabilitation

What has been affected

Managed Care vs. Healing

Clinical Depression vs. Anger & Frustration

The Five Stages of Grief as involved in Stroke

Chapter 2   The Birth of TCM Restoration

Blast from the Past

Location ...Location ...Location

Our First Clients

A New Standard

Traditional Western Rehabilitation Programs

Choosing your rehabilitation facility

Thoughts

Chapter 3   Repeating The Process

Chapter 4   Why China?

Chapter 5   Understanding TCM

Major Treatment Modalities

The Theory of Qi

5 Element Theory

Meridian Theory

Yin/Yang Theory

Chapter 6   What Now

Chapter 7   Exercises

Suggested Exercise Equipment

Head - Face - Throat

Forehead & Facial

Leg Exercises

Thera-band: Hand & Leg Exercises

Elbows And Wrists

JOINTS: Hips, Knees And Ankles

TRUNK

Hand Exercises - Clothespin & Rubber Band, Putty

Hand Exercises: Exercise Putty

Hand & Leg Exercises: Sponge Ball

Balance

Chapter 8   90 Day Journey

Building An Attitude of Gratitude Journal

FOREWORD

I woke up in the hospital room in Iowa City. The medical technician was standing by my bed. In his hands were two long tubular rods. He said you had a stroke. I didn’t remember that, I didn’t remember the helicopter ride to Iowa City. I do remember what he wanted to do with those long tubular rods. He said because you had a stroke, you are having trouble swallowing. Rubbish, I thought.

That will be the day when I have trouble swallowing anything, any time, any where. I may have had a stroke but I knew I had not lost my steak eating ability. Nevertheless, he said, we are going to feed and medicate you through these tubes in your nose. I do remember how much it hurt when they shoved those things up the soft tissue in my nasal passage. I looked like a walrus with long skinny tusks.

I tried to remember the name of a lady who had a stroke years prior and recovered using traditional Chinese medicine. She had written a book about her experience and I had interviewed her on the radio. Being fed through a feeding tube in uncomfortable, it is not acceptable. Never riding my motorcycle, again, not acceptable. I needed to get in touch with her, real quick, and get my butt to China for help.

It took several weeks to get in touch with Ruth Lycke, but I did. I persuaded Ruth to accept me into the Traditional Chinese Restoration Program. My wife, son and I spent three months in Tianjin, China receiving acupuncture, electric acupuncture, Tuina (medical massage), traditional Chinese medicine and rehabilitation exercises. I came back from China with substantial recovery, absent the wheelchair and several layers of dependency.

Ruth has written this book which is a partial description of my experience and a real detailed explanation of what is possible through traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). If you are in need of what happened to me, then this book is your lifeline, grab it and hold on to the best treatment available, you won’t regret it.

I thank God for Ruth and her ministry; so will you.

Jan Mickelson

WHO Radio Talk Show Host (Des Moines, Iowa)

PREFACE

I guess it was inevitable that I would write another book (following my first book, Out of The Darkness) after surviving my stroke for so long, finding a life changing treatment, and helping over 600 people discover hope too. It’s been 17 years since my stroke and 14 years post treatment and I’m not just surviving but thriving. I spend 9 months each year in China, devoted to helping others recover and restore their lives.

I was determined that no one should have to suffer for years, as I did but it’s not a journey for the faint of heart. What I will share within these following pages is a form of treatment that is not available yet in the US. Similar treatments are seemingly available but none offer the hope, health, and healing results that are seen here. It’s like a recipe that if followed correctly gives wonderful results but if you try to substitute other things it is disastrous. For me, helping others in this way is not a job but a passion! Something I live 24/7. I spend countless hours assisting others, dealing with their challenges, cheering them on, counseling them, praying and simply holding their hand. I have learned first hand that been there, done that, is a most powerful statement.

I have been blessed to be joined by my husband who retired and is now helping me here in China. Yes…we have children and grandchildren but nothing replaces the joy of helping others and watching them as they discover the answers and healing for themselves.

INTRODUCTION

As I reflect back on a day over 17 years ago I am reminded of how fit I felt I was and yet how naive I really was. That morning was a typical morning for me. Steve, my husband of 16 years, headed to work by 6:30 am and I began getting the kids up, dressed, fed, and finally off to school.

I think most individuals, such as I, feel as if they are healthy and very much in control of their lives before their stroke. We decided when we got married that I would leave the military and medical workforce and stay at home to raise our family. We’d been blessed with three children and after my husband got out of the Air Force we chose to move to Iowa.

I confess that leaving medicine and the active life in the military and workforce was one of the most challenging things I have ever done, but investing in our children was worth it. I share this because when I suffered my stroke I had three young children ages; 9, 12, and 13 at home and in school. After three years of suffering and chasing every method available for rehabilitation and recovery, I decided to go to China to get better for them (my kids, because I felt my husband could survive without me but my kids couldn’t). It was imperative for me to objectively look at the future…my kid’s future. I had to strive to become my best and not simply a victim of the disease of the stroke but a victor over my circumstances. Sure… I could have continued as I was and be content with… limited mobility, no feeling on the left side, blurry and bouncing vision, cognitive problems, speech issues, limited movement in the right hand and arm… but why?

It was obvious that my health and physical challenges were not only a distraction but an obstacle to my children’s future. My husband and kids were always having to worry or be overly concerned about me; if it was a good day emotionally, how to get from our home to wherever we were going, bathrooms, stairs and access…in essence…everything.

I laid out this book in such a way that you can pick it up and read sections to educate yourself on the challenges that you will face on each step of your journey and the program that I built to help others.

DEDICATION

To all of the stroke survivors who choose to read this book…

This is for you!

CHAPTER 1

A Day I’ll Never Forget

My stroke (just like all strokes) was sudden, unexpected, devastating, and seemingly permanent. I was at an athletic banquet after attending a school board meeting for which I served. I became flushed, started violently vomiting and finally made my way to a bathroom. I had an advantage, I was a nurse and paramedic and knew what was happening. After calling for help (I hollered dial 911) I was assisted by arriving first responders who drove me via ambulance to the local hospital.

The doctor on duty seemed thrilled until he did the MRI and discovered it was a bleed. If it was a blockage he would have given clot busting medications but instead I would have to be stabilized and shipped out by life flight. I was still talking at the time but the doctor asked my husband where he should send me. At this critical time and with such a serious question, I was impressed by my husbands response…he asked the doctor if it were his wife where would he go…? With that, he had his answer and within 10 minutes I was intubated and airborne.

When I arrived I was reassessed, moved to ICU, placed on a respirator and left in a coma state. My husband was told I would die within 24 hours but a week later I surprised everyone when I had not only survived but begun to come out of the coma. It was decided to remove the respirator and see what happened.

After a week in a coma I had woken up. Unknown to me at the time and during my coma I had experienced a secondary stroke where the original bleed had left unabsorbed blood. Due to the bleed in the brain stem and secondary stroke I was left with numerous deficits.

• Numbness on the entire right side

• Inability to walk

• No strength or control of right or left sides

• Right sided paralysis

• Inability to write

• Difficulty thinking and speaking

• Memory problems

• Speech problems (Expressive Aphasia)

• Double vision (Diplopia)

• Bouncing vision (Acquired Nystagmus)

• Emotional frailty and inappropriate crying (Pseudo-bulbar Affect PBA)

It is at this time in the midst of the event that you need to have your wits about you. Most young people who experience stroke never think they will be in this situation. They have never discussed major catastrophic events and rarely have made living wills, drawn up a medical power of attorney, or anything that might be appropriate for dealing with a catastrophic medical event.

Doctors, medical professionals, friends and family all tried to comfort me and will all try and comfort you by responding with comments such as:

• No two strokes are alike…

• It could have been worse, you could have died…

• Just be content with what you have…

• Learn to live and be happy with what you have…

• You need to lower your expectations…

• Things will never be the same…

• You have so much to be thankful for…

• And many more well meaning comments…

I lived! The fact is YOU are alive…you did survive!