Rehabilitation following a stroke: a participant perspective

Following a stroke in January 1996 the author, a college lecturer, kept notes of his feelings, perceived treatment, and other people's responses to him. This paper reports these especially as they relate to the experience of illness, disability and rehabilitation. Areas covered include the experience of the stroke itself, perceptions of the process, reactions to disability and therapies, and the experience of trying to return to a 'normal' life. No claim is made for the uniqueness or significance of this account. It is simply offered as a contribution towards a better understanding of the patient's perspective on disability and rehabilitation.