Understanding the Differences Between Stroke and Brain Bleed
Every year, thousands of people around the world suffer from either a stroke or a brain bleed, and unfortunately, many of these individuals do not know the difference between the two. While both conditions affect the brain and can be life-threatening, they have distinct differences that are important to understand. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted, either by a blockage or a burst blood vessel. On the other hand, a brain bleed, also known as a hemorrhage, is when blood leaks out of a blood vessel and into the surrounding brain tissue. Although both conditions can cause similar symptoms, such as sudden weakness or numbness, it is crucial to know the differences between the two in order to receive the proper treatment and care. In this article, we will delve deeper into the specifics of each condition, and provide helpful information on how to recognize and respond to both a stroke and a brain bleed.
What is a Stroke?
A stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke is the most common type, accounting for nearly 87% of all strokes. It occurs when a blood clot or plaque buildup blocks blood flow to the brain. Hemorrhagic stroke, on the other hand, is less common, accounting for only 13% of all strokes. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding tissue.
Strokes can affect people of all ages, but they are more common in older adults. Other risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and a family history of stroke.
What is a Brain Bleed?
A brain bleed, also known as a hemorrhage, is a type of stroke that occurs when blood leaks out of a blood vessel and into the surrounding brain tissue. There are several types of brain bleeds, including subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and epidural hemorrhage. Subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs when there is bleeding in the space between the brain and the skull. Intracerebral hemorrhage occurs when there is bleeding within the brain tissue. Epidural hemorrhage occurs when there is bleeding between the skull and the outer layer of the brain.
Brain bleeds can be caused by a variety of factors, including high blood pressure, trauma, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), bleeding disorders, and certain medications.
Causes of Stroke
There are several risk factors that can increase the likelihood of having a stroke. The most common risk factors include high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and a family history of stroke. Other factors that can increase the risk of stroke include age, gender, race, and certain medical conditions, such as atrial fibrillation and sickle cell anemia.
Causes of Brain Bleed
Brain bleeds can be caused by a variety of factors, including high blood pressure, trauma, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), bleeding disorders, and certain medications. High blood pressure is the most common cause of brain bleeds, accounting for nearly 70% of all cases. Trauma, such as a head injury, can also cause a brain bleed.
Symptoms of Stroke
The symptoms of a stroke can vary depending on the type and severity of the stroke. The most common symptoms of a stroke include sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. Other symptoms may include sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, and sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Symptoms of Brain Bleed
The symptoms of a brain bleed can vary depending on the location and severity of the bleed. The most common symptoms of a brain bleed include sudden severe headache, nausea, and vomiting, seizures, weakness or numbness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body, changes in vision, speech, or hearing, and loss of consciousness.
Diagnosis of Stroke and Brain Bleed
Diagnosing a stroke or brain bleed involves a variety of tests and procedures. These may include a physical exam, blood tests, imaging tests such as a CT scan or MRI, and other tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) or echocardiogram.
Treatment Options for Stroke and Brain Bleed
The treatment options for stroke and brain bleeding depend on the type and severity of the condition. For ischemic stroke, treatment may involve medications such as blood thinners or clot-busting drugs, or procedures such as a thrombectomy or carotid endarterectomy. For hemorrhagic stroke and brain bleeds, treatment may involve surgery to repair the damaged blood vessel or remove the blood clot.
Preventing Stroke and Brain Bleed
Preventing a stroke or brain bleed involves maintaining a healthy lifestyle and managing any underlying medical conditions. This may include quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, managing stress, and controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
Recovery and rehabilitation after a stroke or brain bleed can be a long and challenging process. Depending on the severity of the condition, rehabilitation may involve physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other forms of therapy to help regain lost abilities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the differences between stroke and brain bleeding is crucial for receiving the proper treatment and care. While both conditions can be life-threatening and have similar symptoms, they have distinct differences that require different treatment approaches. If you or someone you know experiences any symptoms of a stroke or brain bleed, seek medical attention immediately. Remember, time is of the essence in treating these conditions, and early intervention can make all the difference in the outcome.
Podcast Episode 259
Kevin Gocke turned 21 in a coma after surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain, which damaged a blood vessel and resulted in a brain bleed as well.
Taken By Surprise: A Declaration of Perseverance
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Highlights:
02:21 The first symptoms
14:38 How the stroke and brain bleed affected Kevin’s creativity
23:23 Life after the stroke
27:53 Type of foods to avoid after a stroke
36:14 Creating the right environment for stroke recovery
47:05 Reclaiming life after a stroke
58:05 Kevin Gocke fell in love with his injury
1:05:54 What stroke taught Kevin Gocke
1:10:16 Plateaus are a myth
Transcript:
Kevin Gocke 0:00
And I realized that the whole time what I had been doing was sort of loving and nurturing my left side, you know, and I was starting to look back and I was started tracing back on accounts where I started resenting my deficits, and then getting maybe even a little emotional about it and angry.
Kevin Gocke 0:21
And it dawned on me that every time that I got out and dug myself out of those little plateaus, those little ruts are when I started pushing myself and forcing my left affected side to perform tasks that otherwise seemed impossible to me.
Kevin Gocke 0:37
So hanging from a pull-up bar and pulling up all my body weight and then jumping down the ground and doing push-ups and then going out body surfing, playing my piano. I picked up the harmonica you know, coupling the harmonica with a microphone. You know, I played a couple of live shows with my brother and was like, You know what I fell in love with my deficits. I fell in love with them on my left side.
Intro 1:03
This is the Recovery after Stroke podcast. With Bill Gasiamis, helping you navigate recovery after stroke.
Bill Gasiamis 1:16
Hello, and welcome to the recovery aftershock podcast. If you are a stroke survivor with a story to share about your experience. Come and join me on the show that interviews are not scripted, you do not have to plan for them. All you need to do to qualify is be a stroke survivor or careful someone who is a stroke survivor, or you are one of the fabulous people that helped other stroke survivors.
Bill Gasiamis 1:38
Go to recoveryafterstroke.com/contact, and fill out the form. And as soon as I receive your request, I will respond with more details on how you can choose a time that works for you and me to meet over Zoom. Now in this episode 259 of the Recovery after Stroke podcast, I’m joined by Kevin Gocke, who experienced an ischemic stroke and a bleed due to complications in surgery. Recently, Kevin launched his book, Taken By Surprise A Declaration of Perseverance. Kevin Gocke, welcome to the podcast.
Kevin Gocke 2:14
Thank you, sir. Thanks for having me.
Bill Gasiamis 2:16
Pleasure. Thank you for being here. Tell me a little bit about what happened to you.
The first symptoms of Kevin Gocke
Kevin Gocke 2:21
Yeah, absolutely. So this happened back on October 21, 2009. Kind of interesting. So I was getting ready to go surf here in Southern California. And getting ready to go surf. Pretty big swell that day, with some good friends. And we went to pick up a friend that was going to come with us, he was working at a smoothie shop nearby.
Kevin Gocke 2:53
And I remember just looking at the menu, and the whole room just sort of started warping, my vision got really weird. That was my first signal. And I didn’t really know what was going on. However, I had a similar experience a few weeks prior, where we think it might have been a TIA of sorts, a few weeks prior because it was pretty much the same feeling.
Kevin Gocke 3:25
So my friend kind of looked at me and he goes, Man, are you all right? I think I’m alright. And I tried to brush it off. I said this happened to me and it went away. But I don’t know, it’s really weird, you know, and I went ahead and took a seat, a cup of water, I was really just trying to downplay it because I didn’t want to think it was anything serious, although it was certainly a bizarre sensation.
Kevin Gocke 3:51
And my vision started really affecting me on the left side and had a visual field cut that was occurring. And then when he put the cup of water in front of me, I went to reach for it and I’m left-handed normally. So I want to reach for it and missed a cup of water by about a foot. And so he knew something wasn’t right.
Kevin Gocke 4:16
So he called 911. And it just so happened that there was an ambulance in a nearby parking lot. Pick me up and took me to the hospital. And my whole life-size sort of slumped in the chair at that point and underwent a series of tests in the ER and the weird things that I was beginning to sort of improve.
Kevin Gocke 4:44
But there was definitely something up and then so upon further examination, they saw that there was a blockage in my brain and so this is where it gets a little interesting. They went in to retrieve what was believed to be a clot certainly something blocking blood flow in the occipital lobe, right hemisphere.
Kevin Gocke 5:06
And they went in to retrieve it with a tool. So they went up through my femoral vein. And unfortunately, when they went in the artery had ruptured. So it started as an ischemic stroke and then turned into hemorrhagic shortly after, and that sort of made the whole thing life-threatening, and how I ended up in a coma for nearly a month.
Kevin Gocke 5:32
And I definitely almost didn’t make it on the table that day, I know that. And then there were several accounts throughout the series of the next few weeks where my brain swelling was just so severe that they weren’t sure if I was gonna make it. Luckily, they didn’t have to quite cap me. I was close several times, but anyhow, fought for my life for the better part of a month, and when I woke up, I had this full upside paralysis and left side visual field cut and a fun trach scar and couldn’t speak.
Kevin Gocke 6:15
Sucked up to more tubes than I can even remember, but that’s sort of how it all happened. So I’ve spent the last 13 plus years I guess in October, it’ll be 14 years, October 21. Then, you know, spent the majority of my adulthood, pretty much all of my adulthood in the shoes of a stroke survivor. I’m 34 now.
Bill Gasiamis 6:42
You turned 21 while you were in a coma.
Kevin Gocke 6:45
That’s right. Yeah, I forgot I had to mention that too. So I turned 21 in a coma. I was pretty bummed about it. And you know, when I woke up, I didn’t really remember what had happened. I wasn’t really sure why I was there. I thought I had fallen skateboarding or something. And anyway, even though my vision was all crossed up, and was really hard for me to focus.
Kevin Gocke 7:13
They had a calendar up on the wall. And I saw that my birthday had gone by and birthdays November 8. I think it was like the 17th. And I go, I was mouthing the words because I couldn’t speak yet because of the trach. And they figured out I was trying to ask did my birthday goodbye. Like, did I miss it? And they’re like, yeah, it is the big one, you know, 21. And we’re all excited about I’m the youngest in my family. So we were all pumped about it. And unfortunately, I was taking a long nap.
Bill Gasiamis 7:53
Couldn’t even buy a beer legally.
Kevin Gocke 7:56
No, I couldn’t. Actually, it’s funny. Did you happen to get a copy of my book? I wrote about that a little bit.
Bill Gasiamis 8:04
I didn’t get a copy. I’ve been able to look into it. And I’ve done a little bit of research. We’re going to talk about your book because it sounds like a great story. But the link you sent me didn’t work. Exactly. But that’s okay. So you turned 21. And now you actually can’t drink a beer, even though you’re legally allowed to drink a beer.
Kevin Gocke 8:34
Oh, yeah. That was a bummer, you know, not a huge drinker or anything like that, but I definitely enjoy a cold beer, you know, especially 21. And I think everyone sort of looks forward to that. What is it in Australia? Is it 21 as well? Or is it 18?
Bill Gasiamis 8:57
18. Not that anyone waits for 18 of course, and not that we need an excuse to celebrate before then. We’ve definitely been on the beer way before 18. Most of us anyway, and then. Interesting. About the time you get to 21, it’s just a big event rather than a coming of age. The coming of age has already happened, you know? And then 21 is just a big excuse to have another massive.
Kevin Gocke 9:34
Yeah, just get everyone together. Yeah. But it’s fun you know, you get to pull out your ID get carded and it’s official.
Bill Gasiamis 9:43
The thing is, when we’re 18 we’re also allowed to get into pubs and clubs and venues of that sort of style where alcohol is served. So I’m not sure if that is something that you guys can do when you become 18. And what happens there? Are you able to attend venues where alcohol is served at 18? Or do you have to wait till you’re 21?
Kevin Gocke 10:13
You know, that’s a good question. I think if I recall the law on that, yeah, at least when I was 18, it might have even changed since then. But, you know, you can legally buy tobacco and, you know, stuff like that and enlist in the military. But that’s about it.
Kevin Gocke 10:33
And yeah, I think cuz I, you know, grew up playing shows, and before I was even 18, I was, you know, a member in a band and played live keys and stuff. Anyway, a lot of them were 21 and over bars, and they would just, you know, put an axe on my hand. And so I was basically tagged, you know, don’t serve this. This guy’s a minor.
Intro 10:58
Interesting. So my son was also playing in a band when he was probably 14. And all the guys we were playing with were older than him and legally allowed to drink they were all 18 or older. And they used to take him to gigs, but because they weren’t legal guardians, they couldn’t allow him to go into the show into the venue unless I was there or his mother was there. So my wife and I used to rock up at 14 till the age of 18 to watch them in their show because he wouldn’t be allowed entrance.
Kevin Gocke 11:42
So you had to kind of chauffeur him into the venue.
Bill Gasiamis 11:45
Yeah. So whether we liked the music or not, we had no choice but to hang out.
Kevin Gocke 11:53
What style of band was he in?
Bill Gasiamis 11:55
Hardcore, punk.
Kevin Gocke 11:57
Cool yeah, that’s my forte.
Bill Gasiamis 12:02
Not my forte. It’s a little hard to get used to but anyway, we did four years of it, which was more than enough.
Kevin Gocke 12:09
I know what you mean, it’s a hard pill to swallow for the parents. And you know, yeah, we got into a lot of European style heavy you know, speed thrash metal, death metal hardcore, all that. But, you know, I grew up on a lot of, you know, my Dad got me into classic rock, I grew up on Jimi Hendrix Led Zeppelin, you know, the all the classics, then it transcended into you know, Sex Pistols and a lot of punk rock.
Kevin Gocke 12:44
You know, strung out and all those good guys, so then it just kept progressing. Everyone got into the plane and they’re like, well, how nuts can we get with our instruments? You how fast can we you know, it’s fun. It’s a good time.
Bill Gasiamis 12:58
It’s a good way to let off some steam as well. It’s where I learned about the Ramones. I didn’t know who the Ramones were until my son introduced me to the Ramones. And that was pretty cool to hear the Ramones. And to get to understand the roots of punk rock. And how it emerged in the United States at
Kevin Gocke 13:22
Yeah, I need to learn. I obviously know about the Ramones and everything, but they’re one that sort of slipped through the cracks for me. I don’t know how but yeah, I know they’re pioneers in the world of punk.
Bill Gasiamis 13:38
Yeah. And Henry Rollins was another one of those guys who was pretty pioneering in the day and did a lot of great, sort of foundational work for the scene. And it’s great to hear that crazy. Punk Rock dude from the late 70s, early 80s. As an adult, I think he’s older than me now. And I talk about life now. And the way that he goes about life and how he’s really creative, and all that type of stuff.
Bill Gasiamis 14:11
And it’s interesting, even though it was hard to sit through four years of punk rock shows in the seedy clubs of Melbourne, and being the oldest people in the room. It’s still good. We learned to beat out of it, you know, I got some really awesome things out of it. And it’s also great to support my son at the shows.
Kevin Gocke 14:34
100% Oh, you’re a good dad for that.
How the stroke and brain bleed affected Kevin’s creativity
Bill Gasiamis 14:38
Tell me about how how the stroke and all that stuff affected that part of your life, that creative part of your life, and that part of your life where you got to be able to express yourself in that way.
Kevin Gocke 14:54
Yeah, so that’s, that’s a solid question. So I’ve been lucky I’ve gotten a lot of dexterity back, because you can tell I got really obsessive with my, with my recovery pretty early on. I think a lot of it was just sort of being naive, not really realizing it. I remember I actually remember I was talking to my who’s my speech? pathologist, he’s me.
Kevin Gocke 15:25
And she’s working with me mainly with my eyesight. And I was asking earlier, is this going to come back? And she’s like, we don’t really know. For some people, it does seem really doesn’t. As the physical stuff like, I should be good, what like six, six months? Sounds about right, you know, just completely over my head, I had no idea what I was dealing with.
Kevin Gocke 15:49
And I believe that, and I was kind of like, you know, I got this in the bag. I know this, how it affects everyone else, but not me. No way, you know. And that was my attitude going into it. And, you know, at the six-month mark, you know, being discharged from the hospital that obviously is discharged. But before that, being home, and I think that’s when it really sinks in is once you’re back in your element.
Kevin Gocke 16:17
And you start kind of attempting these things, and you sat at my piano for the first time. You started navigating your way through your home and you realize like, oh, yeah, this whole neurological damage. World is, is a little bit, I might have underestimated this a little bit.
Kevin Gocke 16:40
But having that said, I had a really I was fortunate with a really great support group. And I was able to kind of maintain that sort of, I don’t know if stubbornness is the word, but you notice, like, No, I think I can do it. You know, and I think in a lot of ways that helped me sort of push down some barriers that ordinarily maybe would have held me back.
Bill Gasiamis 17:05
Self-belief barriers, what type?
Kevin Gocke 17:08
Yeah, certainly. Excuse me. I’m trying to make sure this is all good. Yeah, so went through I just, it kind of, like, if there’s a will, there’s a way kind of thing I went through a series of not being able to do most things that I once, you know, took for granted. Things are really easy. And piano, guitar, things like that.
Kevin Gocke 17:39
So I sat at my piano quite a bit, you know, the tone was pretty bizarre, you know, arm wants to come up like this and hard to put your hand on the keys. So my brother and oldest brother come behind me and basically strapped my elbows in, like this. And then I forced my hands to, you know, I could do like octaves and things like that.
Kevin Gocke 18:01
But even that was pretty sloppy. So I got pretty proficient at playing one-handed. So to answer your question in and very long-winded way, I can still play piano fairly well, I just played mainly with my right hand, and I hit some bases, my left hand, you know, for therapy and for practice and things like that. I’m very at peace with where I’ve gotten to this point.
Intro 18:01
If you’ve had a stroke, and you’re in recovery, you’ll know what a scary and confusing time it can be, you’re likely to have a lot of questions going through your mind. Like, how long will it take to recover? Will I actually recover? What things should I avoid? In case I make matters worse, and doctors will explain things that obviously, you’ve never had a stroke before, you probably don’t know what questions to ask.
Intro 19:01
If this is you, you may be missing out on doing things that could help speed up your recovery. If you’re finding yourself in that situation. Stop worrying, and head to recoveryafterstroke.com where you can download a guide that will help you it’s called seven questions to ask your doctor about your stroke.
Intro 19:21
These seven questions are the ones Bill wished he’d asked when he was recovering from a stroke. They’ll not only help you better understand your condition. They’ll help you take a more active role in your recovery. Head to the website now recoveryafterstroke.com and download the guide it’s free.
Kevin Gocke 19:40
But answer your question fully about you know what I did with my creative energy as I turn it a lot into a sort of my passion for working out and going on hikes and fitness and things like that even camping outdoors stuff. I still jumped in the ocean and body surf all the time. So that creative outlet that was once music I thought to be something, you know, potentially professional one day is now, you know, still a passion of mine.
Intro 20:21
Not what it used to be I get up and you know with body surfing is that because standing up surfing is a little sketchy?
Kevin Gocke 20:34
Yeah, you know, it’s funny. I was a big-time body surfer before. And then I was really into short boarding right at the time of my accident. And I’ve actually paddled around on my, shortboard, and feels pretty good. I’ve been meaning to get a bigger board. And I haven’t even attempted stand-up surfing, which is a shame for me.
Kevin Gocke 21:01
That’s actually on the agenda for this summer. Because I’m surprised I haven’t tried to get out. It’s like, it’s funny. I have my shortboard. So I’m six, three. It’s my short boards. Six, five. But it’s just it’s a little, it’s a little petite for me to paddle in the wave and try and stand up. It’s kind of intimidating. And then my other board is a 9 0, which is a lot of boards may be moving around.
Kevin Gocke 21:28
So I’ve been meaning to get something in the middle. Something that I could, you know, practice on maybe even like a foam board. But yeah, body surfing, I just really love it. And I can go out on days that, you know, it can be three feet, it can be head high. And I can still have a good time. You know, get a little barrel. Get exercise, actually, it’s great therapy, you know, swimming?
Bill Gasiamis 21:55
Yeah. And it’s interesting that you said that it’s because you can access the water more often than supposedly the surface because the surface needed this and swell otherwise. Yeah, it’s a little bit, sort of nothing happening and a bit boring.
Kevin Gocke 22:12
100% all I need is a pair of good fins. I love Vipers. And I’ll just put them on and catch anything.
Bill Gasiamis 22:20
That’s really interesting. I’m wondering now whether or not a lot of people who were surfing previously have had a stroke, whether or not they’ve kind of flipped and gone to bodyboarding. Because that’d be a great way to continue to get in the water without worrying about getting on your feet too much falling over all the time.
Kevin Gocke 22:42
Yeah, bodyboarding is cool, too. I’ve tried bodyboarding bodyboarding works pretty well. The one thing that weirds me out about, you know, with bodyboarding is I took off on a wave and I got a little I think, I guess cocky.
Kevin Gocke 23:01
And I wasn’t paying attention to where my left arm placement was. And I you know, and I went over the fall that kind of impacted my shoulder and really strained all the tendons. You know, it wasn’t quite prepared for that. Because I’m sure you could work your way into it where, you know, the shoulder wouldn’t be susceptible to injury or anything like that.
Life after the Stroke and Brain Bleed
Bill Gasiamis 23:23
Yeah. So how did you transition out of the stroke? What was getting back to normal life like back then? Did you end up going to college? Did you go to work? How did all of that play out?
Kevin Gocke 23:42
That’s a great question. So I was so determined to go to a music school that, you know, going back to traditional school didn’t really seem all that appealing. I wasn’t the greatest student actually. Okay, I completed two years in community college. And then I was transferring over to music school, right when everything happened.
Kevin Gocke 24:10
So I did actually go back, I attempted it. And I just didn’t really know what I wanted to do. And subsequently, during that process, I had sort of been invited into the real estate world by a family friend. And I just kind of, you know, was shadowing him on, you know what he was doing and it was mainly more development projects and things like that, but I became good friends with the realtor and the broker on the deal.
Kevin Gocke 24:47
And it impressed me I’m like, Okay, how hard is this to do and it’s like something I could do. You know, it’s not very physically demanding. actually went back to the restaurant. industry first just to you know, kind of make ends meet a little bit, get a little bit of money in my pocket. But you know, I was 21 years old and you know, luckily for me, I was living with my folks.
Kevin Gocke 25:10
So I wasn’t freaking out about bills per se, you know, so I had the freedom to go to real estate school and got my license. And then yeah, it’s been a great profession, I actually still do it to this day. But the biggest thing for me was just getting everything back. And, you know, kind of reclaiming everything that I lost, which is it’s a tall order. But I just continued to experiment with new things I was taking. I was actually, I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Lion’s Mane mushrooms.
Bill Gasiamis 25:55
I am yeah. Tell me about it. A lot of people listening won’t be familiar with them.
Kevin Gocke 25:59
Sure, yeah. Well, it’s interesting. It’s something that was brought to my attention way early on by a neurologist, just, you know, I think there are some doctors that maybe think it’s whatever, you know, there’s some very strong evidence pointing to some of these mushroom compounds, Lion’s Mane is one of them, Rishi, quadriceps Chaga are just incredible for the body and Lion’s Mane, in particular with the rerouting of neuro pathways.
Kevin Gocke 26:36
So that’s something that I started experimenting with early on, and it kind of opened my eyes to the whole natural supplement world. And, you know, just that kind of grew up into like, oh, what’s over here with nutrition, you know.
Kevin Gocke 26:52
What’s odd about it, is that I didn’t really have other than, you know, my brothers and my family and that’s it, I didn’t really have anyone guiding me in the right direction with how I should be eating, how I should possibly be supplementing, you know, and how I should be moving my body, I mean, outside of basic, you know, routine therapy, which is important.
Kevin Gocke 27:22
But where I started to really, you know, find myself, you know, really breaking through certain plateaus, as they say, was really pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. And also feeding my body with things that I knew it needed. So for me, a diet rich in protein is extremely important. And with all the muscle atrophy, yeah.
Type of foods to avoid after a Stroke and Brain Bleed
Kevin Gocke 27:53
Okay, so what are muscles need, they need protein, you know, in order for protein synthesis to occur, you need X amount, depending on the individual, obviously, but then I started playing around with essential amino acids, things like that. Glutamine really, really focused on hydration and blood health, you know, I really got into you know, I take fish oils every day. Things I just think that ultimately really helped push me and I mean, I still feel like I’m getting better. And it’s almost 14 years, you know, how about you?
Bill Gasiamis 28:31
Yeah, look, I’m similar. I went down the path of just trying to take out of the diet, things that are inflammatory in nature, figuring that my brain was already inflamed, and then what I didn’t want to do was contribute to the inflammation and make it worse. So for me, it was very focused on a large sort of amount of protein diet.
Bill Gasiamis 28:57
As best quality as I could possibly afford and get and then decreased my consumption of alcohol, dairy, particularly cow dairy, dairy from cows, and then decreased my consumption of carbs including flour, any gluten-based product, whether it’s pasta, bread, any of that stuff, and still to this day I’m the same and then of course, alcohol, stopped drinking alcohol, didn’t drink alcohol for the first five years and maybe had maybe in the last 10 years, maybe I’ve had 10 glasses of alcohol all up.
Bill Gasiamis 29:55
And so it was dairy and gluten, I stopped drinking caffeine for a little while. Because the main way I drank caffeine was with milk at the cafe, that was kind of introducing dairy. And then, therefore, if I wanted to avoid dairy, I just inadvertently avoided caffeine. So I went, on this particular diet for a very long time and did amazingly well increased, the sharpness in my mind decrease the fatigue that stroke causes lost weight, became more energized, and just had a massive, positive response to taking things out.
Bill Gasiamis 30:47
And sugar was a huge one, specifically sugar taken sugar out of my diet. Before the strokes, I used to drink. Coke was my big go-to. And just thinking that you know, one can a day or two cans a day was being so active, wasn’t really impacting me in a negative way. But then when I stopped drinking it, especially after the stroke, my god the difference in my ability to think clearly, and to have less deficit, awareness.
Bill Gasiamis 31:20
The ability for me to improve the way that I was rehabilitating my leg and my arm after brain surgery. Imagine everything was just better. So I took a big journey down that path. I’ve heard about Lion’s Mane, but I haven’t really taken Lion’s Mane. But when I read online about what it’s meant to do it, it’s amazing. I mean, they are to support according to an article from healthline.com. They protect against dementia as they could protect against dementia.
Bill Gasiamis 32:00
They may help relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. They may spit, and they may speed up recovery from nervous system injuries that may protect against ulcers in the digestive tract. In the digestive tract, they support the reduction of heart disease. They help manage diabetes symptoms, they may help fight cancer.
Bill Gasiamis 32:32
Okay, let’s be claimed, they reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. And if anything that I’ve listed is important. It’s reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. If you’re reducing inflammation, you’re supporting a positive decrease in the risk of all those things that I just mentioned, dementia, cancer, all those things all improve as heart disease, all those things improve if you can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
Bill Gasiamis 33:04
And they boost the immune system and really, the list goes on, depending on the article that you’re reading, and watching. And they’re pretty easy to obtain Lion’s Mane mushrooms, and they support neurological growth in new neural pathways, and that’s pretty amazing and cool, which is exactly what stroke survivors need to do. They need to find new neural pathways to replace the ones that were interfered with or lost.
Kevin Gocke 33:33
Exactly. But that’s what was so appealing to me about it at the time. And, you know, there’s a lot of buzz about it. Now, you know, I can’t claim that I’ve been, you know, consuming Lion’s Mane every day for the last 13-plus years. However, I did start about 13 years ago, and just always been mindful of it. And I’ve got it in my system as much as possible.
Kevin Gocke 34:01
And as of the last several years, five years, I’ve taken it every day, every day and there’s so many like you said it’s not very hard to obtain. You can get it at local health food stores wherever online. Yeah, all those things. It’s so key and it’s now starting, I feel like comes up more and more so now. And I’m involved in I just wrapped up a research study with a local university here UCI Medical here in Orange County.
Kevin Gocke 34:34
And you know, they asked them I say, you know, do you guys have any protocol or do you need research studies regarding certain supplements that are absolutely known to help speed up recovery because the exercises and everything are extremely important? Absolutely. But you know, what you’re consuming? And what’s going on internally is extremely important as well. I’m not sure which one is probably it is a little bit more important. I’d say obviously, you got to move.
Intro 35:15
Yeah, well, if people can’t move, because of the stroke, then what you consume is the next thing, right is the thing that becomes the most important. And I suppose for me, it’s what you don’t consume. That becomes the most important what you take out of the diet. That’s the approach that I took. It’s like, What are the five worst things that I could do to my body?
Bill Gasiamis 35:41
Okay, well, smoke was one, but I stopped smoking pretty much that they of the first bleed. So that was tip number one. So what’s the worst thing you could do? You could drink alcohol, you could smoke, you could take drugs. And you could eat the wrong foods. And then you can have a bad mindset, you can have a negative mindset.
Kevin Gocke 36:10
And typically all those things lead you to a negative mindset.
Creating the right environment for stroke recovery
Bill Gasiamis 36:15
They support it, they create negative energy. Yeah, so my idea was, what I’m going to do is create the right environment for recovery. And that’s how I did it, as some people don’t realize, but what I didn’t realize before my strokes is I created the right environment for a stroke to actually occur. Now, it was a blood vessel that I was born with.
Bill Gasiamis 36:39
It was a bleed that occurred as a result of a faulty blood vessel. But I did nothing to stop that blood vessel from bleeding. I supported it, I gave it everything it needed to play up and to bleed. And for 37 years, it did nothing in my head. But then at some point, the conditions were right for it to respond in a negative way.
Bill Gasiamis 37:01
That is the way I say it now, somebody else might say differently, and that’s fine. So then, I just took the opposite approach. Okay, what can I do now to create the right environment for my brain to heal? And that simple question led me to 1000 things that I could do.
Bill Gasiamis 37:20
Some were impossible for me to follow up and actually implement. Others were really easy. And the ones that were really easy for me were what I was putting in my mouth. Because it started at the supermarket. It started with what I put in my basket, if I didn’t put the stuff in the basket, it didn’t come home. I didn’t consume it was really simple.
Kevin Gocke 37:42
Sure. Yeah. No, that’s 100% You’re right on the money there. And it’s funny, because, you know, these are practices that, you know, sounds like you and I both had been implementing for a long time. How long ago was, your stroke?
Bill Gasiamis 38:01
That was in February 2012 the first time and
Kevin Gocke 38:05
Okay, so yeah, just three years after mine. So yeah, you know, it’s been a, you know, better part of a decade over a decade, right? Yeah.
Bill Gasiamis 38:15
Yeah, it has been. And what’s cool about it is what you said is those studies are starting to now become available and proof in things that I was doing that was considered weird or strange or unnecessary by my doctors or nutritionists, or whoever I spoke to. It was the early days. I mean, it was only 10 years ago, but it was so long ago because there was no information available on that type of approach.
Kevin Gocke 38:45
Yeah, you had to really like to sift through the mud to find any kind, and then when you bring it up, yeah, to your doctor. And I mean, I remember one of my neurologists and I went through a few but you know, he just thumbed his nose at it and said it was quackery. And then, you know, you know, my rehab doctor, we have had a kind of fun back and forth about it.
Kevin Gocke 39:14
And he was actually supportive of it. But he said he wants to stop I didn’t learn in med school kind of thing. And, you know, I get into debates with you know, other friends, and actually, I’m working right now with a local community college at the adaptive kinesiology program. So I’m helping train people and helping them get fit again, that’s my kind of My forte is, you know, building back not out of vanity, but it does help to feel fit.
Kevin Gocke 39:46
Not only do you function better, but especially for me now. You know, I had a girlfriend that had left me when everything happened and you know, as a 21-year-old kid, and we’re kind of like, oh, great, you know? feel defeated, you know, disabled all these things, these things that can’t I cannot control? You know, and I’ve written about it, you know, what are the things that I can control? What are the things I am capable of?
Kevin Gocke 40:14
Like you said, it’s kind of like, what are the things I can remove from my diet that I know that are going to help me? Okay? Same thing with your mind. And with your actions the were the negative actions and thoughts I can remove from my day to day. And all of a sudden, it just led me to this world of, well, I eat better, I feel better, I move my body, I feel better, I look better, I move better, you know, all these things started sort of like a domino effect. And then felt confident enough to go on a date again, you know, and the rest is history.
Bill Gasiamis 40:53
A good amount of vanity, I think is an amazing tool. I mean, I have to be honest, I’m vain. And not that I need to look like I did when I was 21. Wanting to, you know, have the same tone or whatever. But I do need to look in the mirror and like what I see in myself. And that’s part of what motivates me, and when I follow my vanity, I allow myself to give it what it wants, which is a certain outcome.
Bill Gasiamis 41:28
I do notice that then I’m lighter on my feet, which means I’ve better in my balance, which means I get less tired, which means I can go longer and further. You know, that means I can be more productive. Everything does improve. And, its vanity is not the key driver. But it’s a really important part of the process.
Bill Gasiamis 41:51
Because if I was just doing it because I needed to be healthy and have a great brain, it wouldn’t be enough for me personally, just to be healthy and have enough brain power. And all that kind of stuff is a really big motivator. But it’s just lacking one little bit of extra motivation. And that for me, I think is vanity. And I don’t think I’ve ever been vain to the extent where I’m. So I think with vanity, in the right dose, and for the right reason. I think it’s perfectly fine. And I don’t mind it one bit.
Kevin Gocke 42:44
Yeah, you know, what’s interesting about what you said, and it just dawned on me, and you’re absolutely right, there’s no I never thought of it that way. But there is maybe a healthy amount of it. Because when you think about it, yeah, as you said, if you’re looking at your reflection in the mirror, and you’re, especially for us, you know, stroke survivors, I’m constantly looking for imbalance and things like that.
Kevin Gocke 43:10
So you kind of become accustomed to you know, not judging yourself but evaluating and being an observer of like, okay, this, my shoulders dropping, or I’ve still some atrophy in my left, you know, pectoral muscle, how do I even that out, but you’re, you’re evaluating your own physique for balance because it’s ultimately going to affect how you move around.
Kevin Gocke 43:35
And a lot of times, most of the time, you know, the outer part is, is a reflection of what’s going on on the inside. So if you have an excess of adipose tissue, aka fat around your midsection, that’s usually an indication of inflammation in the gut, and, you know.
Bill Gasiamis 43:59
And it throws your center of balance out.
Kevin Gocke 44:02
It’s totally does you carry around extra weight, there’s more blood pressure, there’s, you know, there’s all kinds of issues that come along with that. So it’s unfortunate that sometimes I think, you know, people, fitness enthusiasts or people who have become obsessive about their health and working out Nutrition has gotten some sort of bad rap when in reality, it’s like, okay, take the overly judgmental vanity aspect out of it. You’re taking care of your temple and vehicle that moves us around, and it is a direct display of what’s happening internally.
Bill Gasiamis 44:43
Yeah, and it’s actually not about fat shaming, or it’s not about making people feel bad or anything like that. I’ve been heavier and that was a phase that I was in and that was a stage that I was in and you know, I didn’t feel terrible about myself, but I just didn’t feel efficient, I didn’t feel able to operate at the right kind of level that I needed to operate at.
Bill Gasiamis 45:10
So I did something about it, it was simply that and I didn’t particularly enjoy having to go buy clothes that didn’t replace the ones that didn’t fit anymore. And I felt like I didn’t want to outsource that onto somebody else and make it somebody else’s responsibility to make me feel good about myself, I’ll do that myself, I’ll find a way to solve my own problem and feel good about myself, like, I’ll lead the charge.
Bill Gasiamis 45:39
And I’ll take responsibility for that as well. And that’s really what it was about. For me, it was purely just me. Knowing that I did it, I couldn’t be as slack as I was in the past, because I have a deficit. And I can’t live with the deficit, impact with how the deficit impacts my life. Because that means I’m not achieving all the things in my life that I want to achieve.
Bill Gasiamis 46:09
I mean, I want to be able to do podcasts, the way that I’m doing them, I wouldn’t be able to be present. I wouldn’t be able to edit them and get them live and do one episode a week for the last two or three years. You know, there’s a lot of things that I’d be missing out on it. This stuff gives me joy and happiness. To create the right foundation so joy and happiness emerge.
Kevin Gocke 46:31
Yeah, no, I love it. And that’s what you have to do. I mean, you’re, you know, like what you’ve been doing, you’re doing a great thing with this. I’m glad I found you on Spotify, actually. And yeah, you know, it’s important to have guys like us sit down and have a discussion because being proactive, especially for you know, as long as we have it’s basically been our own guinea pigs in terms of experimenting.
Reclaiming life after a stroke
Kevin Gocke 47:06
I feel like a lab rat all the time with what works. What doesn’t work? I’ve experimented with diet, I even went vegan for a while. And yeah, it wasn’t for me, I got really thin real quick. But you know, no offense to those out there that work for them. My biggest thing is, especially when it comes down to, you know, reclaiming your life post-trauma is you tend to figure out what works for you pretty quickly, you know, because what works for me what works for you might not work quite as well, for the next person.
Kevin Gocke 47:48
It probably will. You know, I mean, I think there’s there’s sort of a general template or a framework that it’s like, here’s the general guideline on how to push your body, how to maybe eat how to how to experiment with your recovery, but make it your own. You know, you can always fine-tune it. It’s kind of like, you know because I get an old vintage car or something. It’s like, here it is if you want to soup the soup it up, make it your payment for the car you want.
Bill Gasiamis 48:22
I agree. And that’s why I have a disclaimer, at the end of the podcast, it says don’t take anything I say, as gospel, do your own research, get your own advice, and speak to professionals. Absolutely. But what’s good is to express a different approach, which might be different to somebody else, just to make them think about that.
Bill Gasiamis 48:44
And of course, that’s how I came to be me. And to take the path in recovery that I did, I listened to other people’s versions of their own recoveries in other podcasts about other things. And I created, I picked a little bit from that guy a little bit from that person a little bit from that person. And I created this little version of it, that was my own. And, yeah, it works for me. And sometimes it doesn’t work for me.
Bill Gasiamis 49:09
And sometimes I need to make a change and learn more about a particular thing and understand it better, and then implement a different thing, and then just try it and see what happens. Overall, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m better for it, then that’s probably one of the key things about it. What’s cool is that I have a lot of ideas, right? And then I’ve decided one day, I need to express them in a way that’s more succinct.
Bill Gasiamis 49:36
So I put it in a book, and I’m finishing my book, and I’m writing a book. And when I think about me, and the book that I’m going to be launching in a couple of months, I never believed I Always pinch myself and think back to the guy 10 or 11 years ago and think, oh my god, that guy never wrote a book.
Bill Gasiamis 49:57
He never was a book guy he never researched anything you never wanted to share anything, never wanted to express anything? How did you get to write a book and get to the point of publishing it? One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. What made you take that journey? And by the way, for people listening and watching the books called, take them by surprise, a declaration of perseverance.
Kevin Gocke 50:30
That’s it. Yeah, you know what, actually, I That’s why I scooted back over here is not sure if you’re able to find it. So basically, everything that I wrote about here, is what pushed me to write it. So I’d actually think in 2015, I had gotten pretty serious about it, and drafted up an outline, and kind of had some bullet points.
Kevin Gocke 51:08
And, gosh, 2015, so that was, what, eight years ago 26 I’d had some experience, but I also still felt like a kid and what halted me and why it sat on the back burner for the last eight years, as I was like, I don’t know. Again, I love the fact that people, you know, write books about their trauma and their experience, but at the time, in 2015, I felt like I didn’t really have a whole lot to contribute.
Kevin Gocke 51:39
I had a relatively impressive recovery at that point, given the level of brain trauma the scans have shown, right? But it’s kind of like, well, this happened to me, I can write in-depth about my, my experience, but what I wanted to do with my book was show how, you know, not just this crazy thing happened to me this stroke happened to a young 20-year-old kid who was seemingly fine and totally healthy and almost took his life.
Kevin Gocke 52:17
But how I put the broken pieces of the puzzle back together again, was an important aspect of the book that I just didn’t quite have figured out. And, you know, a lot of things that kind of transpired, you know, 2020 with the whole lockdown, COVID and everything, and I was busy with real estate, and you know, work has been good to me, and that department.
Kevin Gocke 52:44
But I started just kind of questioning, my purpose a little bit. And am I in that’s fine. It was my purpose to do this. I mean, I live in a beautiful area. And, you know, I met my, my girlfriend at the time is now wife, we just got married in October. And just a lot of things sort of transpired. I’m kind of like, you know, things started thinking a lot about my future. No, and I kept bumping into other stroke survivors at the gym, for instance.
Kevin Gocke 53:18
And, you know, I’d walk up and I’ve made friends with the two of them. There are only about two people in the gym. And younger guys and I thought they were my age. Turns out they’re a little older and about 40 But they’d had theirs you know, back in their 30s. And, you know, like, Hey, man, if I show you something, they you know, kind of taken aback at first, and then my guide went to the same thing. Kind of like whoa, really? I’m like, Yeah, it did.
Kevin Gocke 53:51
But I can show you you know, what I did to help me get to where I’m at now if you if you don’t mind I can show you how to maybe get some resistance on that arm without you know, cuz what I noticed for this one particular gentleman is he was just working out is not affected side. And it just was driving me crazy.
Kevin Gocke 54:16
You know, there’s a way to do it, and it’s gonna be uncomfortable, and it’s probably gonna hurt but I showed him I said, we’re gonna go like, there’s no ego here. Put a five-pound weight not even I think it was like a two-pound weight. You know, I just said, just start working on it. And he’s thanked me since. And that’s kind of what drove me to get involved with this nice, adaptive kinesiology program. So anyway, I’m sorry, I kind of went off tangent.
Kevin Gocke 54:44
My point is, well, these things kept happening. And I felt like they were the signs and I get invited to do another research study. I’m like, I keep getting pulled back into this world of stroke recovery. And you know, plenty of people have said, Oh, you you know at that I ought to write a book and things like this. And it’s such a rare scenario. And my recovery has been what it’s been just pretty good, I guess.
Kevin Gocke 55:14
So I finally put it into paper, and I redid my outline, I trashed the old one, because a lot of transpired since then, and I have a lot more to say, a lot more life experience. So he kind of turned into somewhat of a blueprint, as I called it, and it’s kind of like, this is my blueprint.
Kevin Gocke 55:37
You know, I hope it serves you well if you follow along, that’s the cool thing about it is I think that if, if you take, you know the words in there for what it’s worth, it’s, these are the mistakes I made. These are the things that really served me poorly. And then here’s a lot of the things that served me well. And it goes everything from, you know, lifestyle choices to mindset everything in between.
Bill Gasiamis 56:10
So what I was missing when I was going through this was that book, right, because I was looking for a blueprint from other people who weren’t stroke survivors. And it was the best I could do. And it worked. It still worked. But it kind of always didn’t feel quite the blueprint for me, even though there was a lot of amazing information there.
Bill Gasiamis 56:33
And then what I found was, I had my own, I created my own blueprint. And like your book, mine has taken two years to develop, and two years to write. And it wasn’t writing for two years solid, it’s always it’s my stroke journey, my brain wouldn’t allow me to write for a lot, lots of time, like a good chunk of time, sometimes two months, six weeks, whatever.
Bill Gasiamis 57:04
So I just didn’t write I couldn’t. But when. But when the idea came up, the idea came up at around 2015, I started to get feedback from people that they thought that stroke was the best thing that happened to them. And I thought the stroke was the best thing that happened to me. And then I was like, Okay, how did we get there? I wonder if there are any similarities in how we got there. And there turns out that there was, and that’s kind of what the book is right becomes a blueprint.
Bill Gasiamis 57:38
What a book, your book, same thing, it’s a blueprint. If I had it earlier, I would have felt less alone in my recovery journey, especially in the early days thinking that I didn’t know anyone that has been through something like this, or nobody understood me, or what happens next phase, you’ve got a real good grasp of that.
Kevin Gocke fell in love with his injury
Bill Gasiamis 58:05
And you’ve simply put it into beautiful, seven chapters, that are about 130 pages long. And when I’m reading through the chapters, the one that stands out to me the most, the one that kind of made me take a second look was falling in love with your injury. Now, that’s an interesting concept. Explain to me what that is all about. Because most people dislike their deficits and their injuries. And it really bugs the heck out of him. Right. So how do you fall in love with your injury?
Kevin Gocke 58:44
So that’s a great question. So just to step back just a little bit, it’s funny, that you say, takes me about two years to finish your book. I got really serious about it, you know, after COVID around 2021, I was like, Okay, I need to I need to finally do this thing. And I started jotting down all my weird manifestos, my crazy thoughts, and, you know, as I started jotting down and really putting, I keep saying this ink to paper, but it’s important, I think writing is extremely important.
Kevin Gocke 59:24
It was extra annoying for me because I’m normally left-handed. So that’s one of the things you know, I can do 30 Pull-ups, but I still can’t pick up a pen the dexterity is a little off. So I’ve just learned to write with my right hand. So anyway, I’m writing this outline with my right hand and you know, I kind of had a moment where I was a little pitstops He’s meant with my fresher little upset rather with my left hand and is like writing all this stuff.
Kevin Gocke 59:59
I wasn’t really upset with my left hand was just kind of frustrated. And I started thinking about how far I’ve come and actually what I’ve been able to retrain my left hand, my left arm, and a whole left side to do what I’ve been able to accomplish, since my stroke, brain injury, and everything.
Kevin Gocke 1:00:23
And I realized that the whole time what I had been doing was sort of loving and nurturing my left side, you know, and I was starting to look back and I was started tracing back on accounts where I started resenting my deficits, you know, and getting, you know, maybe even a little emotional about it and angry.
Kevin Gocke 1:00:48
And it dawned on me that every time that I got out and dug myself out of those little plateaus as little ruts is when I started pushing myself and forcing my left affected side to perform tasks that otherwise seemed impossible to me. So hanging from a pull-up bar and pulling up all my own bodyweight and then jumping down the ground and doing push-ups and then going out body surfing, playing my piano, I picked up the harmonica, you know, cutting on the Monica with a microphone.
Kevin Gocke 1:01:28
And, you know, I played a couple of live shows with my brother and kind of was like, you know, what, I fell in love with my deficits, I fell in love with my left side, I mean, cuz. And the concept is when you truly fall in love with your injury. And you feed it everything that it needs, the positivity, the light, the love, and the strength and the courage to break through these seemingly impossible barriers.
Kevin Gocke 1:01:59
That’s the only way literally the only way you can progress, you know, through if, if you don’t truly fall in love with your injury, and you don’t own it and show it the respect that it deserves. It’s kind of like a relationship. You know, like, I think you probably wrote a book or read about that. Whether it be professional or intimate, or whatever, a friendship.
Kevin Gocke 1:02:27
If you start trashing that relationship and feeding it, you know, negativity and hate anything but respect and love and encouragement, then it falls apart. You know, it’s not built for longevity, it’s not going to serve anything or anyone very well. So anyway, that was one response.
Bill Gasiamis 1:02:54
It’s a beautiful response. It’s just awesome. It’s a concept that people are going to find maybe strange, some people and it’ll make them think, and that’s it, if it makes them think, and they can maybe find the silver lining, then I think that’s cool. That’s hopefully what happens, they find a silver lining, and then they think about things differently.
Bill Gasiamis 1:03:16
And if they think about that differently, then they might think about something else differently. And then that might change the whole world. And it’s a little seed. And I think that’s where it starts. It starts with having weird, strange ways to look at an injury and uncommon ways, and I think, I think that’s awesome to describe that to somebody who might be, let’s face it struggling with the deficits. And that’s okay.
Kevin Gocke 1:03:46
Yeah, I appreciate you picking up on that. That was actually one of my favorite sections in the book and something that yeah, I’m glad you picked up on that. That’s, that’s cool. What’s your favorite part so far?
Bill Gasiamis 1:04:01
It is, I’m definitely planning on getting a copy and reading it through. I think there’s a lot to learn from it. And as I said, these books are the books that I needed when I was recovering. I’m planning on compiling a list of books written by stroke survivors, for stroke survivors and putting it on my website so that I can easily send it to people and go hey, here are the books from stroke survivors for stroke survivors.
Bill Gasiamis 1:04:28
These are the people that I’ve interviewed. And then hopefully that makes a massive difference to people that are early on in their journey like we were and we’re in desperate need of content and ideas and new ways to look at things.
Kevin Gocke 1:04:51
I was just gonna say to back up what you’re saying there, and my thanks to you was what you’re doing here. Same with, you know, with regards to the book, like what you’re saying you wish you’d had something like that back then that’s something I’d mentioned in there is, you know, with all humility.
Kevin Gocke 1:05:15
I wish I had a tool like that in my darkest hour and someone to relate to or, you know, I’m not alone. Oh, here’s how this person did it. And maybe this will work for me, it worked for me. So yeah. I appreciate that. Thank you. And this is great too what you’re doing.
Bill Gasiamis 1:05:37
Yeah, my pleasure. As we wrap up, I just want to ask a couple of questions, to leave some wisdom to the people listening. Not that we already haven’t we definitely have. But what has stroke taught you?
What stroke taught Kevin Gocke
Kevin Gocke 1:05:51
Oh, what hasn’t it taught me, to put it simply, I think everyone, including myself, even still, since the stroke, there’s a level of taking certain things, maybe people or life in general for granted. And what stroke has taught me is you never really realize how much we’re in our own bodies until there’s something wrong with it. And that, that’s something that really, really hit home for me, a friend of mine told me that.
Kevin Gocke 1:06:40
And it resonated because it was when my book when I was finally done with it. He’s kind of like, yeah, just, I was kind of reading, you know, kind of studying you a little bit. It’s like, you know, and I’m not sure if that’s exactly how he phrased it. That’s how I kind of picked up on it. And if that’s one thing I could say, is we yeah, we really don’t realize how much we’re stuck with ourselves until there’s something wrong with it, how much we’re in our bodies and our minds until there’s something a glitch, so to speak.
Kevin Gocke 1:07:17
So make it a good time. You know, the thread things hang out the right people make the right choices. You know, I mean, the list goes on all those cheesy cliches, you know that. A lot of people like to thumb their nose that, you know, maybe they think they’re too tough, or they’re not, it’s too soft to think that way. I mean, anyone as you know, who’s gone through what we’ve gone through, it takes a certain level of grit, to establish a life for yourself that you feel is well lived and worth living. So again, guess that’s what it’s taught me. And I’d be tough, and how to be happy and I’d be grateful.
Bill Gasiamis 1:08:11
Brilliant man sounds like you’re talking about perseverance, which is also a part of your book. It’s also one of your chapters. Perseverance, perseverance is kind of one of the things that I think I’ve learned. And, you know, I’d never done a four-year project ever on anything before. So to persevere through the idea of the book, to persevere through putting it in dot points, and it looks stupid and ridiculous, and, you know, nonsensical.
Bill Gasiamis 1:08:51
To persevere through that, and then to start to develop it, and to find a way to actually tell the story that was not just me bragging about myself, or telling, you know, to bring the people in to interview them too, to decipher what they said, to find the pattern, to outline it to turn it into a blueprint. And then to sit down and actually write it once I’ve done the two years of we’ll call it foundational work or research.
Bill Gasiamis 1:09:20
And then to write it, it’s perseverance. It’s just to continue to push toward the solution, whatever the solution is to follow the persevere towards the solution. And you might never get there. But what you do is you always pick up some amazing things along the way, some things that improve your life, emotionally, psychologically, and physically.
Bill Gasiamis 1:09:48
So it’s really good. That’s me, perseverance. Maybe next week if you ask me, it’s a different answer. But at the moment, I think it’s perseverance and it goes along with What’d you say? The other thing I wanted to ask you was, what would you say to other stroke survivors, if you come across somebody that is a stroke survivor that early on in their journey? What do you say to them?
Plateaus are a myth
Kevin Gocke 1:10:16
Plateaus are a myth. That’s, really a big thing for me. You know, plateaus are a marathon, and don’t let anyone no matter how, well established the doctor or PT, or therapist, I know that there are a ton of doctors and therapists who would agree that plateaus are a myth.
Kevin Gocke 1:10:43
But, you know, in my tenure, I’ve experienced a handful that really just really, put the fear of God into me, and Anna, you know made me believe that it was like, Okay, well, here I am at your five this is it, you know? No, I’m doing things that I couldn’t even do a year ago. It just keeps getting better just as long as you’re pushing yourself. plateaus are a mess.
Bill Gasiamis 1:11:13
Yeah, I think plateaus are a word that is used by insurance companies to find an excuse to stop supporting people on their road to recovery really, that’s the only thing.
Kevin Gocke 1:11:33
That’s spooky, but a great point.
Bill Gasiamis 1:11:35
It’s a lot of bullshit. The people that I coach tell me that’s a pattern that I’ve noticed in the people that I’ve coached they tell me that what they hear, they hear the word plateau, usually from their therapist.
Bill Gasiamis 1:11:55
And then after they’ve heard the word plateau, and the therapist has reported that then the funding gets cut. So it’s just a mechanism to justify cutting somebody’s support. So if you can, in any way, explain to your therapist to never use the word plateau in a report, then you’ve got half a chance of continuing the funding and the therapy.
Kevin Gocke 1:12:30
Definitely, because it’s so important. For a lot of individuals out there and you need that support still, you need that level of therapy, you know before you can become your own physical therapist. It’s, it’s a lot of work to get there.
Bill Gasiamis 1:12:52
Where can people get in touch with you if they wanted to learn more about you, where would they go?
Kevin Gocke 1:12:59
Yeah, so my name is just Kevin Gocke. You know, and not trying to overly promote this thing. And it’s right there. But, you know, Instagram, I’m pretty active on there actually recently started a YouTube channel. There are links in my bio on Instagram, Youtube, and Tiktok. Actually, I succumb to the Tiktok world, which was not something I was too thrilled about.
Kevin Gocke 1:13:48
But it’s actually been pretty cool. I’ve enjoyed it. And I’ve been able to do some workout videos on there and share some tips and actually reach a much broader audience because Instagram and YouTube are a little bit more limited. But in there, you will find a link in the bio, it’ll actually take you to my link tree, where you can also get on to Amazon and find copies of the book and things like that.
Kevin Gocke 1:14:14
There’s a lot of you know, kind of nuggets of wisdom in there. Which is, you know, I hope as many people as possible can learn from it again, like you said earlier, and I say this very humbly, but I wish I had someone like myself to talk to earlier on, and then like yourself as well. So that’s what the books are all about. But yeah, as far as finding me, Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok.
Bill Gasiamis 1:14:48
I will have all the links on the show notes anyhow. So for anyone who can’t remember that just go to the recoveryafterstroke.com/episodes and Find Kevin’s interview you’ll be able to get all of the contacts, and also the link to the Amazon page for the book. Kevin, thanks so much for reaching out, man, I really appreciate it. I enjoyed our chat. I wish you well with the book launch and the book sales.
Kevin Gocke 1:15:17
Absolutely. And thank you, Bill so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure. It’s great talking to you.
Bill Gasiamis 1:15:23
Thanks for joining us on today’s episode to learn more about my guests, including links to this social media, and other pages, and to download a full transcript of the entire interview. Please go to recoveryafterstroke.com/episodes.
Bill Gasiamis 1:15:38
If you’d like to support the show, the best way to do it is to leave a five-star review and a few words about what the show means to you. It’ll make it easier for other stroke survivors, looking for this kind of content and feeling alone in their recovery journey to feel better about the fact that there are other people that are going through what they’ve been through, that are overcoming what they’ve been through.
Bill Gasiamis 1:16:02
And it’s going to inspire and give hope and make stroke recovery better. So please do go along to iTunes and Spotify. If you’re watching on YouTube, comment below the video like the episode, and to get future notifications subscribe to the show on the platform of your choice. Thank you for being here and listening. I really appreciate you see you on the next episode.
Intro 1:16:24
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Intro 1:16:41
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