Hello Dear Readers,
Relearning a skill after a life-changing event is physically challenging and emotionally taxing. This has been my reality since experiencing a stroke, which severely affected my ability to type efficiently.
I fondly recall the days when my fingers would effortlessly dance on the keyboard at speeds of up to 200 words per minute. However, I struggle to achieve even a quarter of that pace post-stroke. The reason? My stroke took a toll on my muscle memory and compromised the strength and sensitivity of my left side. These physical limitations and my vivid memories of faster typing days have made the whole experience particularly disheartening.
It’s not merely the slowness but the inaccuracy that accompanies it. Each typo stands as a reminder of the capability I once had and the distance I have yet to cover to regain it. This sense of loss and nostalgia has often tempted me to shy away from the dedicated effort required to reacquire my typing proficiency. Despite these feelings, deep down, I remain hopeful. I believe I can rebuild this skill from scratch with perseverance and consistent effort.
Creating this blog has been a blessing in disguise for my recovery journey. It’s become more than just a platform for me to share my thoughts; it’s my daily typing exercise. I’m determined to challenge myself further by typing with both hands, even if it’s initially slower than just one. The silver lining? While my fingers might have forgotten their dance steps momentarily, my mind hasn’t. I can mentally map the keyboard layout, even if getting my fingers to follow requires deliberate thinking.
Day by day, as I write, I can feel the incremental improvements. The small victories, like fewer typos or slightly faster typing speeds, motivate me to persist. Given the time and intention to continue sharing my journey through this blog, I remain optimistic about reclaiming my former typing prowess.
I hope my story offers hope for anyone reading this and facing their set of challenges, whether related to a stroke or not. Recovery and relearning might be slow, but with patience and determination, progress is inevitable.
Hello,
I am so grateful to have found your blog! In particular the post about muscle memory and typing. I was puzzled by the inexplicable reason I would suddenly reach for the wrong key while typing. I would hit a wrong key that I know is 100% committed to my muscle memory. Over the weeks I’ve noted inconsistent progress, some days I’m typing 45 wpm with 2 errors and other days I’m typing 35 wpm with 8 errors. I googled and googled trying to find an answer as to why I wasn’t making the progress that I felt I should be making. I have a sciatic issue and my nuroligist wanted to do a brainscan to find out the reason I have edema in my spine. He asked if I have had any problems with my memory. I said a few weeks prior while talking with a friend about my cat, that I have had for 14 years, I couldn’t remember the cat’s name. Anyway, I had the brain scan and the images revealed that I have had small strokes. Since I’ve had no obvious symptoms, they’ve likely occurred while I’ve been sleeping. I’ve been referred to a specialist. Now that I’m paying attention I started to wonder if this could be the reason I’m struggling with typing. I started journaling about my typing practice. In addition to reaching for the wrong keys I also noticed some mornings I have less control and strength in my left hand and in certain fingers. Yesterday I talked to my doctor about it but she didn’t seem to think this detail was important but told me to mention it to the specialist. This morning I’ve been having trouble with weakness in my left hand and pinky finger. I again googled my symptoms, “typing muscle memory missing keys” and added the word “stroke” to my search field… well dang… I discovered there are a lot of people who have had strokes struggle with muscle memory. Although I haven’t found anyone that has the exact same problem I have, (inconsistency) I suspect I might be on the right track and plan to try some hardware that might help. I found out there is a “keyguard” used to stop fingers from hitting 2 keys at the same time… (which I do a lot and is a cause for many of my typing errors.) Anyway, I wanted you to know I found your blog entry helpful and wanted to leave you a note saying thank you. So, thanks. :0)
Hello Christal,
I’m truly sorry to hear about the stroke. Experiencing trauma to the brain can interfere with its previous functions. For instance, after my husband’s stroke, he repeatedly tried to go to the bathroom by himself but often ended up on the floor. He understood what to do, yet his brain seemed unable to properly direct his legs and fingers. His muscle control was also quite variable. To better grasp his condition, he began journaling, which I see you are also doing. It’s a great way to track progress. According to his therapist, the brain can adapt by forming new neural pathways through practice and neural plasticity. It would be almost ten years since his brain stroke. My husband regains many functions by practicing a lot. He even relearned how to work and can 10 Km now. Also, I appreciate your mention of “Keyguard.” I’ll look into it, as my husband faces similar challenges. Natsuko