Experiences of quality of life the first year after stroke in Denmark and Norway. A qualitative analysis

Figures & data

Table I. Sociodemographic data

Case	Gender	Age	Country	Marital status	Work post stroke	Residents in municipality
1	Woman	<60	Denmark	Cohabiting	Retired	61.000
2	Man	≥65	Denmark	Cohabiting	Retired	61.000
3	Man	<50	Denmark	Cohabiting	Fulltime	61.000
4	Woman	<40	Denmark	Cohabiting	Work-training	48.000
5	Woman	<55	Denmark	Cohabiting	Work-training	48.000
6	Man	<55	Denmark	Cohabiting	Work-training	48.000
7	Man	<50	Norway	Single	Work-training	4.800
8	Man	<70	Norway	Single	Retired	72.000
9	Woman	<50	Norway	Single	Retired	9.500
10	Man	<45	Norway	Cohabiting	Work-training	3.500
11	Man	<60	Norway	Cohabiting	Retired	5.500

Table II. Systematic process of de-contextualization and re-contextualization. Shortened example of data analysis. Conversation about ADL-activity and whether there are specific things that will not succeed when it comes to function

Meaning units and possible key quotes withdrawn from condensates	Code group	Condensates	Sub-category	Category	Theme
“(…) Basically, I am back to the person I used to be”	Bodily changes and identity	I think it´s going well, really. For the most part, I function the way I used to. I don´t think about activities that may not be done in in the same way anymore. If there are any, they are just unconsciously done in a different approach. There are no changes in my everyday activities, and I am doing the things that I did prior to my stroke.	Managing everyday activity Independence	Normality Back to being me	A familiar Self
“As long as you walk around ‘partial’, it affects you”		My life is turned upside-down, and I have to ask for help. I used to be a handy-woman, and it feels so weird not to be able to do things myself. It is a new role and I constantly dread the fact that I need to ask for help. I used to be a very social person, and now I´m afraid to go out because I can´t talk to that many people. I have to think and do things differently than I did before, and this makes me very sad—I don´t even know how to explain this. She needs to adapt another life-situation that is not her. Even though we still see glimpses of her, she is another person now. The fact that I can´t remember names disgusts me. Sometimes I start doing things automatically, and suddenly I realize that I can´t do this anymore—and this makes me furious and annoyed.	Loss Alienation Dependency	Unfamiliarity Changed perception of self	An unfamiliar Self
“I have accepted the situation for what it is, and I don´t get annoyed or depressed by anything now”		I have lost the overview in terms of following up on our practical things, and my wife is now the man in the house. Initially I thought it was terrible for myself that I could not continue doing my work, that I was good at, and the loss off my familiar co-workers. I used to take part of conversations and discussions in groups of people, but now I can´t be bothered. Earlier in the process I used to get very sad when people asked about, or responded to, the way I talked—and now this does not bother me at all. Previously I could not accept that I had to let go of my regular work. Right now, I don´t feel that I had to let go of anything.	Social re-positioning Resignation Accept	Processes of ● adjustment ● re-establishment of an adapted self Ambivalence in the process	Recovery of Self

Figure 1. Illustration of emerging themes.

Figure 2. Intertwined and negotiating processes in the embodied self following stroke.

Figure 3. Interconnected aspects relevant for reconstruction of the embodied self.