Comfortable Blanket After My Stroke
There are a lot of things you don't think about until after you've had a stroke.
For me, one of them was how things feel against your skin.
Since my stroke, I've had tingling and unusual sensitivity on the left side of my body. Things that never bothered me before can suddenly be irritating. Certain clothes don't feel right. Some fabrics seem rougher than I remember them. Even the weight and texture of bedding can become something you're very aware of.
What surprised me was how much I began to appreciate a blanket I already knew very well: our Luster Loft Fleece Blanket.
I've been around American Blanket Company blankets for years. I knew Luster Loft was exceptionally soft. I knew how it was made and why customers loved it. But I had never experienced the blanket from this perspective before.
After my stroke, it felt completely different.
When Softness Really Matters
The tingling on my left side can make some fabrics uncomfortable against my skin. Luster Loft doesn't seem to aggravate that sensation for me.
It just feels soft.
That's a simple statement, but when your nerves are sensitive and ordinary clothing can sometimes bother you, having something against your skin that simply feels good is a bigger deal than I would have imagined.
Luster Loft has an unusually smooth, plush feel because of the way the fleece is finished. We brush and shear the fabric repeatedly on both sides to create that softness. It's also made to resist shedding and pilling, which helps maintain the smooth surface that makes Luster Loft distinctive.
Those were always product characteristics to me. After my stroke, they became something I could actually feel and appreciate in a completely different way.
Warm Without Feeling Heavy
The other thing I've come to appreciate is the weight of the blanket.
Before having a stroke, I don't think I ever gave much thought to the effort required to pull a blanket over yourself, move it off your legs or reposition it in bed.
I do now.
When movement requires more effort, a heavy blanket can feel surprisingly cumbersome. Luster Loft gives me the warmth I want without requiring me to wrestle with a heavy comforter.
I can pull it up, move it around and reposition it relatively easily. Yet when I'm underneath it, I still get that warm, comfortable feeling you want from a blanket.
That combination of light weight and warmth has probably been the biggest surprise for me.
Seeing Our Blanket Differently
I've spent years thinking about blankets from the standpoint of quality: how they're made, how they wash, whether they shed or pill, how long they last and, of course, how they feel.
I never expected to think about one from the standpoint of recovering from a stroke.
It has given me a different appreciation for something we've been making for years.
When you're recovering, there are plenty of big things occupying your attention. But there are also little things that can make a difficult day more comfortable.
For me, Luster Loft has become one of those things.
It's not a medical product, and I'm certainly not suggesting that a blanket can treat any of the effects of a stroke. I'm simply sharing something I've experienced personally.
When my skin is sensitive, the softness feels good.
When moving takes more effort, the light weight makes a difference.
When I want to rest, the warmth is comforting.
Those aren't characteristics I learned about after my stroke. They're the same qualities we've always built into Luster Loft. What changed was my understanding of how important those qualities can become.
Sometimes something you've known for years can surprise you when you experience it in an entirely different way.
Luster Loft did that for me.