This is a day that comes and goes in most lives, but for me, it is a big event. Today is my 20th Anniversary from High School picnic. Most of these people I have not seen in 20+ years. I have seen a few of them over the years, but it will be a good time. It is a good event in that I almost did not make it to the reunion. I am going to talk to one of my classmates today because he has his own production company, and discovery health will not talk to individuals, only production companies. My story, according to every Doctor I have seen, is very unusual. Every Dr. I have been to has said that by the time the pressure in you brain builds to the point that you have ONE stroke in you brain stem, you do not recover. I had at least TWO strokes in my brain stem, maybe three. It will be a good time; I hope to reconnect with old friends.
A few years ago I was presented with the opportunity to come back to Stratford, Iowa, to First Baptist church, as their pastor; for those of you who have followed this blog for some time, FBC in Stratford was my first pastorate. Let's just say I prayed about it as I was jumping at the opportunity. The church has a parsonage, so I could live there and not have to worry about a houe payment; and I needed to slow down, and this was a part time position (which, as a side note, allowed for me to get a greater disability from the VA than when I was working full time with St. Croix Hospice...) We love Stratford, and absolutely love the church; the people are wonderful and accepted us, again, with open arms. This was, for me, the perfect position: I get to pastor a church I LOVE, I get to do life with people I LOVE, and I have already had the opportunity to do weddings and baptism services for kids (adults now) that I have known their entire lives. IT IS GREAT. The longer I have been here,
May I assume that you are on some high potassium, vitamin E, etc. diet? I will assume that God has spared your life. My husband just had brainstem strokes back to back-- one that prompted me to take him to the hospital and another while he was waiting in ER. He is still in ICU but their prognosis is that he'll always be fully paralyzed and at best have occasional "locked-in" ability to respond through his eye(s).
ReplyDeleteWas this your prognosis? He is also a pastor and while many people are praying for a miracle many are advising me to honor his spoken desire way before any of this happened- which was if he couldn't do anything on his own- he was not living, and would rather go to be with the Lord... I am torn, and the hospital is pressing for a quick decision...
Hopefully you can give some spiritual support although your recovery was quick on this side of life. Thank you kindly.
The initial prognosis was not good. I was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgery, and 30/70 chance of waking up after surgery, and a 0% chance of being "normal" afterward. In my case, the neurologists all are amazed that I can do anything. I should, by all medical accounts, be like your husband: totally paralyzed and only able to communicate on a base level. I will pray diligently for your husband, and I will pray that God give you wisdom to accept the Lord's will. Let me know what happens.
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