Skip to main content

This is getting repetitively redundant...

I know that it has been awhile since I last posted...in fact, it was quite awhile before Christmas. Several significant events have transpired since my last post...I celebrated the one year anniversary of the day I was released from the ICU, I celebrated the 1 year anniversary of the day I was released from Methodist Medical Center, I celebrated the 1 year anniversary of my release from the VA, and I celebrated the 1 year anniversary of my return to the church; in short (I know, too late), this has been a busy time.

Perhaps most significant has been my MRI in Des Moines. This MRI was done off the VA campus and it was the first MRI conducted by someone other than the VA. When the MRI tech finished the first set of pictures, she came on the intercom and asked how long ago my stroke was. When I answered it was 12 months ago, she just said, "Huh..." and that was all she said. I worried for the next 2 weeks about what that "Huh" meant. On January 22, I had another follow up with my neurologist and she said that probably it was because of what my scans showed...at leas 75% of my cerebellum is either gone, dead or not functioning. In addition, there are 2 relatively large infarctions in my brain stem. In short, the MRI tech probably cannot believe that someone with that scan is walking into the office. What it says to me is that my recovery is truly miraculous...not just that the VA neurologists have never seen a recovery like this, but no one has ever seen a recovery like this. It is very humbling to think that the Lord has seen fit to bestow this recovery on me...He has allowed me to share my experiences with my fellow classmates on Liberty. edu, He has allowed me to share my experiences with my church; He has allowed me to share my experiences with my fellow pastors and their churches.

So, what does this mean for me? I really don't know. I still worry each day that my ability to overcome my situation will come to a screeching halt; that does not seem very likely but it is a constant concern. I would be lying if I said that I did not worry every time I walk on the ice, or get up in the middle of the night. But, for right now, I am simply trusting the Lord to give me the abilities to follow Him every day.

Comments

  1. Jim, is there any way you could post your MRI pictues? Mine are at www.oc1dean.blogspot.com
    Congrats on the Huh, A researcher looking at mine was amazed I was able to walk in and talk to him.
    Dean

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Does it get any worse than a stroke? Yes

On December 8, 2008, my life changed forever. I had a double sided cerebellar stroke with 2 brain stem compressions. It was not until December 10, 40 hours after my stroke, that surgery was finally done to relieve the pressure. Dr. Piper, the neuro-surgeon from Iowa Methodist hospital in Des Moines, told my wife that surgery was nothing more than an attempt to save my life, but that it would not erase the deficiencies as a result of the stroke. Although she admits that she did not really understand what Dr. Piper had just said, my wife, Laura, agreed to the surgery and the care team performed a decrompessive craniotomy, to hopefully relieve the pressure and allow my brain to function somewhat normally. For those who have followed my blog for the last 14+ years, the surgery was successful, I returned to the church and I now live a relatively normal life, although I do have some pretty severe, though not always visible, defieciencies. I really thought that life could not get any worse th

Sometimes I forget...and sometimes I just have a problem putting words together

It has been almost 15 years since my stroke, so you would think that, by now, I would be readily prepared for everything that life can throw my way; but, I often forget what it's like to have a simple head cold after my stroke. Now, understand, I am not suggesting that other people don't feel bad when they have a cold; it is just that it is different for a stroke survivor. Maybe some of the other stroke survivors feel the same way: many times when I get a head cold with the congestion, suffy nose, fever, etc., it begins to feel like I'm having a stroke again. For those who don't know what this is like, let me try to explain. I get up at night, whether to go to the bathroom or some other reason, and I feel completely disoriented for a few seconds. Not like I'm groggy, but that I feel the room is spinning, I can't tell which direction I am going, I forget where the bathroom is for an instant, things like that. On the first day of this last cold, I was going down

A little lethargic the last couple of days....

The last couple days I have been really, unusual. I don't know exactly how to describe it. I'm tired all the time. No matter how long I sleep at night I never seem to get enough sleep. The last few days I have noticed that my eyes have been acting a little weird. I tried to explain it to someone but it is like I just can't find the words to describe it right. It is worse when I have to change my focus, when I am looking at one thing and then have to change the focus to something else it seems as though it takes just a fraction of a second to refocus. Now, a fraction of a second does not seem bad until you are driving; then it can be pretty problematic. I also noticed that I seem to get a little dizzy when I stand up. It is not something that really bothers me, but it is a little irritating. It is not bad enough that I think "Oh, no, not this again." But it is something I notice. I don't know, perhaps it is because tomorrow will be the 2 year anniversary of the