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. oc1deanDecember 1, 2010 at 1:39 PM

    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

Sometimes my new life stinks...

For the last few weeks I have been experiencing some pretty terrible headaches; not the kind that you can relieve by rubbing your temples or taking Tylenol, but headaches that radiate from the back of my head. It seems as though I have tried several things to relieve them: taking naps, lying down on heating pads, taking Tylenol, turning the lights of, etc. but nothing seems to help. Now, I don't have them all the time, only a few days a week and I can tell that they are more from muscle tightness than anything else. I have been instructed to go the ER if they flare up again, because of my past history of headaches before my stroke, but most likely it is due to the muscles that were cut in the back of my head for the Craniotomy. I would say that most days I do not struggle with headaches at all; but, the days I do have headaches they are a doozy. I don't have blurred vision with them or sensitivity to light or sound; it just hurts. As I look back over the past 3+ years I realize...
8 comments
Read more

15 years already...It's only been 15 years...such a weird feeling

Today is December 8, 2023 - 15 years since my stroke. Time is deceiving; on one hand, it moves so fast that we can barely imagine that the person we were 15 years ago, and the person we are today are the same person. I have started this post 4 different times in the last few weeks; it is just so hard to put into words what I'm feeling. I feel really good for a dead guy (that is my standard greeting; several doctors have told me that I should had died at least 11 years ago.) But, it is so hard for me to talk about feeling good, considering the path we have been on for the last 2 months. My son was the one who helped me to the car when I could not walk; my son was the one who watched the girls when Laura had to take me to the hospital. My son was the one who bought me the little Christmas tree for my ICU room after my surgery, and it was my son that so often told his mom how worried he was about me when I would show signs of weakness. My son has been such a big part of my recovery,...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
5 comments
Read more