a stroke survivor story

There are certain things that you just get used to as time goes by. Problems become minimal in your own sight but are very evident when someone else notices them. Case in point: the other day I was entering my username and password on some sight; as I typed them, I had to go back to correct faulty letter several time. I would guess that it took me at least 3 attempts to get the words correct. The truth is that it occurs quite frequently, but I just ignore it. (FYI, before my stroke I could type over 40 wpm with no mistakes). Anyway, as I was entering in the information, my daughter was watching and she said, "Sheesh, type much?" In other words, I made enough mistakes that it was noticeable to others. What happened is that it drew my attention to the situation and I bothered me anew. Perhaps it shouldn't, but it does. After my stroke, it was really bad, but it has gotten better, but apparently it is not normal, yet.

I will try to use my blog to update everyone on my preaching schedule, also. I am using my experiences to share about God's provision during a trial and deep valley. I preach about God's miraculous healing; his constant guidance, even when I could not see His hand; what it feels like to be in a valley after a mountain top experience. So, FYI, I am available to preach at churches, speak at conferences, and conduct motivational seminars when asked. God has used me to speak at First Baptist church in Stratford, IA, Center Cross Community Church in Gering, NE, and On With Life Brain Injury recovery center in Ankeny, IA. I will be speaking at the Men's retreat for the Northern area of Converge Rocky Mountain at Rim Rock camp, Lingle, WY October 29 - 30, following that I will be at Galilee Baptist Church in Loveland, CO on Sunday morning, October 31. On Sunday morning, November 21 I will be preaching at Denison Baptist Church in Denison, Iowa. Currently I am making plans to preac

It really went very well. I did not know what to expect. A lot of the things I suspected were made clear; for instance, the stumbling is not in my imagination but is a result of the compromised nerves in the brain stem. The "jumpiness" in my eyes is not a perceived problem, but is a real problem based upon real nerve damage. The good news is that many of the problems can be fixed, i.e. the weakness in the arms and legs can be addressed with more physical therapy and specialized exercises. The jumpiness in the eyes and the pulsating sound in the ears are probably permanent problems that need to be accepted. They are not a bother all the time, just periodically. The problem is that they seem to occur at the worst possible times. I am in the last week of my MDiv class and am having problems with my eyes. It is really hard to work on my final paper when my eyes don't always focus right. Concentration is an issue as well. I have a harder time multi-tasking; which poses a probl

I don't normally blog about this kind of stuff, so it just gets overlooked, but I had another issue with my balance today. I was getting ready to take my youngest daughter to school (about 7:30 a.m.) and lost my balance; I found myself on the chaise (luckily not the floor). This is not the first time this has happened. I don't like to blog about this kind of stuff, but I need to keep a record of this (as I have said before) and I don't know of any better place to keep track. So, expect a little more blogging activity. But, regardless of my current circumstances, God is still good. As I have said in previous posts and to various people, I feel pretty good for a dead guy; considering I was not expected to survive the surgery, a few balance issues are very minimal.

I have been referred to the TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) appointment today. I have had some problems lately with "jumpiness" in my left eye and have had balance issues (more than usual) lately. Last week (either Tuesday or Wednesday) I stood up and then fell back into my chair. This is not the first time it has happened, but I have just learned how to deal with it. Also, last weekend (October 2) I lost my balance carrying groceries in from the truck. I wound up on the ground for a second. I did not hurt myself at all, but I did lose my balance. I do not have balance problems on a regular basis, but it is foolishness on my part to believe that the balance issues do not exist. The other day, perhaps 3 months ago, I lost my balance in church while I was preaching and had to steady myself on one of the edges of the staircase. Apparently I did a good job of disguising it, because no one seemed to notice; but that does happen from time to time. Again, these are just things that I d

I guess this is not a bad thing; I used to blog, nearly, everything that happened in my life, but lately I have been a little "slack" concerning how I feel. But, I need to have a "record" of everything, and, since this is how I used to do it, it just seems suitable to keep blogging more. Well, I have felt pretty good for the last 6 months or so since I last blogged. There are some problems, though. I have noticed a trend: whenever I do not get a nap, I get real weakness in my left arm and left leg. The other day I had a REALLY bad day; some of it is because I did not get a nap, and some of it was because I am just prone to have bad days. This past weekend (October 1-3) I had some balance and "spacey" troubles. I seemed to stumble a little more than usual, and actually fell over (although it was into a chair, it was still a fall). Some of the problems that I deal with on a regular basis: I still struggle with Aphasia (words just do not seem to come to me).