a stroke survivor story

I found out something that I had already known; that is, that the jumpiness in my eyes and the uncontrolled blood pressure is in reality a side effect of the initial stroke. Because my stroke affected my brain stem, as I get tired my brain no longer has the ability to compensate for my weakness. Although the Dr. did say that it is theoretically possible that I am having a new round of TIAs, it not really a viable possibility because I do not have any other symptoms: headache, dizziness and nausea. The only "symptom" I have of a TIA is blood pressure that goes relatively quickly from normal (130/85) to very low (115/65) to very high (176/104). (By quickly, I mean in a matter of days, not hours). So, he told me what I already know: the best treatment is to get more rest, relax and give my body time to completely relax when I have "down time".

Although it is not really new, is just a new manifestation of an old problem. Earlier, probably 18 months ago, I was complaining of "jumpiness" in my eyes. Dr. Benjamin told me that it is not a new problem, just a realization of problems that have always been there. That is, the problems with my eyes have probably always been there, but my brain has been able to compensate for them and make the unnoticeable. Recently, though, the problem has resurfaced and it is worse than it was before. Earlier, the jumpiness would last for a few seconds and then go away for 20 minutes or so and then occur again. This would last for a few hours and then go away for a few hours and the cycle would continue. Now, however, it seems that my eye problem is nearly constant. In other words, it appears to me (although I don't actually know what happens) that my left eye crosses and everything goes out of focus for a second, then the field of vision in my left eye "bounces" for a little

All I have to say is that the people who conducted my initial review must have been completely blind, deaf and otherwise incapacitated. My review officer who looked through my files prior to my disability hearing said that the initial disability rating was based on some of the following information...Is there any dizziness...NO...Is the use of walking assistance used (a cane)...NO...Is there any numbness present...NO...Are there any vision problems...NO...is there evidence of any trauma to the brain...NO (Hello, 75% of my cerebellum is gone and there are 2 strokes in my brain stem). So, I used the hour meeting with the Decision Review Officer to let him know that there are instances of numbness on my left side, weakness on my left side, a cane is necessary from time to time, I struggle with Aphasia from time to time. I felt it was a good meeting, but it necessitated admitting struggles that I usually keep to myself. Most people never know the times that I have troubles walking, talking

This will be the last session for the Men's Retreat. I had a great time telling about how the Lord sustained me during the tough times of life.

This is the third message of the weekend...

This is the second sermon for the weekend.

I will try to post a few sermons that I shared at the Men's Conference in Wyoming. This was a great time sharing my experiences since my stroke.