Improvement

Haven’t blogged the last few days. Had a lot on my mind-lol. Dealt with my local doctor and apparently she (after a 5 minute appointment) decided that I was fit to work but did not tell me. I had an appointment with the Director of Rehabilitation at University of Utah Stroke Center and he is thrilled at my progress but wants me to stay off work for another month. He will then review again in April. Mandy, my daughter, has given my CORRECT address to Speech Rehab in Elko so I can finally get the materials she was to sent for me almost 3 months ago.

On a better note, I did a puzzle in one week. It was one of the ones that were underwater scenes and the puzzle was a circle which was a little more difficult. Things are looking better and the weather is improving so I can walk more outside.

Baby Sweater

I am knitting a baby sweater for my niece’s baby. So far so good. Knitting is supposed to be good left brain food. It involves for the left and right hand working together. I also have to read the pattern to know what to knit next. Read out load with very few mistakes. Did a lot of spring cleaning too so I accomplished a lot today.

Faxed from home with no help!!!!!

Today I figured out how to fax from my printer via my telephone line. I have never done this before. I looked up my printer information and followed the steps. I can’t believe it was so easy. Needed to send my doctor a fax and did not want to pay the fax charged in town. It was so easy. YAHOO!!!!!

Day 2 of chart

I completed my chart yesterday and did everything that I had scheduled. I was worn out and did not want to do it the next day but a night sleep and charge your mind. Get up early, read the papers, a good walk and begin again. My mother and I have the same doctor in Ely. I went in the morning and she went in the afternoon. She told my mother that I was worried about her. I did not even talk about my mother, so how world she know. Just a ploy to get my mother worked up and not remember to refer to her noted that she wanted to discuss with the doctor. I have a little bit of speech and number problems but I have not lost it. Everything else works fine. In fact, I can think better than before. I have an appointment with the Director of Stroke Rehabilitation at the University of Utah Medical Center. He had a stroke and recovered from it.

Task Chart

Today I decided to make charts to keep track of my progress. I love making forms on Word to I made a chart to document my progress. The chart has columns for date, water (oz), meals/snacks, exercise, stroke tasks and read out loud. On a dry erase board I have to write the current date and the day of the week. Then I am keeping track of my meals and snacks and water consumed each day to help with my physical health which will improve my mental health. I have a 24 oz water bottle and will keep track of how many ounces I drink each day. I am keeping track of how many minutes I walk on the tread climber. How many stroke tasks I complete each day. I have a minimum of 5 and no maximum at this time. They will rotate. Language, math, computer, reading, speech, writing, and what ever I can fit in. I will keep track of my progress each day on my dry erase board and transfer the numbers to my chart each night. I will give a reward to myself each Saturday if I complete each day. My reward with be a book for my Kindle. Maybe it will be a .99 book or a $2.99 book but I only have 6 books so far and it can store 3,500 so I have a ways to go yet. When the snow is gone I will start walking around the block each day. It down not sound like much but I live on a mountain to it will be a climb at least half way.

I AM GOING TO BEAT THIS AND COME OUT BETTER ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!

Determined to Beat This

On December 18, 2010 I had a stroke. I have since learned that it was the left side and involves my language, speech, logic and numbers. I know what I want to say but say a hard time saying it or saying the name of a number. I woke up that morning not really feeling any different other that my headache I had since spring was gone. I did dishes and laundry. The first sign was when my grand kids that had stayed over night asked what was for breakfast and I could not answer then. I immediately went on line to WebMD to type my symptoms. The result was a stroke. I wrote on a piece of paper, “Walter”, “Stroke” and some other word that is a jumble of letters. I have the list to my 13 year old grand daughter and pointed to my son, Walter, phone number. She called up and told him what happened. I then took the phone and he asked me is I wanted his to call 911 and I was yes. He arrived just as the ambulance drove a way with me in it.

A life flight almost 5-6 hours later and I was in the University of Utah Neurological Center having can scans and tests. That was that Saturday. My Monday I had improved to the point that I was released to go home. They has I can drive a car but not to go to work until I improve and have therapy.

The problem, I later learned, that there is speech therapy through Home Health but they will only see me if I am home bound. The nearest therapists were in Elko, 180+ miles away, and not enough money to pay for gas until tax time. The result was doing my own therapy. My cousin, Valerie Jackson, came though to my rescue. She sent me a link to a website me had used with her sons. If I can get my MBA online, I can to this. So I set up a course of study and decided which activities I needed to do every day and which ones I needed to do a few days a week.

The main tasks were to write and speak the correct date EVERY DAY which I still do. I do word searches, cross words, math problems, counting money and coins, to 3 brain age programs each day, read out loud (which is hard but getting better), read articles about the company I work for (State of Nevada) so I can keep current. I am working on more with my speech therapist on making my speech better. My occupational therapist has cleared me to drive and only said I need speech and numbers.

At my appointment in February with my doctor and U of U she said I may have a quick recovery or I have take 5 years. Every one is different. She said I had a stroke earlier this year. I knew when. My family said that I had headaches in March 2010 and took a week off from work. I rarely take time off. I went back to work when the headaches were bearable. Later I have no idea what I did that month, no memory. I know I went to work, processed paperwork, had a pack check and had a birthday but have no memory of it. This must have been my first stroke.

I have since learned that I have “Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome”. Apparently I showed sighs an early as 8th grade but this term was not known then. You’re body tries to clot too much and creates antibodies to clot more. This makes total sense to me know. I hated my periods because they were always clots. Now I know and take meds for this.

I am going to write this blog at least once a week or once a day.

I am a work in progress.

I am improving each day and will fight this with all my abilities. God has a reason for this happening and I intend to find out what.

In the Beginning.....(AGAIN)

I typed this and saved but did not remember to publish post so all was lost. After a good cry I an trying again. I will type each day but this was a long post than was lost with my memory. I will try to remember what I had typed but may have to remember some tomorrow (frustrated). Thank goodness for spell checker. This was a long post that is lost now. I think I will try to re-type it tomorrow and I am so sad and tired now. need to do something else of a little while.