StrokeSurvivorBlog

The ankle that is so painful is causing a hindrance to Steve’s walking, and much time is spent in therapy just stretching out the tendons to relieve the pain. I will be taking him to the doctor in the morning for an MRI to see if there’s something that was overlooked. Please pray for complete healing of the left ankle–bones, tendons and nerves.

Friday marks the third month since Steve had the stroke and he is definitely getting closer to coming home. Next week the therapists will be doing a home assessment to see how adaptable the house is to his needs. Some things are obvious, but they might have other suggestions for better maneuverability.

Today Steve arm wrestled Rick, the young 23-yr-old activity guy. He’s very buff and tan…a real sweet guy who plans activities for the residents of the nursing home. Rick thought he was humoring Steve when Steve requested this contest. I think he planned to give him a “mercy win” just to be nice, but he was surprised at the strength in Steve’s arm, so then he tried really hard to win, but alas, it was too late and Steve took him down. Rick wanted a rematch right away, but Steve said he would have to wait for another time. This was a lot of fun and the highlight of Steve’s day, but he also felt really bad for Rick so he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

He is able to lift his knee all the way up when lying on his back, but the foot needs to be on a slippery surface in order to do so. His left hand is getting a little stronger and he is able to move his thumb on command separately from the other fingers.

High blood pressure is a concern. He’s on a .2 mg NitroPatch instead of .4mg, so he’s not getting as much as he should have, but at least he’s not dizzy like before. Several of the meds he takes has side effects of dizziness and headaches, but he is doing well.

A speech therapist is working with Steve and they’ve been doing some Sudoku together. He was really good at this before, but now he’s tired of it. He wants to work on getting his voice stronger. The ST said he may never get a stronger voice. This really frustrates me when they discourage him like that. The living Word of God says he “can do all things through Christ who gives him strength”, and this is what we choose to believe. God’s Word overrides the therapist’s word. So please agree with me in prayer according to God’s word that He will strengthen Steve’s voice again.

I think I forgot to tell you about his arm. Remember when the neurologist said he may never get functional use of his arm again?  Well, Steve has been exhibiting involuntary movement in his arm when he yawns. His whole left arm will move up every time he yawns as if there’s nothing wrong with it . This is really funny looking, and the doctor called this dyskinesis. It’s where the brain sends the signal to the wrong body part. So she said maybe he will get use of his arm back again. Please pray for complete healing of those brain signals so his arm will be completely restored and made functional again.

There has been a turnover of residents…some leaving and new ones coming. Evelyn finally got to go home. She’s the one who grabbed his wheelchair and said, “Let’s get out of here together!” Elaine, his neighbor, is still there and is still struggling with dementia, but she doesn’t seem to be as afraid as she was before.

It’s a little scary when I think of the responsibility I’ll have when Steve comes home, but I have to keep telling myself that God’s grace is sufficient for me.

I’ll have to make some decisions soon in selecting a new outpatient rehab facility where Steve can go for therapy when its time for him to come home. Not all therapists have specialized training for the problems he is encountering. The right skilled therapist can quickly zero in on his pain and will know exactly what to do to relieve it; and I want the best for him. So please pray that God will give me wisdom and guide me to the right people.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday weekend, and thank you again for your faithful prayers. God is good!