Damn "functor" words!

Language is key for me. I love to write and read. It is fundamental for my soul. I cannot imagine my life without communication, words, reading the great books and thoughts. But one of the most devastating things about my stroke is the loss of my inner voice that is my “thought.”

I used to read so fast. I used write to fast.

It is ironic that my “voice” is stilled because of my stroke. I was great in math, art, etc. School was really easy for me. I cannot do a lot of things like I used, but, really, who cares about math!

I do care about reading and writing. It is the essence of my being.

And, I thought it would kill me even if I recovered from my stroke.

It is getting better. The fact that I am blogging again is the testament that I am recovering. I must be patient. I want to read and write right NOW! But, my body is a mystery to me, and I must wait and let nature take its course.

Last night, I noticed my cupboard door in my bathroom. I actually forgot that I practiced different words. What words you might ask?

"Definition:

A word, such as a preposition, a conjunction, or an article, that has little semantic content of its own and chiefly indicates a grammatical relationship. Also called form word, functor. Here are some examples of functors in English:

Demonstratives such as this and that or

Conjunctions such as and, or, and but or

Conjunctions such as and, or, and but."

On way to say these are prepositions or “connector words.” It is common that stroke patients have big trouble saying these words. Actually, I make a lot mistakes because of these word, and assume my blog posts are riddled with these functor words. I cannot help myself it seems!

My wife did so much to help my recovery. Throughout our house, she put lists of my trouble words everywhere. We started with “time” words. I had no clue about things like “tomorrow, today, yesterday, and the weekend.” It wasn’t just the words, I could not comprehend their meaning. I suppose that given that I wasn’t thinking about time, space, matter, and even my future.

So, when I discovered last night, I reminded myself that I have come a long way. I am proud of myself – and Heather!

It is also ironic that the other part of the door says something “We love you Daddy.” The name “Daddy” is something I focused on over and over as I have been recovering. Ethan says “I love you Daddy.” I love you too Ethan Stanford Dunham. I am getting stronger every day because I want to be daddy for Ethan.

But, I still have some functor words that give me grief. I could use a profane word similar to “functor” to describe my stroke but I digress.

Comments

What is wrong with us! A lot: Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria

This morning, from 10:30 to Noon, at St. Lukes in Meridian Idaho, I participated in the “Aphasia, Apraxia, and Dysarthria Support Group” started a year ago through Idaho State University. We meet weekly. So, what is wrong with us? Aphasia is the name given to a collection of language disorders caused by damage to the brain. A requirement for a diagnosis of aphasia is that, prior to the illness or injury, the person's language skills were normal. The difficulties of people with aphasia can range from occasional trouble finding words to losing the ability to speak, read, or write, but does not affect intelligence. This also affects visual language such as sign language . The term "aphasia" implies a problem with one or more functions that are essential and specific to language function. It is not usually used when the language problem is a result of a more peripheral motor or sensory difficulty, such as paralysis affecting the speech muscles or a general hear

College of Western Idaho should offer a Bachelor of Applied Science Degrees (BAS) in Business Administration

Last month I was invited to attend Gov. Brad Little’s announcement of his “Idaho LAUNCH” program which aims to prepare Idaho’s students for Idaho’s workforce needs. Idaho LAUNCH provides grants for education and training programs. Legislators and a host of businesses participated in Gov. Little’s announcement. As a former member and chair of the College of Western Idaho Board of Trustees, I was pleased to lend my support for this needed program. At the same time, I am fully supporting CWI’s goal to deliver a Bachelor of Applied Science Degrees (BAS) in Business Administration for under $20,000. I am pleased to see some many businesses join the effort. The Idaho LAUNCH and CWI’s BAS in Business Administration is a “win-win” for everyone especially students who need that targeted education to succeed. The Idaho LAUNCH program received legislative approval and students are applying. However, CWI’s proposal needs the State Board of Education approval. THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION WILL DECI

Phantom Blindness and Taking a Break after Strokes

I met with my eye doctor last week about taking some time off from my vision therapy. I have been doing therapy since my stroke almost two and a half years ago. I am tired, and a need a break. My doctor said, “This is completely understandable. Take some time off.” At the appointment, my doctor tested my vision. Because of the strokes, my vision was affected, and I have a problem in my field of vision on the right side. I have a deficit with my right side peripheral vision. However, it is getting better. During the test, I told him that I “sense things on the right side of my peripheral vision.” It seems that I know that something is there, but I cannot really distinguish what it is. He told me that there is a body of thought describing phantom vision or phantom blindness. A Polish researcher, L. Bieganowski, described this phantom blindness this way: “The subject of the paper is the phenomenon of phantom vision. It occurs among the blind (or almost blind) and is

Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Search This Blog