Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

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...

My brothers have been a big influence in my life. My brothers are different in some ways but similar in so many ways. I am the youngest of the four brothers, and I learned a lot from them. When I was in the 8 th grade preparing to preregister for 9th grade at O’Leary Junior High, one of my brothers suggested that I should take typing in the 9 th grade not the 10th grade which was normal. He took typing in the 10th grade. He said the typing teacher at Twin Falls High School had some issues with him. It involved a sandwich and electric typewriters. It seems that my brother did not really like typing, the teacher, and perhaps school in general. The fact that the typing teacher had been teaching since the early 40’s predating electric typewriters was not the issue. It seems that my brother took a bite out of her sandwich when she was not looking and he also sabotaged one of the electric typewriters. I took his advice and took typing in the 9 th grade. I knew my brot...

One of the most interesting things about my stroke is relearning everything. Tying my shoes. Using a belt. Using hairspray – assuming I have hair! Using tooth paste. Using a knife properly was a cautionary dilemma for me!  These very commonplace tasks are a struggle for me. So the gift that keeps giving is that I have to concentrate for even the most mundane tasks! Here is the clinical definition:     Apraxia is a disorder of the brain and nervous system in which a person is unable to perform tasks or movements when asked, even though: ·          The request or command is understood ·          They are willing to perform the task ·          The muscles needed to perform the task work properly ·          The task may have already been learned Other forms of apraxia include: ·  ...