The Addams Family and Ideational Apraxia

I have blogged about apraxia before. The clinical definition is: “Ideational apraxia (IA) is a neurological disorder which explains the loss of ability to conceptualize, plan, and execute the complex sequence of motor actions involving the use of tools or objects in everyday life. Ideational apraxia is a condition in which an individual is unable to plan movement related to an object because he has lost the perception of the object's purpose. Characteristics of this disorder include a disturbance in the idea of sequential organization of voluntary actions.”

When my strokes happened in January, 2012, I was paralyzed in my right arm. My right arm was useless. It came back quickly, but in the hospital, I would look at my right arm and it seemed that it was NOT my arm. Over and over, I would move that phantom arm because, it did not seem like it was attached to my body.

It was like “Thing” from “The Addams Family.” A hand with a life of its own.

When I got out of the hospital, right away, I got acupuncture and massage for my right arm. I firmly believe that those unorthodox therapies made a huge difference in my recovery. Sometimes, I need more acupuncture and massage because sometimes my right arm seems weak.

Most people do not know that I had paralysis because I look “normal” but, in the night, when I lay wrong – “my arm is asleep” – I jump out of bed because I think that stroke will happen again. Then I settle down, and realize it nothing.

However, there are still residual issues. Months ago, I could not put on my right sock in the right way. I put the heel upside down. It took my son to help me overcome that issue.

But I still have a semblance of Ideational apraxia:

When I drive, I cannot park correctly!

A parking stall is should be perpendicular: “An angle formed by the perpendicular intersection of two straight lines; an angle of 90°.” But when I park, the angle more like 85°!

I try and try and try. I over compensate, but my angle is always off.

Oh well. It could be worse. I can parallel park very well!

Comments

The Two Faces of the American Dream

The massive wave of Norwegian immigration to Minnesota from the 1850s through the early 20th century wasn't a casual choice; it was an escape from crushing land scarcity and economic desperation. My ancestors, the Dunhams, arrived in 1851 and built a life in Otter Tail County in Minnesota. My great-great-grandfather, Jens Christian Dunham, didn’t just survive—he thrived. He served in the Minnesota legislature as a Republican from 1888 to 1890 and later became a staunch advocate for President Teddy Roosevelt. He was the literal embodiment of the American Dream: an immigrant who fled poverty to become a lawmaker in his new home. Fast forward a century, and a new wave of immigrants—this time from Somalia—is following that exact same blueprint. Like the Norwegians before them, they fled hardship to build a future in Minnesota, and many have run for office to serve the state that welcomed them. Yet, the political rhetoric surrounding these two groups couldn't be more polarized. Don...

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...

Eye floaters, Strokes, Another ER visit….

It is always something.... I’ve had eye floaters for as long as I can remember. My paternal grandmother had them. My brothers have them too. They’ve always been part of my vision—little drifting specks, threads, and shadows moving across my sight. Over time, you learn to live with them. Sometimes they swirl around, sometimes they settle toward the bottom of your vision, and most of the time you simply ignore them. Floaters are actually tiny clumps inside the eye that cast shadows on the retina. They’re common as we age, especially after fifty, and usually they’re harmless. Doctors will tell you that most people eventually tune them out. But sometimes they change. On Wednesday, while we were driving home from an overnight trip, something felt different. It was my left eye. The floaters suddenly looked darker, heavier, and there were flashes of light along the edge of my vision—almost like a bright crescent moon flickering on and off. At first, I tried to ignore it. After everything ...

Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Search This Blog