Three years ago today....

It seems like yesterday that my first stroke happened. It has been three years ago today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOAFIUx5S6c

I mark the days since my strokes differently now. It used to be days. Then months. Now years.

I could use my time like this Pink Floyd sang, "Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day. Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way."

Is that what I have been doing? I do not think so.

I cannot be bored. I need to be useful and have a purpose. I need to be busy!

However, my body and mind have limitations.

On Christmas Eve, I had a "incident." Neurologists call those incident a "brain attack." Nice euphemism until it is YOUR brain.

Before Christmas, I had some headaches and it was compounded with being dizzy, minor chest pains, and a sore left wrist. Normally, I would not think about this. However, given my history, I told my wife. Then we called my neurologist.

Back to the St. Al's ER! Great.....

After several hours, the tests were in. I am fine.

Since that time, my neurologist suggested I cut down on my activities. "Schedule your board meetings in the morning and be done about Noon."
That is not realistic for many reasons.

I am just one person. I cannot expected the other people to make concessions for me.

And second, I will not give in to my strokes. I will continue to beat the expectations for stroke and seizures survivors.

I will live my life like another Pink Floyd song: "The Great Gig in the Sky:"

"And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime."

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