Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

The other day, I was talking with my 10 year old son about my childhood. He is getting more mature. The nuances of life make him ask questions about my life and our ancestors. He asked about when I was 10 years old like him. “Where did you live? What did you do every day? Who were your friends? What were your interests?” He does have some information, but now he genuinely wants to know. During the drive, I drove him past my dad’s mobile home. “Your dad lived there?” he said surprised.   “Yup,” I replied.  Mark and Stan Dunham! New Mobile Home in 1971 When I was 8 years old, my parents got divorced. We were in Twin Falls, Idaho, but my dad moved to Boise after that because he get a job promotion. Your Grandma remarried and we lived in Twin Falls. However, my dad bought a mobile home. At the point, that was all he could afford.” My son asked, “Did you see your dad much.” I said, “After the divorce, I actually had a much closer relationship thi...

After my strokes three years ago, I remember one of my many doctors and/or therapists saying something like “If you had to have a stroke, you are much better off than if it happened even a  decade ago.” There have been so many advances in stroke and aphasia rehab. Rather than stroke survivors not getting intense rehab, many stroke survivors did not have a lot of hope. Sit on the couch! I do remember one doctors telling my family and me that my second stroke was so severe I probably could not do much. “Them are fightin’ words!” In the 80% of my brain that is left, I continue with my recovery. The biggest problem is aphasia. I have blogged about it probably too much. For example: When I wrote this word “probably” I  actually wrote “problely.” I knew it was not correct. In my head, I was trying to type “probably.” Nevertheless, I typed “problely.” The very useful Microsoft Word tool suggested “ potbelly” instead.  So, I cheated and used “Siri” on my iP...

I love the show “The Big Bang Theory.” I never watched the show until I was it in the hospital after my strokes. Now it is my favorite show. I love the character of  Dr. Sheldon Cooper who has no filters. He said things that I wish I could say. But, I have filters.  I went to a lunch a few days ago where a Congressman spoke. It was like old home week in some respects. I saw so many people from my different worlds: Political, medical, insurance, hospitals, lobbyists, housing, real estate, etc. Many people said things like “you do not seem like you had any medical issues” or “you look great.”  That is nice to hear. But, in actuality, because people know that I had a stroke (or two) and I have no visible disability, those same people think I am just fine and completely recovered. Invisible brain scars.... “Thank goodness you are fine now! So, what are you doing these days?” I smile and say, “Well, I am on some boards that keep me busy.” “Re...

What You Will Learn From This: Living With Head and Brain Injury. – The Manifest-Station http://t.co/c8WRk46CvG

Recently, I read a short  article  about people in Great Britain returning to work after a stroke. The statistics I read said that about 65% of stroke survivors to return to work after their strokes. When I was a kid, I listened to Paul Harvey. He would often say “ Now you know the rest of the story!” When I think of that statistic and my strokes, I am amused. "Reading" that article was a massive chore for me.  After my strokes in January of 2012, the concept of work was terrifying. I was dealing with unspeakable emotions. I did not know my name though I did know my job. However, I could not speak about my job because I could not speak! In the hospital, one of my therapists said, “Maybe, you will go back to work in November (2012) in a limited basis.” Throughout those next few months, that was my goal. I assumed I would go back to work. Nevertheless, as the months dragged on and the fog in my brain started to lift slowly, I realized ther...

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...

Tomorrow will be a red letter day for me. Tomorrow, I will complete the last day of my therapy sessions. It will be 3 years and 46 days since my first stroke. It seems like a lifetime ago, but it also seems like yesterday. Since the strokes (and assorted other things like seizures, ER visits, and worry) I have been doing all sorts of therapy including speech, physical, occupational, reading, vision, acupuncture, massage, and hypnosis therapy. I cannot fathom the hours of appointments I have had. I cannot calculate the hours of “homework” I have done. I cannot imagine the countless hours striving to be back to “normal.”   And, it comes down to this: I am blessed in countless ways, but I will never be back to normal. However, it has taken 3 years and 46 days for me to count my blessings and realize I have a pretty good life. Certainly, I miss “Mark Dunham.”  I miss a lot of things from my old life. I miss reading. I miss helping my son with his homework. I mi...