tdehaas

Hey Ellen

Great shot of Kelly and Kojo lounging. Jenny and I always stop and check out the weimaraners when we're at the show, beautiful breed. She even put a framed photo card with three shots of Wegman's in our spare (my) bathroom, so I'm remindered about them always :hahaha:

Tom

Bump

Hi Rich in New York

This is poor Tom in Washington...(I just couldn't resist) I have started reading and re-reading your post and blogs with interest. I see that you are ONLY 5 months out from your stroke.. I haven't read much about the stem cell therapy for stroke..your story has made me want to do that and i will ...but my first observation is .. .Are you not a little impatient here? and did not any of your heathcare people stress that? I bring this up because that has been one of the cardinal rules in stroke recovery that is preached over and over: All strokes are different and recovery takes time and things are measured in inches.. maybe we are all being sold a bill of goods. :uhm:

I'm not trying to be negative so excuse me if i come off that way and set me straight. If i think how far i've come, my personal progress at 2 years is considerably more evident than my 5 months post-stroke. We are all different.

I hope this all goes good for you and wish you the best. i will be looking forward to your reporting as I'm sure many others will be too. :cheer:

Tom raining on parades in WA

Hey Sherri

I've never been to AK but that is in the game plan when I can convince my DW to go with me. We are in WA so it's just short plane trip for us and they have specials from Seattle to Anchorage all the time. I would like to drive it but I would really have to sell that idea. So thanks for the travelogue i will file it for future reference.

It 's good to read that your recovery progress keeps moving on forward and i think it's a big plus to keepi pressing and challenging yourself in any way you can.

I have an incredibly difficult time communicating this much less recognizing it for myself; No matter how helpful this website has been for me, & it has been fabulous, I need to limit my time here. I find myself getting 'down' on myself and thinking of myself strictly as a stroke survivor. I am more than that. We are all much more than survivors or caregivers.

I really enjoyed reading this last paragraph. I'm not sure i understand all your saying but it's makes good sense to me for some reason. :uhm:

Good Luck

Tom

Smiley Baby-

This is Jenny, Tom's wife. I lost my father when I was 12 years old and I understand your situation when it comes to family members. My husband Tom suffered a stroke two years ago April. Based on your blog, things sound pretty bleak right now. Regardless, you sound very strong from your blog. That part will be what carries you through this ordeal, trust me. Right now things are in disarray and you plainly miss your father and the strength he provided. Keep talking to him, he can hear you. And he may at this point be the only one that will listen and understand believe it or not. Take care.

Jenny

I'm lost with Fred too. Is that freeedom or Free Dumb.. and in finding it I wonder of the costs and at whose expense???

Congrats!! Unions are worth their weight in gold many times..

Karen

That does seem extreme to me too. All I've seen or read invovled the use of a splint or sling and/or glove. in fact my OT was thinking for me to use a mitt-like glove similar to an oven glove.

I too would be concerned about a real time emergency if i had a 'cast' on my good arm/hand.

Please keep us posted of the developments

Tom

Sandy..

Thanks for the warning! :big grin:

Tom

Jean

If my work didn't improve, she threatened to withhold or cut out my fringe benefits. And if that didn't work than she said she might have to consider outsourcing the job to someone else.! :yikes:

AJ and all,

My comments don't reflect the pack rat thread but after reading these blog comments I was reminded about an article i ran across on the web the other day that i was going to submit under Other disussiion but thought maybe here better.

Tom

From salary.com

"We consulted Stay at Home and Working Moms to determine the top 10 jobs that make up a mom's job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005's salary of $131,471). "

After reading this I told DW that i wanted a raise.

Jean...LOL

There's a local guy who wheels around town on one of those three wheelers.

I don't know if he's a stroker but he's a real spectacle...

His bike/trike has one of those long extended aerials on the back with a coontail attached at the top. It reminds me of one those antennas on a dune buggy. He has a couple of shiny boat horns on the handlebars with colorful streamers flowing off the ends.And enough red and orange reflectors attached to any conceivable location on the machine.. To top it off he wears a delapidated old cowboy hat that goes over his ears with some artifical feathers.

I bet I don't have enough money to give him for what he'd want for it!!

And I wouldn't want to get another and have to show him up :yikes:

I looked bad enough as a double for a circus bear on my bike.. I just need a good costume!! :juggle:

Tom

Hey Just S

Seems to me that it might help to have a good talk with both your health and care givers about your goals and expectations with rehab and recovery. I'm sure, like everyone, you want a complete as possible return to physical 'normalcy'. The path and result are different for each one of us just like the effects of our strokes.

I 'm commenting here because I had a recent conversation with my wife about me riding my bike with her this weekend.. seems she was about as enthused with me getting on my bike as your dr. was with you skipping. And we had a great little chat about the need and desire for me to be riding my bike. All I think my wife was thinking was that if I crashed and and burned then she would be right back there dealing with it as she was a couple years ago when i stroked.

Now I had no trouble with the balancing issues as I rode my bike. It did require some special focus on coordination. I haven't gone skipping in quite a while. :big_grin: But as I remember there are some balancing and coordination issues beyond walking. So my guess is that the neuro was just expressing their concern and feelings about the need at this time for you to get beyond the basics until you are ready.

Besides with the weight I've put back on during my 2 year recovery, I probably looked like a cicus bear on my bike. :hahaha:

Good luck with the skipping !

Tom

Karen

I'll make it unanimous by agreeing with everyone's comments up to this point and suggest that you answered yourself by the time your finished your blog.

Tom

Hi Kim

Just a suggestion: Quit buying you groceries where they sell bait..Hard to do down there, I know.. :big_grin:

J/K

Tom

Karen,

Hola, Como estas?

I'm curious as to where you found such good beaches. Jenny and I are thinking of heading down that way for a vacation ourselves. Her first visit..I've been down there a half dozen times or so, not including to party or a booze run or two to Tijuana or Juarez in my younger days. She would like to see some of Mexico before the Reconquista is complete.

BTW a cane is just a smaller crutch. I inadvertantly lose my cane at 7 months and never replaced it.

Cheers

Tom

Hi Sue

I think many of us are figuring out that the empty bag is the one that the world has been left holding ever since the Bush crime family hijacked our government.

Does the game of musical chairs come to mind. :uhm:

Cheers

Tom

Hi simon

I'm a blog reader, not writer, so I look forward to hearing your old world perspective.

Asha....you don't have any reason to feel bad about coming to America.. modern immigration to this part of the world has been on going for over 500 years. It's the northern migration of the natives that has everyone concerned. I see it as a natural reclamation process., probably only requiring 200 years or less. Like water taking the path of least resistance.

Tom

Hi Sue,

I always enjoy your blog as a I do several others here. This one in particular was a very moving and sad account in which you expressed yourself wonderfully. I was standing there in the Church kitchen with you. Now that's an odd visual.. me in church.. :big_grin: It's too bad the church is having to disband. Hopefully something better will develope. Peace and good fortune!

Tom

Hey Peter

I surprised you know Charlie!

:beer:

Cheers

Tom

Hi Amy..

It's POETS Day as I remember..

P____ on everything, tomorrow's saturday!

:beer: Cheers

Tom

Hi KIM

Funny you say that Sandy.. Richie Havens came to mind for me.. the good ole Woodstock concert..

I do like Jimi's song too.

Tom

I'll attest to that!!

I was thinking of something along the lines of this salad requiring a Deep Throat to enjoy it..

Sorry Denny

Cheers

Tom

Easy there...Peaches