kkholt

Stroke Survivor - male
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Blog Entries posted by kkholt

  1. kkholt

    It has been a long time

    By kkholt,

    Yes a long time has gone by since I've been on strokenet. Guilt creeps in that I need to give back to the people and site that was so instrumental in the first months and more after Rob's stroke. I feel the need to give back with the same caring support I received - that was so helpful in our journey forward. Okay I'll try and log in more often .... that said I'll just blog a little about how things are going for us. My job is still going well, I HATE being away from home, but that is life in a small town where employment is not available. The upside is that in about 8 or so months, after our son graduates from high school Rob and I will be able to travel to warmer climates in the winter. Working up north on a 2 and 2 schedule provides me the opportunity to go anywhere the two weeks I am off work. We can go to Costa Rico, Mexico, Arizona --- course I'm naming all the warm places I want to be. The benefits at my job are amazing (100% paid health care) and a fantastic retirement plan. Both are top priorities for me now. Rob is getting around well - not to the level he was prior to his setback about 18 months ago - but well just the same. His arm seems to be doing better than his leg and he just doesn't have the muscle strength in his hamstring that he needs. He makes a good effort to exercise and or walk every day and because of this I believe he does continue to improve. He made the very difficult decision to sell his guide business and this Fall will be the first in over 20 years that he will not be heading to Kodiak. He keeps busy with his many projects and the only concern I have is his memory seems to continue to deteriorate. I sometimes wonder if people who have had strokes are more prone to this deterioration at a pace faster than just the normal memory loss with age. Well we are two peas in a pod, because I am losing my hearing as fast as he is losing his memory. I attribute mine to years of duck and bird hunting with a 12 guage exploding hundreds of shells just inches from my ears with no protection. So my normal response these days is huh? because I didn't hear something and Rob's normal response is huh? because he didn't remember something .... yeah, two peas in a pod we are.
  2. kkholt

    New Job

    By kkholt,

    Oh my, it has been so long since I made an entry. An email from Sue prompted me to post and keep in touch. Rob's rehab and recovery this go has been slow. It has been hard. His PT shakes her head at him because he has the ability to make some movements but he gets used to taking the path of least resistance to sometimes just get things done. I started a new job last week. I am back on the North Slope working a two week on two week off schedule. I always wanted to go back after Elias was raised, and although Elias is only 17 I feel like I'm going back a little earlier than planned, but the opportunity came up, and I needed to take it. Getting jobs up North are hard. It seems Elias and Rob are getting along fine without me, and I know they will both benefit from me being gone. I came home to a house of dirty laundry, but I can deal with that. We're waiting to get some more snow so Rob can get out on his snow shoes and skis. We've had the snowmachines out a bit, but there really isn't enough snow to do much just yet. I'll try to come back on in a few weeks and get caught up - but just to let you know we're here, doing good. Greetings from Alaska! -Karen
  3. kkholt

    c'est la vie

    By kkholt,

    Since Rob has been home (about a week) from the hospital I noticed it must be hard for him to close doors behind him, because so often he doesn't. I would find the front door open, and that was a clue he had gone outside. I won't talk about other doors that were also left open I didn't think much about it, except that it must have been a difficult task, that he wasn't able to take on. Today I saw why he has been leaving the doors open. I watched him leave the house, he was managing the door trying to close it behind him, the door jam that was raising havoc with his foot, his cane..... all with one strong arm/leg. It made me realize the little things, like trying to close the door behind them, that are so hard for disabled people. That I take for granted.
     
    I had gotten used to him being independant, and helping around the house - back to doing the dishes, cooking, the laundry. All those activities are back on me now. Not a huge big deal, just that I am aware of it, and I certainly know it could be harder than it is. I have a new job at work, and less hours which is helpful, however a lot less money but we'll get used to that. -such is life
  4. kkholt
    Rob is home after a week of in-patient rehab. Staying in the hospital a few days, gave him some intensive therapy, which was really helpful because we drive over a hundred miles one-way for his out-patient therapy. His PT said that his leg is so weak, that most people wouldn't be able to walk on a leg as weak as his.... he's done this before, so he figured out how to do it. We aren't back to square one with this stroke, we've done this before. No sense complaining, we're just getting to work on the rehab.
     
    My co-workers have been bringing food over - I am humbled by their kindness. They know Rob is the cook in our house
  5. kkholt

    Another Stroke

    By kkholt,

    Rob wasn't feeling well in Kodiak and he came home early. By the time I saw him he was walking really slow and lost quite a bit of use of his arm. We thought it was because he had been sick with the flu, and stuck in the tent at camp, that immobilized him for almost ten days. Shortly after he came home I went to SFO for a couple days and when I got back he had made improvements, however not significant. I also noticed when I got back that he had some very slight cognitive changes - and I couldn't understand why he would have cognitive changes. Although he was certain nothing was wrong with him, he agreed to go to the doctor, which led to an MRI, and then back in the hospital. The MRI showed he had another stroke in the same area as his first, just a little farther forward. At this point they know his left internal carotid artery is occluded (how is that for medical talk?). Lot of more tests to figure out why this happened to him. His first stroke was thought to have been caused by a PFO, that was closed in December. I guess we will find out how somebody with no risk factors (low cholesterol, no smoking, not overweight) can get an occluded carotid artery.
  6. kkholt

    Rob Flying Again

    By kkholt,

    Rob went flying today for the first time since his stroke 19 months ago. He went with a friend in his friends plane. See the gallery photos for the picture of two happy guys!
     
    Since he hasn't been able to fly, Rob started to collect boats last year, and then one of the boats turned into a snowmachine this winter (the black cat). This is the time of year we used to fly out and do winter camping and spring bird hunting. It was always a special trip and my favorite. We have never been "motor heads" however taking up riding the snowmachines is getting us back out into the woods again - we may even be able to do a day bird hunting trip soon.
     
    I posted pictures in the gallery of us on our snowmachines - Rob riding the black cat and I rode our sons machine that they rebuilt this year. It is a little machine and they had all the parts painted pink as they put it back together - so we call it the pink panther.
     
    Riding the snowmachines is really good for Rob - he has to continually balance on both legs, and use his right arm and hand quite a bit.
     
    It was a fun Spring day!
  7. kkholt

    Hola!

    By kkholt,

    I'm in Mexico - came down for a Spanish immersion class. I'm amazed, and believe this would be a great rehabilitation method for stroke survivors. Building new pathways to learn a language. I think I have Rob talked in to coming down next year.... Probably only because he doesn't like being home alone.
     
    My class was one week long, and I spent three hours a day in class and another hour and a half at least studying. The method to learn was to listen to the spanish, read the words in spanish to ourselves while the teacher read them, then we read the words out loud, then we read the words in english as she reads them in spanish.... and so forth. And at the end of the week I have spanish just running through my head.... and I even learned some.
     
    My class is over, and now I'm just just baking my body in the sun.... it feels good.
  8. kkholt

    The Turtle and the Dog

    By kkholt,

    I saw the funniest thing last night. Our son let our turtle (a red eared slider) out of his cage to run around the house (he's about six inches wide). We don't do this too often because he is small enough to get in things we can't get him out of - so we had to watch him. We've never done this around the dog, and when she saw the turtle she thought it was something for her to play with, or eat. Our son sent her back to her bed, where she stayed on alert and watched the turtle "Jaws". The turtle decided to come closer to the dog, he wasn't concerned (the turtle). My son picked up the turtle to show the dog, and they were about a foot apart, and the turtle stuck his head out of his shell, as far as he could, and tried to bite the dogs nose. It really scared the dog (she is about 2' tall and 50 lbs, so she isn't a small dog). So we didn't have to worry about her messing with the turtle after that. I wish I had somehow been able to video tape the turtle sticking its head out of its shell, stretching as far as it could, with it's mouth open as wide as it could, going after the dogs nose. Nobody expected any of that to happen.... not us or the dog. I'm glad the turtle didn't connect with the dogs nose.
  9. kkholt

    One item or less!

    By kkholt,

    I did a modified version of black Friday shopping, for the very first time, ever. On Thursday night, we needed to leave my brother in-laws in Anchorage and drive north and stay at one of my sister
  11. kkholt

    Movies

    By kkholt,

    Okay - so I'll start my movie list, and unlike Jean's, it will NOT be alphabetized - there will be no rhyme or reason other than - as it pops in my brain!
     
    Apocalypse Now
    Finding Nemo
    Love Actually
    Pulp Fiction
    So I Married an Axe Murderer
    Thank You For Smoking
    The Italian Job
     
    After seeing Tina's list I had to add these:
     
    Office Space
    Fried Green Tomatoes
  12. kkholt

    Okay, it can snow now!

    By kkholt,

    My son and I finally got the yard winterized yesterday. Moved all the things out of the way of the plow, and all things we didn't want to be hidden for the next six months. The weather was pretty generous to us this year, as we could have had snow in late September. We pushed it a bit. Heard we're going to have a mild winter, another El Nino. Never know if this will bring more snow or less. Well what ever shows up, we're ready!
  13. kkholt

    He did it again!

    By kkholt,

    Couple days ago, Rob was upstairs and yelled down to ask if I could find his long underware in the dryer and throw them upstairs for him (our house is that small, and yes it's that season).
     
    So I opened the dryer, and pulled out the first black item I found. It was my shirt, okay, similar fabric to his long underware, but a little different shaped. I searched again among the towels and such, and pulled out another black item - oh, yet another of my shirts, yes similar to the first. With great fear I continued to pull the next black item out of the dryer, and what do you know, a pair of my summer shorts (I wear these year round in the house). Yes, they too are black, and made from synthetic material. However a lot smaller than Rob's long underwear. The last black item was a pair of my underwear. So I had to tell Rob that no, there were none of his long underwear in the dryer, and by this time he had come downstairs. I began with the first shirts and showed him how the little balls from the towels he had washed them with are not clinging to my shirts. He explained that he thought they were his long underware. I can totally understand that mistake, as the fabric is similar, however the arms on my shirts really can't match the length of the legs on a six foot four mans long underwear - but I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. However I did question how he could confuse my shorts and undewear for his........ No hissy fit, I'm done with that. He was punished for his unwillingness to examine the clothes he was washing more carefully by not having any clean long underwear to wear.
  14. kkholt

    I wonder.....

    By kkholt,

    We decided to indulge in a cup of coffee tonight - something I rarely do because it can keep me from getting to sleep at a decent hour. But it was something we decided to enjoy together. Rob can move his right arm, it isn't easy for him, he has to think about it. I really believe the more he uses it, the better it will get. Maybe I'm in la la land, but I can't help but believe that. So, when I see him take his left hand, to move his right arm, I usually give him a "look". I also believe he does this without thinking..... and it has probably become a habit. So when we were having our cup of coffee, and he had his right hand resting on the table, I saw it coming. He doesn't even think about it, and he took his left hand, and moved his right hand a little closer to him, about four inches. This got him some raised eyebrows from me, "the look". So this incident started us talking about his arm, and he was telling me how he had been thinking about where the major deficits were. I asked him how his "chicken wing" movement was going - where he takes his arm, and moves his elbow straight up and out to the side. So he flapped for me (those parlour tricks you know), and I was amazed at how much better he could move it than earlier this summer. That movement started the discussion about the agony of not knowing how much better he will get. He says somedays he wonders, "is this it?" -- and then when we think about the progress in the last five months, and we continue to have more hope, that slowly, slowly.... he will continue to get better.
  15. kkholt

    Splitting Wood

    By kkholt,

    A couple weeks ago, we had some friends fell a couple trees in the yard that were dying and we were going to loose anyway in a strong wind. The wood has been stacked neatly in the round, in the front yard, waiting for somebody to attend to it. We only heat with wood for secondary purposes, during power outages, so the wood isn
  16. kkholt

    "Lucky wives club"

    By kkholt,

    So it is time to tell you all about the "lucky wives club". Many of you belong, and just haven't acknowledged it yet. You are nominated by another women usually in this way: "You're lucky, Rob is so...... and then she can fill in the blank with "nice", "talented", "funny", "good at doing things around the house". Any thing that another woman values in your husband.
     
    So it was a few years ago, that I too realized I belong to the "lucky wives club". Lucky to be married to one of the nicest, friendliest guys in town. So nice, that he would take the shirt off my back, and give to you.
     
    Mind you I'm not complaining, just acknowldging my status.
     
    Rob made me plant hangers the other day, and they were sitting on the porch while I decided which of the eighteen corners on our buildings I was going to put them on. Guess I didn't get them permanently attached to the house fast enough, because he has already given one away. He loves women, all women, and all they need to do is admire something, and he gives it to them, it's theirs (even if it wasn't his to give away).
     
    Any other women out there in the "lucky wives club"?
     
     
  17. kkholt

    My little melt down

    By kkholt,

    I've been asking Rob for over ten years - maybe twenty.... that all I want for Christmas is for him to quit doing my laundry. I want my clothes washed in cold water, and many of them are hung dry because I like the stiffness associated with hung clothes. It also prevents those little balls from getting on your clothes in the dryer AND most important, it keeps the clothes the same size (and color) as when you buy them.
     
    I even hide my dirty clothes in the bottom of the hamper -- he still finds them.
     
    This morning I put a load of laundry in the washer - anticipating I could hang them to dry when I came home from work. As a person that works outside our home, I like to manage the laundry, in such a way, that it is constantly done throughout the week, rather than on one specific day. SO, I came home a bit late from work (which was my first mistake) and heard the dryer running. I immediately ran to the dryer, opened it, to see all of my clothes (work clothes) being tossed around, carelessly in the dryer, getting smaller, and smaller. Of course I had a hissy fit, and told Rob I was NEVER going to speak to him again, until he promised he would NEVER touch my laundry again.... it took about 5 minutes and the promise came (I really didn't expect it).
     
    Rob informed me that if I just washed all these clothes again, I could just simply hang them to dry and everything would be okay
     
     
  18. kkholt

    My soapbox on hunting

    By kkholt,

    I was born here when Alaska was still a Territory, prior to statehood. My dad was instrumental in developing Alaska; he was a pioneer who built numerous runways, roads, and bridges from Southeast, the Alaska Peninsula to the Interior. I grew up in a time when nobody even considered hunting regulations and bag limits. My Dad usually traveled with his rifle in his pickup (not in the back window mind you) and when the freezer started to get low, he would look harder for the opportunity at filling it back up with wild game meat. I guess he could have decided to raise us where he was raised, in Grand Rapids Michigan. I
  19. kkholt

    I LOVE my house cleaner

    By kkholt,

    I LOVE my house cleaner. Feel so fortunate to find somebody that will clean the house -- just a little weekly event -- she comes by for two hours once a week and tidys the bathroom, kitchen, and cleans the floors. It is amazing how much less stressed I feel when the thought of having to clean on my day off - is gone.
     
    Today she asked me "where does all your dust come from"? Guess I have more dust than other houses she cleans. I think it's because we have forced air heat, and the ducts need to be cleaned. Or could it be the gravel airstrip we live on?
  20. kkholt
    Greetings for Labor Day weekend. We've had some fun company off and on over the past couple weeks. Couple of friends that have work to do in the area are camped in our yard. It has been a lot of fun having them here. Week or so ago, they took some time off work and went moose hunting. Rob went one day, and declined the second day, said he was too busy. I do know that one long physical day can really knock the wind out of him. So after the guys didn't come back - by noon. I told Rob they were either taking care of a moose, or sitting in a bar drinking somewhere. The good news was they got a moose. The next morning Rob, the friends, our son and a friend of his went out to finish packing the moose out. I love it that these friends are so patient with Rob's rehabilitation, and getting back into the woods.
  21. kkholt

    Book Club

    By kkholt,

    I've been thinking about the prospect of - the strokenet book club. It is actually consuming more of my thoughts, than I am going to guess it may consume the thoughts of others. This is why.
     
    I live in a very small community - much smaller than Haines (the town that #2 on the book club list is written about). It is a community, of good people. We are known to come to the aid of any local community member in time of need, regardless of ones politics. We are a community known for hundreds of miles around, to be a community with loud and strong opinions. One more thing about our community that most don't know, is we have an exclusive book club. A book club who can only be attended by those who have been worthy of invitation. A club that caused a dear friend and I to have cross words about - she supported the exclusivity and I did not.
     
    I've lived in this community for 18 years - and have not been invited to book club. As a matter of fact when I told somebody I was going to attend years ago, I was told that wasn't an option. My best friend and I have bonded in our exclusion of this club. She also has been told she cannot attend.
     
    We are a bit mischievous and even put a radio announcement out - one time that stated the book to read this month was "Captain Underpants". The announcement was pulled by a book club member when she realized the announcement was a spoof. That caused a stir which we slying smiled at.
     
    I've never belonged to a book club, so I don't know what to expect - but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to find out.
  22. kkholt
    Since Jean posted my blog in the community forum - I'll give better details of what we did with Rob's constraint therapy.
     
    It's important to know that Rob is not right handed, so being forced to use an affected hand, that is not dominate was especially difficult for him.
     
    He started by having a cast put on his left arm on a Monday - see the pictures in the Gallary that I posted to see how they casted him. He had the cast on for five days. We found the best way to measure improvement was in his ability to feed himself. The first day of having a cast he had to drink through a straw, and he could only eat with his fingers. Getting food onto his fork was almost impossible. By the end of the first five day session, he was drinking without a straw and he was able to get food onto his fork, and into his mouth.
     
    He had his cast off for two days, and put back on again the following Monday. This time the cast was on for a week and his improvement was noticeable at a faster rate. By Thursday he was getting his coffee cup to his mouth a lot easier (see the picture in the gallery) and eating a lot faster. I'm not sure how much difference it made, but his attitude and frustration got worse the longer he had the cast on. He is a busy guy, and really needs to get things done. He couldn't stand being slowed down with the cast.
     
    I is my opinion, that he did very well. If I had it my way, he would have gone to therapy while having his cast on so that his OT could have worked closely with him, getting him to use some of those muscles that still are having a hard time "waking up". As it was, he did good, using the muscles he could, and the improvements were from sheer determination often to just get the food in his mouth.
     
    I asked Rob what he thought about this therapy. "I think it made a difference" he told me. He also noticed that after his cast was off, he found himself reaching for things with his right arm. He said he felt that this kind of therapy helps to reverse the effects of learned non-use. He added that even though the therapy was extremely frustrating, that two weeks was about the minimum and shortest time you would want to do it.
     
    I'm hoping the negative aspect of this experience will be like childbirth and he will forget the pain, and would like to see in the middle of winter, if he will be willing to go through this again.
  23. kkholt
    Rob got his cast on yesterday afternoon. His elbow is in about a 45 degree angle and he has full use of his hand. We ended the day sitting on the porch, laughing, having a drink and going to bed early.
     
    Day two, and I'm so impressed with how well he does with this cast. He can get dressed, brush his teeth, and tie his shoes. Eating is the hardest activity. We decided on pizza tonight - it took about an hour and a half to eat three pieces.
     
    He sent his OT an email and told her he was all better - and asked if he could take the cast off
  24. kkholt

    Constraint Therapy

    By kkholt,

    Rob was evaluated Friday to establish a baseline to measure the affects of constraint therapy. Next week (probably Wednesday) he will have his left arm/hand casted. I think we are both a bit anxious.
  25. kkholt

    Takin to task

    By kkholt,

    Rob and I were have a conversation the other morning - and he warned me (teasingly) that if I was mean to him, he would tell my strokenet buddies. And then he said, that well you would all stick up for me. I assured him that if my strokenet buddies ever got wind I was remotely mean to him, that you'all would take me to task for that. He is a protected species.