Monday began like any other day. My husband and I started out at slightly different times. I had a meeting to attend over
the noon hour, and things to take care of in my office. My husband, a retiree,
began the day more leisurely, and things he wanted to do.
By the time I left, my husband had already
begun preparing our lunch. After my meeting, instead of doing an errand, I decided to skip the errand and go home. We ate
our late lunch together. Anxious to get back to work, we cleared the food away,
and I headed for my office and my husband for a nap. Later, I had not only
begun the quote, I had also put up a blog post.
Late afternoon, my office door was open when my
husband came up the hall. I spoke but couldn’t understand his reply, so I asked
again. He tried to talk, but I couldn’t understand a word. I helped him sit on the bed and sat looking
at him, face to face. I realized very
quickly that something was wrong. Stroke. Is this
what it looked like? I called the doctor, figuring someone would give advice, but I
was on hold. I wasn’t going to wait and
took him to the nearest hospital. On retrospect, I could have just called 911,
but I knew I needed to act.
In the emergency department, I
reported my observations. A nurse whisked him away after only a few
questions, leaving me to finish up the paperwork. Soon I was called; the
doctor needed to talk with me. A nurse had already put a monitor on my husband. I
watched, inwardly cringing at the high numbers. Much later that evening after a
scan and another talk with the doctor, a patient transfer team came and took him to
the hospital that has the stroke unit.
Our girls had come to be with us at various
times, and the last one stayed until we had him settled in the ward. We went home
late and very weary, knowing that we'd be back again.
Over those four days, I observed many
professionals doing what they know best, taking patients for tests, talking
with them about next steps, talking with patients, and encouraging them
too. While my husband was soon able to get up and move around by himself, his
speech remained a concern.
We couldn’t help but hear the fellow
in the next bed reluctant to get up, even when the occupational therapists urged
him to do so. Different issue than my husband, but alike in that effort would be
needed to get better. That he would need to endure some pain and discomfort to
get muscles strong again. They'd both need to make the effort.
A little visitor now and then brings a smile |
My effort will be in patience, to
supply things my husband needs, and to encourage him to do the speech exercises given by the speech pathologist. I insisted, on our arrival home, on ‘no stairs’ for
the next few days until I knew he was strong enough and steady on his feet.
Like his usual pattern, he sleeps
late as I write this post. He may need some assistance with breakfast, but I
will allow him to do all he can. This won’t be a typical day, but it’s good
that he’s home.
Like us as Christians, it’s often
difficult to do what we need to do—to practise patience with our loved ones and show love to others,
showing our light to the world in the best way we can.
9 comments:
Thank you for sharing openly this episode in your husband's and your life, Carolyn. I'm glad for his progress and willingness to "make the effort" - so important for recovery. Your faith and faithful spirit shine through in the telling.~~+~~
Thank you, Peter. It's an eye-opener when such things happen. You know people experience it, but it's a shock when it happens. Need to deal with things as they are now. As someone mentioned today, it's like a warning. Then as I wrote I found that there was a comparison for us as Christians in the effort department.
I always appreciate your kind comments.
Carolyn. I know it has been a bit of a journey for both you and Len and the family. But I love observing families rally and turning love into a verb. So glad there is progress, albeit I am sure that you all would like things to move along a little quicker. Praying for comfort and peace and plenty of time for you to squeak in some teaching/writing/editing ... Thanks for sharing and for the little lesson on patience.
So sorry to hear this Carolyn! I hope he is getting better, and doing those speech exercises! It's a good thing he has you!
Pam M.
You paid attention! You responded quickly. A good pattern for us to follow
in our daily lives as Christians.
Thank you, Glynis. It is challenging, but our family comes through. Trying to balance things now, with new needs. It means doing the essentials and letting a few other things go for a bit. Not the teaching or writing and editing though. ;)
Hello Pam,
Thank you for your kind comment. There's improvement in energy, but the exercises... alas, minimal effort. The speech issue frustrates him, and I think getting it back will take longer than we think. He talks well at some times of day, but then the muscles get tired.
Thanks for the thoughtful article, Carolyn.
Thank you for stopping by, Ed, and for your kind comment.
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