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Friday, February 28, 2014

Friday, February 28, 20014.

So what is a day in my life like?
This is my attempt to share with you my day. 
To start off with, I get up around 6:00.  I sit up in bed and wait for some one to help me go to the restroom.  After I get done with that I go straight to the shower. Not bad but the one lady seemed to be more intrerested in doing things her own way. But they finished my shower and got me dressed. 
 After all of that I went and got my schedule for the day.  It may change, but that happens. 
Now it is 7:15 and I am back in my room. I have the tv on animal planet, mostly for noise, but "meerkat manor" is kind of fun. 
I am also waiting for my breakfast. I will share some more with you in a minute.
So breakfast was good but nothing special.  I remembered to try to shave by myself today and that was a challenge
I had physical therapy this morning twice. And occupational therapy once this morning. I had the chance to get to talk with the guy that brought me here. It was a good talk and I am not sure what to think right at the moment. 
I have a kind of headache and I think that I have some allergies. It is really no fun. 
I just got finished with lunch. Not bad. Fajita meat is pretty good.
Some people just came by my room to talk to me because I seem to be having a bad day.  Yes I am.  It happens.  
"Dirty jobs" is on tv. It is fun to see what he is doing.  
This afternoon I had four therapies.  More physical therapy,  Speach therapy, Occupational therapy and recreation therapy. It was a pretty long tiring day. 
After I was done with my therapies we had a special dinner I went to.  It was lots of fun. I seem to have a bad habit of laughing so much when I am there that it was kind of hard to talk and eat. Oh well.
I spent the evening in my room. I ate the dinner that was in my room. Sure I had eaten before but I don't get full that I have noticed.  So I ate two meals. 
I spent a lot of time last night on my tablet. I try not to do that to much, but I got sucked in for a while.  It's easy to have happen. I did ask for some help to change the plug on my charger. My tablet and phone were not charging so I spent a few minutes trying to get the extra one I had and I was able to get things working. 
If you have any questions about things just let me know. 

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Sunday, February 23,2014. ...in the beginning....

So if you care to know I am Mormon.  That is my religion for those of you that don't know. I got back from church a little bit ago. 
My religion is very important to me. To a certain extent it always has been. Now I don't mind what you believe. You can believe what you like. I have always tried to be like that. My family may disagree.   They have the right. 
We believe in personal revelation.  And I am around now in the state I am because of it. 
Let's all go back in time a few months to just before I had my stroke. At the time I was thinking about going to my in-laws for a short visit or doing a training for the national guard that would be about two weeks. My father-in-law suggested that I not come. It didn't make any since not to go at the time.  I fretted over what to do for a little while.  Finally, I went to Austin for the training. It was not to bad.  Now I may have some people who think I am just lucky. You are entitled to believe that. But I know better. 
I went to Austin for a kind of train the trainer class and we were getting ready to do the first iteration. I decided to come back to San Antonio to see my family one night and while I was home I got sick in a way I never had before. I threw up I don't know how many times and it was almost impossible to walk straight. In fact it was so hard to walk because it felt like I was very dizzy and it was very hard to walk at all after a while. 
I thought it would all go away if I drank a sprite. I had two and nothing seemed to get better. My family was having dinner with some friends. I called my wife and she encouraged me to go to the ER. I was in no condition to call anyone but finally I was able to get hold of a friend who took me to the emergency room. On the way I ask him to stop by Jack-in-the-box so I could have something to eat. By the time I got to the emergency room I couldn't walk on my own any more and my friend had to push me around in a wheelchair.  After  we were finally taken in to a small room for a while.  I ate my fries  and I talked some to my friend and then I remember nothing until I "woke up" in the hospital.
So what does this have to do with anything you may ask? So you had a stroke so what. 
Because I  was sensitive to what the spirit or Holy Ghost was trying to tell me I have what I have. If I had gone to my father- in-laws house what might have happened?  I am not trying to say I  have listened to everything that has been shared with me. I haven't. I hope I know better now. 
Since my stroke I might have to relearn how to identify the promptings of the spirit. Right now I don't feel the promptings the way I am used to, if at all. But at one time I thought that I could walk without to much difficulty.  I think I know how how to walk a little better now.  And I know better.
I am not trying to say I am better than anyone from it. At one time I knew one thing and it saved my life. Now I probably need to relearn it like so many other things.   

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Saturday, February 22, 2014. End of era,at least for me.

So it has been very busy the past couple of days. Now I am retired from the army. Not sure how I feel about that. Sure I know that I would not be able to pick up a rucksack and go,  but I still will miss it. 
I have meet so many great people that I can't even say. I have met more than my fair share of jerks but that is not the point. Army people are just regular people in so many ways but at the same time I know there is a difference also. 
If you take off the uniform we look like everyone else. So I want to stop there I guess that's your choice. 
Well I have a blue ID card now. Bittersweet.
I have spent most of the past couple of days at the military post. Not the best way to spend time,  but I felt like I got a lot done. But the fact that I need help is a constant reminder of how helpless I can be. 
I think of all that I have been given the opportunity to do and it has been very cool. I started off as a linguist and interrogator. Then we moved to texas and I got out for a while. I finally decided that I should get back in, but this time I would try it as an officer. So I reenlisted and got the guaranteed officer candidate school option. When I went to officer candidate school it was nothing like basic training,  they wanted us to think to. But thanks be I made it through. Now that I got to be an officer my first duty station was in north texas. The next thing I got to go to south texas in a type of deployment for a year. From there I got accepted into flight school. It was a lot of blood,sweat, and tears. I thought I would spend the rest of my career as a pilot. But there was an opportunity to be a military social worker. Not the greatest but I got my masters degree. I had the opportunity to take the train the trainer that the army offers and while I was doing that I had my stroke. And now I am retired. So if you have a stroke that kills about 99% of the people who have one,  go ahead,but I don't recommend it.
So it has been a long and interesting ride. I don't recommend it to anyone but it gives me a unique perspective. 
I think I was kind of sick yesterday. Not something I want to repeat. But it wasn't to bad otherwise. 
I have been meaning to write more this week but it has been a crazy week for me and I have been a lot more tired than usual lately. 
I would like to make this longer but I am not sure what to say right now.  Take care everyone.  

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Sunday, February 16, 2014

You may take this any way you want, I don't care. Sara and I shared a statement. Part of that statement went like this. 

" If you have any questions, please direct them to both of us.  We are united in this. We will continue to work together on Nathan's recovery and on raising our children. Our relationship will be different, but we will still be there for each other."

What part of talk to both of us,Sara AND Nathan, do people not understand? 

I can get very upset if you want me to. 

Some people just seem to want to put there noses in our business. Please stop. Desist. If you want to talk to one of us be prepared to talk with both Sara AND Nathan. Otherwise the answer is no and we can talk about something else. 

 I love my Sara more than anything. That may sound strange to some people but its a fact. I don't want to hear another word about it. Is she not perfect? Yes. 
Like it has been said the whole need no physician.  She has what I would say are her fair share of faults. So do I.
She has been here to see me  almost everyday.  Who else can say that?  I am grateful for all that she has done for me and continues to do for me. Plus, she is the mother of four very energetic kids. Please shut up because she has decided to come see me. You are talking about the mother of my children and the one person I hold most dear. I am probably preaching to the choir so be it.

"Pure religion and undefiled before god and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in there affliction..."(New Testament, James 1:27)   I am pretty sure I would or could fall into one of the categories listed.  I want to ask one more time, please plan on talking to her and me if you want to talk about things. Otherwise please be quiet concerning the matter.  

You may think that if you are talking about things and one of us is not there you are ok. Please stop anyway.  It maybe hard for some. Please don't talk anyway. I know this may be difficult if not impossible for some. Tough.  Do you think I wanted to have a stroke. Let's all put on our big people underwear and be adults about things. 

How much thing can change in one day. You might know soon enough.  

Friday, February 14, 2014

Friday, February 14, 2014.

So I need to say and I know I did in another post but it is so exciting to me and I think my left foot is moving more. Sure it's not moving a lot but the fact that it is moving is so cool I just can't say. 
So there is an attempt to give me a med without telling me about it or what it is. that is a no go. Do I have a problem with meds? No. Would I and should I be told if you want to give me a new med. Yes. I am not going do refuse my meds but I guess they will have to explain all the meds I am given for a while. I wish people would try to talk to me first. Is it an inconvenient for them. Sure. Just talk to me first. I was given a new med last week and I didn't care, two different people talked to me about it before I was given it. But I am going to ask that all the meds are spelled out for me.  
So the other evening we had a party that had spaghetti.  It was fun even though only three people came. It was nice to talk with the people that came. 
I got to go to a the military base it was pretty cool. There was a party and it was pretty fun. Since we were all in wheel chairs we were the first people to get to go through the line.  I don't think I am very unique. I guess I could be. I have had the opportunity to meet some people and they seem to always be in pain. And I think to myself that this is crazy. How lucky/blessed am I.   
After the party and bingo we went looking around. It was so much fun that it is hard to explain.  We were looking around the BAMC hospital grounds and it was so cool to see everything there. It was so fun for me to be out that late. I haven't been out that late in a while. It wasn't very late but for me it was late. The people were very cool and the location was awesome. We were not out what most people would consider late but it was sure fun. 
I better post this quick.
I hope everyone is doing well. 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Sunday, February 9,2014.

So I guess a few people read what is posted on the internet. 
Maybe it will catch on. 
So I guess this post is different. Not that I know how but if you figure it out let me know. 
I am writing a little later than normal. I have been trying to get myself settled in here. I think I am having a bit of a routine. 
I guess I have been put in a special category. I guess I am mostly a veteran. Anyway, there was a pizza party the other day and it was kind of fun to meet some of the people and to play spades. I guess I did pretty well they said, I don't know. 
I met some other vets, male and female it was kind of fun. 
It's kind of funny, I think my right arm is getting a little bit bigger than my left arm. If you havea seen Lady in the Water it is kind of like the one guy that has different size arms. My arms are not that different. But if I keep it up we'll see.  
This place is a lot different than the last place. The therapy is so intense that it can really tire me out. Some days I don't want to do anything when I get done. So I just put my chair back and I just relax. It's kind of crazy in a way I am doing what we talked about in the army, leave it all on the mat. 
I don't have enough energy except to get myself ready for bed. And there are plenty of times I don't want to move. Well take care. 

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Thursday February 6 2014

I decided I need to tell people I can move my left foot. It is so exciting that to me that I can hardly tell you.  
I have been able to move my right foot for a while but my left foot has only moved downward.  Until this week. I can move my left foot.  It is so exciting.  
I think I have made some of the nurses and CNA's nervous by the fact that I am trying to stand by myself without any help. Not that I want to make people nervous. But it is kind of fun to make some people nervous. 
I really made myself and some of the staff nervous. I end up falling out of my chair.  It made me so nervous that I started laughing. I didn't get hurt if you are wondering. But my chair got a little bent and I had to wait until the next day to get it straightened out. Anyway I had to sit on the floor for a while I waited for some people to come and help me get back into my chair.
I guess I need to not to try to bend over so far,  but I also learned that I can't rely on my right arm. It is really hard to know what my right side is doing, and sometimes when I do know it's still hard to stop my right side sometimes. I might not have had the problem I had but I was leaning slightly to my right and the controller for my chair is on the right. I guess I will need to turn off my chair in the future. 
Maybe I need to practice with my right hand more. I haven't done that in a while on my chair. 
Well this is my gift to everyone to everyone I was not going to write any thing but then I had to tell people about my foot. 

Sunday, February 2, 2014

February 2 2014 news flash


This is not an easy time for us.
After making a difficult decision, we have decided to divorce. This is something that we began last year, but put on hold.
This is not a decision we take lightly, so please treat us accordingly. 
We still love each other, and we want this to be as smooth as possible. This is what we feel is right. 
Please do not tell our children. We will do that. 
You are more than welcome to talk to us about it. 
 If you have any questions, please direct them to both of us.  We are united in this. We will continue to work together on Nathan's recovery and on raising our children. Our relationship will be different, but we will still be there for each other.

Nathan
Sara