Walking the Walk With God's Kid by Barbara Jean Carlson

Author:Barbara Jean Carlson [Carlson, Barbara Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9781623472528
Goodreads: 17299926
Publisher: Createspace
Published: 2013-01-24T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

ACCEPTANCE

One evening while at work, I began having numbness in my left arm and the left side of my face. I realized that I might have a problem, so I struggled to the nurse’s station for help. An ambulance was called, and I was taken to the hospital. While en route to the emergency room, I was given oxygen and was asked some questions. I had difficulty talking, and my thinker was broken. I was kept in the hospital for a couple days while they ran tests.

My new HMO doctor did not seem very happy about having me as a new patient. He was not interested in my medical problem and was reluctant to help me. I had a friend stop by the hospital, and I gave him the key to my house. I needed some clothes and toiletries. I called a neighbor to let him know that I was in the hospital and asked him to keep an eye on my house.

I was hesitant about contacting my children because I didn’t want to alarm them. I changed my mind and called my daughter Susan who worked for a hospital in California, and she took charge of my care. She told the hospital staff not to give me any drugs. A mystery lady stayed in my room and sat near my bed for hours. I thought that it must have been one of God’s angels.

I later learned that my cholesterol was three hundred and that I had very high blood pressure. When I returned home, I was dragging my left leg, slurring, and drooling. I had a problem with short-term memory and felt detached, and some of my memory was erased. My thoughts would flash back to the 1960s, when I lived in Michigan and my children were small. It seemed like the events had happened yesterday. I enjoyed the memories and knew that my brain was playing tricks on me. I would get lost on the way to the store and could not remember how to get back home. I made a game out of getting lost, until my memory kicked back in. I couldn’t accept that I was broken, and I denied that I had a problem.

When I went to my doctor for a check-up, he told me to look in the mirror. He said, “Look, you had a stroke!” I pushed up my fallen cheek.

The stroke scared me, and I thought about how life can change in an instant. With my family history of heart disease and strokes, there was a good possibility that I could die young.

I was encouraged by my friends to write for therapy. There was a lot of my life that I did not want to forget. If I had my thoughts and experiences on paper, I could read about myself in the event that I had another stroke.

I have been blessed with so many beautiful friends who have watched me “walk the walk.” I was once told that I had a story to share and that it was important to give back what I have been so richly given.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.