Road in Retirement

From a Hallelujah to Hope. So the early days of my dysphagia and inability to speak, chew or swallow were scary indeed. I was raising a hallelujah and fighting to get better, but I had setbacks. After three weeks of short rehab sessions, nasal tube feedings of food and crushed meds, and medical staff checks, I was not making much progress. Around Memorial Day both of my sons and a daughter-in-law were visiting and we spent large portions of that time trying to improve my ability to communicate. I was just so happy to see family. But after a few days, my older son and his wife left and I had a gripping bout of sadness and despair. My younger son stayed a couple days longer and I was sort of weepy, missing my older son already, struggling with the slow progress and losing hope. It was sinking in that this could be very serious and the brain operation that helps so many may have caused an opposite effect for me. My younger son who was still around, came into my room on one of those tough

Out of It. Continuing my last blog about my May 16, 2023, deep brain stimulation surgery and ensuing dysphasia, I woke up in shock that I couldn't speak. I was able to respond to prompts by medical staff to raise this finger, wiggle this toe, and so on. But verbal communication was nil for me. I knew I was all with it, but anyone looking at me pretty much thought I was now "out of it." It was a few days post surgery on a Sunday morning that God broke into my life.   Shattered Shoulder. Back up three years to April of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. I had taken a Parkinson's related tumble in the kitchen and shattered my shoulder in eight places. I lay in the hospital, new fake shoulder firmly in place reminding me that the old shattered one was all dug out with knife and forceps. There was no one around, as Covid protocols called for no visitors. It was just me and my God. After the "why me" prayer and "what else can happen to me" outcry I looke

 Change. It's been over a year since my last blog post and I guess for good reason. On May 16 last year, things really changed in my life. I underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Yes, it sounds sort of Frankensteinish, but actually tens of thousands of people in the US reap great benefits from this surgery each year. It helps bring back or maintain some physical functionality that is taken away by various neurological diseases. I've been battling Parkinson's Disease (PD) for 15 years and this surgery was to return to me new physical abilities lost to PD. Shock. So I awoke from surgery on May 18, 2023 (alarms should be going off) and I experienced shock, of a scary kind. I was fully aware (as I still am!!) but I couldn't speak. As a matter of fact, I couldn't chew, swallow or speak. I was a prisoner in my own body. Maybe like those movies where someone has been in a coma for days or weeks and then wakes up and tells their loved ones that they heard everythi