You probably noticed I have been absent for almost 3 month.
What happened, where did I go. I wish I could say I went on a long vacation to Italy and France.
But that would be a dream because in reality I took a trip down nigh mare road.
At the end of June exactly on June 29, I woke up like any other day.
My day started off with coffee and catching up on email and news.
As I jogged down the stair to the kitchen, I was actually thinking how great I felt, full off energy.
French roast brewed in my lovely French press pot in hand, I returned to my room, sat in bed checking my email on my phone.
The day seemed promising when a weird alien feeling came over me.
My fingers refused to hit the keys I wanted to hit on my phone, They floated as if I had no control. Actually I was losing control and suddenly the phone just fell out of my hand onto the bed. I remember thinking what is this? This is not happening, it’s too weird. I felt a strong urge to go to the bath room and tried to quickly get out off bed but my left side wasn’t cooperating. It was a nightmarish feeling of discombobulation. I crashed to the floor and could not get back up. I yelled for my husband who came to help me and I whispered in a slurred voice “I am having a stroke!” It suddenly hit me, I had a stroke. So no vacation to Italy and France. Instead I was grounded in bed. I recalled that a few years back, when my husband was visiting his family in Texas, I got up one morning and was blind in one eye. I was pretty scared all day, wondering what was going on, but the sight came back later that day as if nothing happened. Except I though there was something off with my eye on one side. It seemed droopy. After a few days, I just all forgot about the incident. But I now think even then, it was probably a very minor stroke.
Now this one wasn’t so minor. My left side was paralyzed. My speech was off but I could speak. Or I though I could speak. My husband said “I can’t understand you”! I though I was saying certain things, but that was not what came out. Yikes! I could see well, but had bladder problems and weakness and paralyses. So that is what I was dealing with end of July.
Since then with the help of my husband I can say that I am almost 100% recovered. Yes we did this all on our own. I refused to go to a doctor. I just am not a person to see doctors. Right now we are going through such a strange time that the last thing I wanted to do is enter a hospital and who knows, come out with a toe tag. My broad knowledge of biology, medicinal plants, and medicine became a real blessing, I already had many herbs and supplements in house to start my recovery process. The first week it was me in bed and my husband serving me hand and foot including taking me to the bathroom. For someone as independent and usually very strong like me that was difficult.
In the evenings I was thinking “Will I ever be able to paint again?” For some reason that was my first deeply sad fear.
I made up my mind that this will not get me under and that I will recover 100%. I was determined to walk normal again and talk normal again, this was not going to be the rest of my life. Laying in bed and being dependent. I will take a long vacation to Italy and France someday and look back at this as a block in the road that had to me moved.
Well let me make this long story a bit shorter. Now almost three month later, you would probably not know I had a stroke. Yes my speech is a bit off. but the exercises I am doing every day, have not only let to weight loss, but also to the fact that I am now in better shape then I was before the stroke.
I should have posted this sooner. As much as I feel really good after a days work I am tired, there is still room for improvement. Most of all I can paint again and I have.
I just finished a painting for a good friend of mine, that he will see tomorrow and I have been painting some watercolors and ink, one of Positano Italy and some day I will take a long vacation in Italy and France, G-D willing!
So I ask you to continue to support me through buying my art. This is my main source of how income.
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