8 Months

Today I have been thinking about the experts. And I have been thinking about miracles. This day marks the 8 month anniversary of my stroke. The experts told me that after the 6 month mark, any improvement would be slim. Huh. I couldn't be happier to prove them wrong *grin*

As per a previous post, I all of a sudden blazed the brain path to my cursive writing. It has stayed. That was just a few weeks ago! I can't tell you the joy I have sitting down and just writing whenever I want to!! No brain strain. No hand weakness. Brilliant!!

Also... I resigned myself to walking with a limp when I go down hills. Not sure why that one stayed a struggle, but it was very disconcerting to be sauntering along and all of a sudden fight to keep your hip joint from giving out and dropping you to your knees! (LOL)

I haven't wanted to post about this, mostly because I didn't want to jinx it. But I am going to anyway...

I have conquered the hills... first in walking... which took a long time... and then in running!!!

Yep.

Running.

Emmalee and I are on our 4th week of doing our own version of Couch to 5K. *grin*

It seemed like a great plan... ease into running from being a couch potato. I mean really... after 6 months of mostly sitting on the couch... wasn't I considered a "couch potato"???

We set out, and on our first day, I was telling Emma that we needed to walk for 60 seconds and then run for 30 seconds; how many times did we need to do it for our 20 minutes of workout? She figured 10 times. So we did our 5 minutes brisk warm up walk, then started our 20 minutes of jogging/walking. This first week my body could only do 8 times. It was a stretch!! But it was AMAZING to realize that we DID IT!!

Our second week we made it up to 10 times easier. It still was a stretch... but we were doing it! It was this week that I checked my print out of the program and realized I had remembered the times wrong! We were suppose to run for 60 seconds!! And then walk for 90!! OOPS! (tee hee) Actually I know Heavenly Father had a hand in that mix up - I would have likely been SO discouraged at not being able to do these longer times, we would have quit looong before now!

Last week we increased to 45 seconds. It is still hard. I won't lie... but my energy levels have skyrocketed!! Literally! The days we run I get more accomplished then the days we don't!

We are good and stick to the 3 days a week. I dont want to overdo and set myself back. I watch my Emma... she is getting faster and stronger! She has her Daddy's speed. (Jes is amazingly fast when he runs! He just gets shin splints so bad he hates to do it!)

Em is a PERFECT running buddy! Her "love language" is quality time... and so this is sacred Mom & Me time for her. She LOVES it. I laugh to my self... I have told her the night before the time we want to go - she is at my bedside waking me up on the button, ready to go! *grin* It is AWESOME!

This week our program feel apart a bit. We had a "squeak by" week between paychecks, and I happen to run out of my meds at the same time. I didnt dare push my heart without it's medications. I was glad I didn't. But now I am medicated again and we are back at it! It is amazing!

So back to stroke recovery, and running down hills. The first time we hit a hill on the river trail we run on, it was comical! I was like "Oooo... Oooo... Ack Ack!!" as I tried to get my mind to keep putting one foot in front of the other, as well as focusing on my hip socket. LOL Talk about a brain strain!! I am really grateful it doesn't hurt... it's just like that part of me is missing. At the end of week two of our program, I was running down the hills with little thought process! It was FANTASTIC!!

Another thing that is kind of a residual of the stroke; I have lost my sense of stressing out. I have researched and found that it is a common side effect of a left side (right side affected) stroke. That part of my brain doesn't stimulate anymore. I like it! Everything seems do-able and not worth freaking out about. Talk about a HUGE blessing!! I pray with all my heart... that that part never heals!! Bwahahahahaha