Road to Recovery

It’s 5 am again. Another night of very little sleep. It’s not that I haven’t been in bed long enough, it’s more that my brain won’t stop. The “wanna-be” author in me has learned that when the words come, you stop whatever you are doing …in this case, it was trying to sleep… to get the words down on paper. So here I sit, typing in the dark living room, while Heath tries to sleep upstairs.

I’m thinking about Dad Smith. Considering what a struggle it is for him after his recent stroke to accomplish things that others do every day. I’m wondering if we ever even put thought into lifting our arms, our legs, forming our words, chewing our food, swallowing. Do we ever think about how blessed we are to be able to do these things that seem so little and insignificant? I must be honest, I’m not sure I have in the past. But as I watch dad strain at the weight of even just opening and closing his fist, I am reminded of what an awesome thing it is to be able to do those things without first mentally focusing on it and then pushing ourselves to make it happen.

It brings tears to my eyes to watch him. I usually keep them in until I’m at least home. He doesn’t need to see them. Mostly I keep them in even until now, when I’m the only one in the room, Heath needs that. I have realized, though, that as my body is fighting exhaustion, tears get closer to the surface. That’s ok…. they are cleansing, right? It is tough, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, to see a 59 year old walking, talking, feisty man reduced (in minutes), in a way, to a child, or so it seems. I imagine it is quite humbling and frustrating at the same time to have to be told to chew your food, drink your water, move your foot, wait for the nurse, repeat your sentences, show me you can swallow, try to go to the bathroom, tell me your name, what’s the date, where are you, focus, EVERY DAY!

The stroke damaged only a tiny area in his brain and for that we are thankful. It’s amazing! I don’t think I ever thought about how intricate the brain was, until they told us that this one tiniest little blood vessel in the right back side of his brain did the damage and caused him to lose most of his movement in the right side of his body. Now, is the road to recovery. He’s doing remarkable. He’s regaining his strength and movement and all of the therapist say he’ll snap back quickly. So where do we go from here? Monday he will be evaluated by a Speech Therapist to determine the course of therapy. He is quite understandable, but his words are slurred and sometimes he has to repeat what he says. It has trained us to really listen, which is a lesson we probably all need. I’m not sure we always really listen to what others are saying, whether it’s directly to us or not. On Monday he will also be evaluated by Mary Free-Bed which is where he will likely be for Rehab until he can walk again. Yesterday he took 3 full steps, which is incredible for someone who has just had a stroke, but it was also incredibly tiring for him. He wanted to walk to the door, but they wouldn’t let him. His stubbornness and feisty spirit is working for him in this trial. If they say go 3 steps, he wants to go 10, if they say do 10 exercises, he wants to do 15. He is a fighter and we are hopeful that he will gain most, if not all of his movement back. Positively, they have ruled seizures out as was diagnosed the 2nd time to Spectrum. That’s good because he can have his license back and does not have to be chauffeured around for the next 6 months. That would have been hard on both him and mom, since she dislikes driving. Instead, once he’s walking again, he can go back to being mom’s chauffeur.

I think I’ve come to the end of my words. Or maybe I’m finally about to fall asleep. Regardless, I should close by asking for your prayers. Please pray for Dad. Pray that his frustrations are kept to a minimum, that he continues to progress, that he continues to fight, and that he doesn’t give the nurses too hard of a time, or us, by the way! Pray for Mom. She is getting rest and we have all been there most of the time and someone is staying with her each night, so she is able to get out of the room, but she needs strength and stamina for the road ahead. She is amazing with Dad as she helps him do his exercises. She doesn’t leave his side. Pray for us kids and grandkids. It is tough on the boys, especially, to see Dad this way. It doesn’t take much for us all to be in tears. Dad loves visits, but whenever a new visitor comes in, he cries. They say it’s from the stroke, and it may very well be, but I know Dad. He has a tender heart and those tears are an overflow of the emotions that have always been there. He is overwhelmed by the number of people who love him and us and are there to support us, as we are. Even the doctors/nurses comment on what a “party” we always seem to be having there. Smith’s take care of their own in an awesome way! Please pray for the doctors, nurses, therapists, and specialists that will ensure his on-going care. Lastly, pray for all the little details of his hospital stay and recovery... the finances, the traveling back and forth, the waiting, the therapy sessions, and so many more that I can’t think of right now.

Amazing how much radio we’ve listened to in the past week. Each time we’ve turned on the radio there has been a song about our faith being tried, going through troubled times, someone praying us through, God’s faithfulness, Him being with us always, meaning ALWAYS. That was no mistake. I’m reminded of the song “Let the Waters Rise” by MikesChair. It talks about your world caving in, not knowing where to begin, not knowing what words to say, but knowing that He’s right there with you. The Chorus says, let the waters rise, if you want them to, I will follow you, God, I will follow you. So, here we are, the waters are rising… pray that we will hang tight and follow him!