Last week I mentioned that I went to worship team practice for the first time since the stroke.  Practice was two hours long, but my hand only lasted an hour.  Still, there were a number of improvements that night.

 

When I try to use my left hand, about four different things can happen.

 

1. It starts to cramp
2. It starts to hurt – not on the surface, but deep inside
3. It decides to take a break and no amount of persuasion will get it to do otherwise

 

Or my personal favorite:

 

d. it does all of the above.

 

After an hour of playing on Thursday at rehearsal, the hand pulled a ‘d’.

 

Still, that was better and longer than any of my practice sessions at home, where the hand generally craps put after about 10 minutes.

Sunday was a busy day.  Good friends of ours were getting married and I was the official photographer, it was Linda’s birthday, and of course, church.  I was able to play for the service for the first time since I last played on Sunday, April 20^th – the day of my stroke.

My entire left side has no surface sensation, except for the following: the first digit pads of the first three fingers on my left hand, the tip of my thumb, and a little bit in the palm of my hand.  No sensation and little control in the pinky.  It is enough, however for short bursts of typing, and bass playing.  I didn’t even have to look at my hand the whole time, which is something new – it looks like a little of that spatial sense is returning.

At any rate, here’s a photo from Sunday.  I’m the one in the back with the red guitar strap.  My Bass is red, but you can’t see that part.  That’s our pastor in the front playing guitar.

 

Linda called it “Dave’s PlayDate” when she put it down on the calendar.  The specific parametrical details were listed as “13:00 hours to 17:00 hours” yesterday after therapy, which continues to evolve from week to week. 

Physical Therapy (PT) has been concentrating on stretching the  hamstrings (back of thigh) and quadriceps (front of thigh), balance and attaining an even walking gait, while Occupational Therapy (OT) has been concentrating on building up endurance and strength on the left side especially

Usually I rest when I get home afterwards, but yesterday was a departure from the norm.

Two years ago Linda talked me into attending a weekly Bible study group called Community Bible Study.  It’s a non-denominational group that meets once a week.  There is a specific designed study, and there are discussion leaders, but no real ‘right’ answers.  In fact, the interpretation of any given study passage, while somewhat directed by the prepared discussion questions, is pretty much left up to the individual.  Other than an evangelical understanding of the doctrine of salvation (John 3:16, 14:6, Romans 3:23, 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9), there are no ‘official’ answers.  On any given night with any given group there can be as many translations of the Bible and as many denominations present as there are participants in the study.  I like to joke that even among Baptist Scholars (my personal background) if you ask any ten of them the same question, you’ll get eleven answers.

I lead the Men’s group.  I’ve become good friends with many of the attendees, including the man who was discussion leader for the men’s group before me. The week I got home from the hospital this gentleman emailed me with the offer to break up some of the tedium of me day by getting together over coffee, or going to a garden, or whatever if I were so inclined.

Yesterday he picked me up and we set out to explore the Phipps Conservatory, a beautiful multi-room arboretum and outdoor botanical garden on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.  I’d been there three times before, but each time in October.  Their theme changes each season, and this was the first time I’d seen the Summer displays.

I love places like this – especially with my camera.  When I lived in Lansing, Michigan, I would often go to the Beal Botonical Garden, Rose Garden or Children’s Horticultural Garden at Michigan State University, or to the Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids.  In Fort Meyers, Florida, I’d go to one of the many nature preserves in the area like the 6-mile Cypress Slough Preserve or, the J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Preserve on Sanibel Island. When I lived in the Netherlands, places like Keukenhof and Floriade got my attention. I took nearly 100 snaps yesterday.  Love my Nikon D1x digital SLR!  It’s an oldie, but hey – it works for me!  I’ve included links to the main web pages for all these places in the paragraph above.  Just click on the name and it should take you to them..

In fact the only down side to the whole event was the one we anticipated.  Walking around these warm, humid glassed in arboretums and gardens for nearly three hours in the summer sun right after therapy pretty much wiped me out.  My left leg is as stiff as a freshly starched collar today!  Otherwise, life moves on.

I expect to hear from the neurologist this week to schedule the next CT scan, the results of which will determine the schedule for the MRI and angiogram, the results of which will determine treatment protocol.

I’m still basically without sensation on my left side, although therapy is helping to retrain my unfeeling side (go ahead – this is the place where you insert the requisite joke) to so things even when I can’t feel them.  I am still of work, and still not permitted to drive, but then hey – I’m half the man I used to be – tactilely speaking.  Tomorrow I’ll be attending my first worship team rehearsal since the stroke.  If all goes well, I’ll be playing with the team on Sunday.

I’m getting back into the swing of trying creative cookery.  Last week I created a pasta salad with poached salmon, roasted veggies and a nice honey-dijon vinaigrette, all my own ideas, and if all goes well, I have this idea for marsala chicken salad served in puff pastry cups or filo cups that I want to try this weekend.

As always, Linda is the best!  I truly don’t know what I’d do without her.  In many ways this is harder on her than it is on me.  All I have to do is heal.  She has to do what she always does, plus what I would usually do, PLUS put up with me!  Please keep her especially in your prayers.  She is simply awesome!

So – there you have it – this week’s update.  Backatcha laters!

---

PS You can see my pictures from yesterday here.

Do any of you also have Red Box as an option to rent DVD's in your area?  It's a clever concept.  A big rod box with mostly new and recent release movies for a buck a night.  In our area, they're at grocery stores, mostly outside so you have 24-hour access.

A while back I started trying to get a film a friend recommended to me because I'm such a Beatles geek  The film is called Across the Universe and features 31 Beatles tunes - some of them full length, some nothing more than a line of dialogue (Sadie: "Where'd she come from?" Jude: "She came in through the bathroom window.")  None performed by the Beatles.

It's an interesting film placed during the turbulent 60's, and worth the viewing for the clever use of the music and interesting choreography, and it got me thinking, so I went looking through my Beatles stuff.  Linda didn't recognize many of the songs most of which were from Hey Jude, Let It Be, Abby Road and the White album, so I spent much of the viewint telling her which one the bit came from.  That got me looking for the title song, Across the Universe, which comes from Get Back, and leads me to this next bit - a video of another song from Get Back, which originally appeared on the official Beatles web page.  Slap on your ear phones, and enjoy this brilliantly delightful look at the past, John, Paul, and George in their prime:  Two of Us.  Enjoy.