Second Chances

byLippC

272 followers

10 years ago

I don't think many of you know that I've been experiencing some personal problems for awhile now. My husband had been in and out of hospitals for some time and a few months ago we found out that he had a brain tumor. That threw us for a loop. The good news (if you can find anything good about this diagnosis) was that the tumor was benign. The bad news was that the 2- lb tumor was pressing on the central nerve that sent signals to his legs. He collapsed and was unable to walk when taken to the hospital. The doctor said he needed to operate as soon as feasibly possible.

The 6 hr. operation was successful and the doctor said he removed all the cancerous tissue. We felt we could breathe again. He was in intensive care for a week and was very disoriented. His speech was not coherent and he seemed confused most of the time. He couldn't write or do simple things like hold a book or a pen in his hands or use a cell phone to text or talk. I was concerned because I thought he would be okay since the doctor said the operation was a success. We had a family conference with the doctor and he explained what was happening. I cannot remember most of the medical jargon he used, but the bottom line was that my husband couldn't do a lot of the things he automatically did before because the motor neurons were not carrying the messages away from the brain and back to the rest of the body as systematically as before. He needed to go to a rehab for therapy. At the beginning he was bedridden. Therapy was confined to working with his speech, his hands and stretching and messaging his legs in bed.

It's been months now and he still needs help with walking (using a walker or cane). Progress has been painfully slow, but he is progressing. He now can text and talk on the phone. His speech has improved to the point where he has regained his sense of humor. He is using a wheelchair to get around on his own in the rehab. He can now get out of bed by himself, although it is a slow and painful process when he does. There are still some areas that he hasn't conquered and needs help with. I think the reason he isn't improving as fast as he should is because he is very overweight. He hasn't lost much weight since this happened because he was confined to bed for so long.

It hasn't been easy on the family and my husband alike. My time and involvement with WA suffered. Eventually, I cancelled my membership since I couldn't devote any time to WA. I regretted it immediately, but still couldn't see what else I could do. I think I was so overwhelmed by the situation that I simply could not see what Kyle tried to tell me....that I could start slow and do a little bit each time. I didn't need to stay online for hours and try to do more than I could to feel like I'd contributed. I thought about my cancellation and breathe a sigh of relief because I didn't have to come up with $47 each month. And more times than that, I'd think about how I'd cancel and feel sick to my stomach, like a failure.

Well...there are second chances and mine came when I received that email about the Black Friday special. I am again enrolled as Premium thanks to this special. I couldn't possibly missed such an amazing offer. This was the incentive I needed (paid up for a year at only $299) instead of having to dish out $47 each month...which give me another incentive. I will do as Kyle said. I'm getting online slowly, doing a little bit each time I'm on, learning a little more each time - until it builds up to something successful.

See!? I already started. I wrote another blog!