Journal entry by debbie hullinger —
ONE YEAR LATER
March 6th marked one year since Tyler had his stroke. That day the weather was cold, frozen, with the ground covered in ice.
Fast forward to March 6th, 2020. With a year under his belt, we were riding high and grateful for the progress made! Reconstruction on his L temple, to fill in the indentation left by the bone flap surgery, was scheduled for a high noon check in . Weather? Perfect!
Back to March 5th, 2020: We receive a call from the surgical team that surgery is postponed due to the complications he suffered from the colonoscopies he had the week prior. They inform us that they will reschedule surgery and will call when they have a date. Tyler has already waited almost months for that appointment.
Not quite devastating, but disappointing for sure. This is an issue Tyler has struggled with since the bone flap was returned. He wears a hat to cover that temple, and most people don’t notice it. But, the beholder will always notice his own physical flaws. Plus, it causes him some discomfort...kind of like a dull ache.
We have yet, to this day receive a new appointment time. So we wait and call. And, wait and call again. Frustrating, to say the least.
Tyler is busy selling cattle and enjoying his patio on the days it is nice enough to be outside.
Speech improves everyday. He shocks us with a 7-8 word sentence but still struggles with Tip of the Tongue syndrome. Knows what he wants to say but “the word” hangs back...unable to find it’s way out.
His R foot wants to invert [turn in] and supinate [roll over] despite his AFO [brace]. He may need one that covers the entire plantar surface of the foot [sole] to assist with keeping that foot in neutral. Downside: takes away the toe extension needed to help normalize his gait.
For now we fight on and keep looking forward. The only way to go, in our book.
Thank you for keeping us in your hearts and minds. For the prayers and allowing us to share our journey with you.
Be kind to one another.
March 6th marked one year since Tyler had his stroke. That day the weather was cold, frozen, with the ground covered in ice.
Fast forward to March 6th, 2020. With a year under his belt, we were riding high and grateful for the progress made! Reconstruction on his L temple, to fill in the indentation left by the bone flap surgery, was scheduled for a high noon check in . Weather? Perfect!
Back to March 5th, 2020: We receive a call from the surgical team that surgery is postponed due to the complications he suffered from the colonoscopies he had the week prior. They inform us that they will reschedule surgery and will call when they have a date. Tyler has already waited almost months for that appointment.
Not quite devastating, but disappointing for sure. This is an issue Tyler has struggled with since the bone flap was returned. He wears a hat to cover that temple, and most people don’t notice it. But, the beholder will always notice his own physical flaws. Plus, it causes him some discomfort...kind of like a dull ache.
We have yet, to this day receive a new appointment time. So we wait and call. And, wait and call again. Frustrating, to say the least.
Tyler is busy selling cattle and enjoying his patio on the days it is nice enough to be outside.
Speech improves everyday. He shocks us with a 7-8 word sentence but still struggles with Tip of the Tongue syndrome. Knows what he wants to say but “the word” hangs back...unable to find it’s way out.
His R foot wants to invert [turn in] and supinate [roll over] despite his AFO [brace]. He may need one that covers the entire plantar surface of the foot [sole] to assist with keeping that foot in neutral. Downside: takes away the toe extension needed to help normalize his gait.
For now we fight on and keep looking forward. The only way to go, in our book.
Thank you for keeping us in your hearts and minds. For the prayers and allowing us to share our journey with you.
Be kind to one another.
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