The Challenge
Fighting the odds.
“Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.”-Trepk Campbell
Nearly five years ago, I was recovering from a stroke. I was healthy and exercised throughout my life, up till about a year and a half before receiving my stroke.
The year and a half previous to my stroke, I also neglected to take prescribed medicine. Such as for blood pressure.
MY rationale for neglecting my medicine was that soon I would start exercising, and my health should be at a level where I didn’t need medication.
I had precedent for this kind of attitude, since, previously, my Doctor had given me the option of exercising to get my blood pressure under control or to start taking blood pressure medication. The next time I saw him, we concluded that my exercising had worked to get my blood pressure under control, thus I didn't need to start taking blood pressure medication.
It was easy to ignore my high blood pressure. High blood pressure is known as the silent killer and occurs without any noticeable symptoms, this led to my lackadaisical attitude. I kept putting off my health until my stroke occurred.
I spent nearly two months in two different hospitals. The first hospital was where I was treated for stroke, while the second hospital was for my rehab.
The hospitals confine all stroke victims to beds, not letting them leave without assistance. For most people stuck in denial about their stroke, this confinement is hard to accept, especially after being independent.
I remember arguing with a nurse that I need to go to the bathroom. At first, the nurse was adamant that I not be allowed to go to the bathroom without assistance. However, my impatience was able to wear her down, as soon I was venturing to the bathroom without assistance.
As soon as I was positioning myself for relief, my balance failed, and I took a dive headfirst into the porcelain king. After getting chewed out, the emergency nurse never smiled at me again.
I was wheeled from the emergency room to the basement of the hospital, where the MRI machine was located. Later I was able to look at my MRI and have it explained to me.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to go under the scalpel to have brain surgery. Two blood clots traveled to my brain, depriving essential oxygen. The blood clots occurred from blood bursting through arteries caused by my high blood pressure.
The blood clots causing my stroke were treated with medicine. After I exhausted my stroke treatment at the first hospital, I took an ambulance ride to the second hospital, where I was to begin rehab and learn to walk and chew food once again.
The only stroke symptom that I didn't recover from is double vision. I, either, have to wear corrective lenses or an eye patch. I foresee mostly sporting an eye patch once I have cataract surgery. (The name for this stage of life should be changed from golden years to surgery years.)
I was released from the second hospital, and I started a program to get my health back.
Part of my health recovery program was to swim laps in our neighborhood association pool. I live in Corinth, TX, bordering Denton, TX,
It was not hard to find motivation for swimming laps in the Texas summer. My air conditioner had quit working and the home warranty program I had been paying in for years failed to honor their contract.
I had double motivation for swimming laps each day. I was motivated by health and to escape the hot Texas summer heat.
Furthermore, I used to be a lifeguard and was approached by my high school swimming instructor, who promised to make me a state champion if I would join the swimming team. After I, told him I was already on the wrestling team, he never repeated the offer again.
Late in the summer, I was at the neighborhood pool, swimming laps as I routinely did each morning. I was getting noticed as an accomplished swimmer. This is when I got challenged to a race by a man unknown to me.
The man was several inches taller than me and was ten to twenty years younger than me. We decided to race, to which a lady acting as the judge called the race a tie.
The man was local, having played baseball for Ryan high school nearby in Denton, TX, He lived in the country club neighborhood just a couple of miles from my house. He showed me his baseball card, which proved he was a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.
So here I was having had a stroke recently competing with a professional athlete.
I made this story into a brief Facebook post at the time this happened. The post had 22 comments, which is better than many of my medium posts.
I was an athlete during high school and had a friend who was a nationally recognized swimmer. He jokingly challenged me to another swimming contest.
