365 Days of Recovery

Right after midnight on a Sunday night a year ago, Doug had a stroke. That night, I was still up and the light was still on in our bedroom. Doug went to the bathroom and when he came back, he said "I feel dizzy". (Later he told me, he couldn't use his left arm and hand to pull up his pants.) When I looked across the room at him, I instantly saw the signals of a stroke with the slurred speech and droopy face as well as his left arm dangling without any control. He wanted me to take him to the hospital, but he was not able to walk and ended up sitting on the bedroom floor and eventually laying on his back. I dialed 911 and the Fire Truck 4 blocks away came first and a few minutes later the Ambulance came and transported Doug to the Emergency Room at the Norman Regional Hospital.
Jared and I were up all night with Doug in the Emergency Room until he was taken to a room in ICU. Jaley stayed at home with Kalen and Lacey. Doug never lost consciousness. Whenever I woke him up to talk; he would always wake up and respond. He never lost any memory; he would answer all questions correctly. His stroke was not from a blood clot in his brain, but the other kind. He had a hemorrhagic stroke that was the bleeding kind which caused his left side to be paralyzed. Doug was in the hospital for 59 days. The physical therapists told Doug to get used to being in a wheelchair. Doug said, "No, I am going to walk out of here in a walker". Thank goodness for Doug's determination and God's healing grace.