Back to the process…

With the “bowel blockage” scare behind me, I feel like I’m returning to some kind of normal…normal for me that is. This means that the need for further recovery from the stroke has re-entered my present consciousness. I’m doing the BP monitoring, being surprised that this continues to be low much of the time. I’ve attempted to establish routine in my daily life. I walk, get to bed at a reasonable hour, and carefully attend to bodily feelings as I go about my day.

It’s fascinating to observe how events and occurrences slide from the ‘back row’ of one’s consciousness to the front when a crisis is past. I spent some time today “freeing” the bicycles from their winter covers. I plan to ride the big ‘freighter’ bike downtown next week, to buy groceries. I took a test spin down the lane this afternoon. I can tool along nicely without getting winded or raising my BP unduly. That will give me a greater sense of freedom and accomplishment. I looked longingly at my racer, but I know that I will have to put that temptation on hold for a short while. There is no way to ride that machine without trying to go faster and faster. Perhaps later in the summer?

This evening we travel to Edmonton to be near the Grey Nuns Hospital. I’m up for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test early tomorrow morning. This appears to be the final test in the process of deciding if the stroke is truly resolved. I dislike this particular test, because it is so filled with unpleasant noise. As you lie in a long tube – a bit claustrophobic if you keep your eyes open – and the lens rotates around you. The machine’s noise sound exactly like a group of men hammering on the outside of the tube with sledge hammers! The first time experienced it, I was sure something was wrong, and that the machine was about to self-destruct. The whole process takes about a quarter hour, but that time is really unpleasant for me.

Unfortunately, I have no profound thoughts in me today. The trip tonight is on my mind, as well as the MD visit Monday, which will hopefully let me get on with removing the medical mandate from my driver’s license. After seeing the doctor, we have to rush to the Registry office, and fin out if the license can be renewed then, or if we have to go to Edmonton, or if I can get a temporary license. This is the kind of stuff that is most likely t cause my BP to rise. I get excited about these things, as in, worried. It’s pointless, I know, and I work against it. I can here Dr. Bakshee’s voice; “Don’t get excited about things…”

So I remind myself to take one step at a time. Recovery is a process, not a race. These little steps pave the way for the next advance. They keep me from going too fast. (See why I won’t get on the racer?) Anyway, shortly off to Edmonton, which was under a Tornado Watch the last time I listened to the radio!