Читать книгу The Year I lost when I had a Stroke - Gerda Nischan - Страница 13

- Chapter Four -

The Hospital

Soon I was in a hospital gown and in bed. I was overwhelmed with what was going to be next. I was not scared but longed to have my husband Bodo with me although knew it would not be possible. He had died 15 years ago of a brain tumor. I thought of the morning of his death, on October 21, 2001.

I remember how I had stood at the window in my living room, watching the hearse that took my husband to the funeral home. I thought of the day we met, our wedding day and also about the day our son was born 18 months later.

And now this, what was going to happen to me in this hospital now?

A nurse said, “I will take you up to the floor for your MRI.” Then I learned that I had had a stroke the previous evening.

My wonderful son Michael, had rushed to visit me when he had learned of my stroke. He made arrangements for me to be moved from the hospital to an assisted living center – Golden Living. Once I was moved here, he came to see me every day until night came. That‘s when he drive back returned to my home, where he had so much work to do – communicating with friends and family, medical staff, and therapists about my progress. He also made many repairs to keep the home in good shape for my return to the future.

At Golden Living, I found myself sitting in a wheelchair with three ladies in the cheerful sunlit breakfast room. I had been introduced to all at breakfast as “Miss Gerda,” and that felt strange. Later, after a few more weeks of passing others in the hall ways, people startet calling me „Lady G.“ instead. When I objected they explained I dressed like a lady. I decided they could call me worse things than this so I decided I might as well enjoy my new title “Lady G”.

My friend Ines was collecting my laundry and washed some items herself at her home. She is the most practical, no-nonsense friend I have known. She took care of everything needed – so much so that Michael calls her „Director of Operations.“ She filed my nails, brushed my hair, put cream on my feet and went shopping for all the extras the nursing home could not provide. She brought food that I missed like special fruit or yogurt and she bought clothing when I started in the rehab.

Friends visited regularly with fresh grapes already washed along with raspberries, and dried apricots. Friends also brought me books, and I was grateful that I could read at all... sometimes I fell asleep over a book I was reading. I considered writing a book about my own story, about my stroke. It was so hard to write with one hand, but fortunately my right hand worked. I was determined to do this book.

I decided to share my own experiences with this ordeal.

Most of all it was wonderful that all my friends did not forget me; they visited me with coffee and news they thought I was interested in. Friends brought food, did my hair and did my nails...they were so kind to me. My wonderful son tucked me in nightly and said I should not worry about anything because I was his “number one client”. It made me feel so safe!

With the way I looked and felt after my stroke, I at least wantedto look nice so I wore my scarf and a hint of my Fracas Gardenia perfume.

Eventually I managed to walk across the entire room (with help) and after a few weeks I looked forward to therapy. I suprised all the therapists how soon I succeeded in even going up the stairs in the room and by the distance I could walk. So soon my confidence improved, and I began to think that I really would recover from this stroke an claim my life back!

I looked forward being by myself in my room, just to think about my life and where I could move forward, where I was to go to. My world had changed in a few seconds during the few seconds of my stroke. How could I go back to my life that I had a few weeks ago when I had taken a flight, trains or changed from one train to another with great confidence, yet this morning I had to learn all over again just how to walk? It won’t take long, I said to myself, it won’t take long at all, I decided. I would show them how soon I could get back to the life that I previously had.

My friend Evelyn visited often with flowers from her garden.The nurses upon seeing Evelyn come into the building, would tell me that my flower friend is on her way! The sill on my window was filled with all her flowers and the ones that so many friends send me!

Friends send books, flower, chocolates, cookies, coffee – all kinds of things to make me feel better. I read every day but it is really bad that I cannot type with both hands! It takes too long to type with one hand. I wanted to write a book about my stroke and I thought about this all the time – I was determined to this. Maybe it will help somebody who suffered a stroke, too.

Colleagues of my husband from ECU brought more than I would ever be able to read, piles and piles of books. The best part was that my friends came to see me! I was good at talk and some were surprised that I could talk at all, they thought I was my normal self.

My door was always a little open so I could hear waht people ware saying and could see some of them. I will never forget one gentleman sitting on a bench, eating his sandwich, and he had a big smile on his face as he told another gentleman how proud he was of his daughter who had graduated from college – the first in their family. In the hallways I could hear the bustle of active lives passing by and I wanted to be part of this life! I did not want to be a bed, unable to move...I wanted to be alive!

My friends wanted me to have my life back...I wanted to walk, run, travel, give parties for my friends, have them around me, and laugh with them! I felt I had been moved against my own will to another planet. Then I had a moment of real exitement in the middle of the summer: John O‘Brien called me and told me he planned a music program based on my book “Prisoner of War”. I couldn‘t believe it.