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The Metaphorical Full Monty, Part 1
I’ve always said I’d be brutally honest when I put hands to keyboard here at Everydayhealth and I’m not about to break that shortly held record yet. I’m taking the month of December to lay bare some of the things that have been weighing heavy on my heart, soul and mind. It’s probably going to get a bit dodgy in parts here so take that as a unofficial content warning as it’ll be raw and a bit rough.
With a post title like this one features, you’d be good to read with care and grains of salt at the ready for sprinkling….read more @ Everydayhealth.com!
Where is Aaron now?
My latest appointment with my doctor revealed that I have a condition known as Cavernous angioma. More information here. I know as much as you do aside from the surface research I’ve done in the last few weeks but I will tell you that it can kill me. You see, it can lead to aneurysms. And we all know what that word means. As the emperor in Disney’s “The Emperor’s New Groove” says, “Bad Llama.” Or as my housekeepers that I supervise are want to say, “No bueno!”I would agree with both reactions emphatically. It is not good.
Lose it or Die!
You want to know how bad it’s become? I weigh a shocking 230 pounds. I’m 5′11. That’s unreal to me.
I’ve struggled with my weight for a long time and most of it was even pre-stroke. It started when I went overseas to the Philippines and found myself eating to excess. When I came back I simply continued in this habit. It’s become worse in the last year as I’ve gone back and forth with my gym membership and moving into a new placed coupled with job stress.
I’m not happy with how I look and I’ve got to double down. Every month I go without getting back on the train is another month where I am living unhealthy and threatening my future with all kinds of potential maladies. It’s time. I’ve got to lose it or I will most certainly leave this earth earlier than I ever intended. Combined with my stroke, sleep apnea and everything else I can’t do what I’m doing anymore.
So every day I’m going to blog about what I did to avoid the acceleration of my doom. Some of it might be funny. Other times it’ll be heartbreaking. And some of it will probably be boring. But it must be done. My future depends on this.
Was it the Sleep Apnea?
For the longest time, I’ve had to struggle with the knowledge that I had no idea what had caused my stroke back in April of 2008. For the six days that I was in the hospital I was tested in every way imaginable (and a few more) to figure out what exactly had caused the malfunction within the brain inside my head. Over the last year I’ve tried to explain it away with the stress I had at my former job in the call center together with the unhealthy life I was living.
While I accepted this explanation I still felt there was something missing from the confounding puzzle. My aunt recently called me after discovering there was a connection between strokes and Sleep Apnea. She was recently diagnosed and multiple members of my extended family suffer from the affliction. With her motivation (and my mother’s insistence) I setup an appointment for a sleep study at a nearby hospital.
I won’t lie to you, I was increasingly curious as I read more into the correlation of why Sleep Apnea carries the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It would make sense. I often complain of being tired as the day is just getting started even if I get more then acceptable amounts of sleep. I’ve also had more and more bouts of insomnia over the years that it is starting to become an unbearable problem.
1 year, 1 month, 15 days
This video describes in words and images what I feel like this far along in my stoke.
That is all for now. 
1 year 1 month and 4 days
That’s how long it’s been since my stroke.
Today was the first day that I actually felt as if I had returned to myself pre-stroke. It’s not been easy. I have a schedule book (seen here) that I’m using to keep track of my day and my tasks. My workout regimen has given me 12 less pounds since I began on March 25. I feel better each day. I can do more each day. Without question, I’m doing much better than I was six months into the stroke.
I was able to do so much yesterday that for the first time, I felt as I had done my job and put everything I had into what i was doing. It was an odd moment where I realized this, but it felt as I had actually accomplished something beyond my regular day to day existence. I had made a difference in my life in so many smaller ways that suddenly the big picture was no longer cloudy but becoming clearer.
I start it all again today and hope to continue this upward climb.
Tally ho!
Stroke: One Year Later
Wow.
It’s been on helluva trip. One year ago on April 9th I had my stroke. I went from everyday guy to stroke survivor in about twenty seconds. It’s been a long journey this year both physically and mentally. I won’t lie, I’ve had days where I nearly felt like cursing God for doing this to me. Most days was quiet acceptance that this indeed would be with me for the rest of my life.
Struggling with a stroke for me has been a emotional and spiritual battle. For me, my stroke wasn’t as physically disabling as most. My left side still responds slower and my leg likes to act up once in awhile. When I don’t take my medication on a regular basis my brain goes into wandering mode. My speech patterns were affected in small but irritating ways. All of these were struggles I have had to overcome.
Read the full article »
Farewell to 2008
Well, this is it. The moment where we all count down to the end of one long stretch of 365 days. I know it’s been a harried year on the international stage with diplomacy and war. The markets from Argentina to Zimbabwe have taken a pounding. Here in the good ole’ United States of America we’ve been in a recession for pretty much the entire year. Money isn’t growing on trees like it used to and everyone is facing uncertain times.
Yes, 2008 was probably not the best year we as a nation have had. Never mind what ugly shape the world is in right now.
On a personal level 2008 has been equally as rocky. Back in April I had a minor stroke that put me in the hospital for six days. Every since that day I’ve been living my life in terms of black and white. Some days are good, some days are bad. My left side acts up every so often. My leg especially enjoys slowing me down at times. I’ve lost some confidence when it comes to speaking in social situations. That once gregarious unstoppable force that was Aaron DeLay has slowed some. I take two pills a day and haven’t found the groove and rhythm that I had hoped would be evident by this time in my life.
145 days stroke free: Spiritually Bankrupt
Faith is one of those things that is often not talked about for many reasons. One is that others may not subscribe to religious followings. The other is that you risk fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ because you’ve made a statement about faith that is wrong in thier eyes. Any number of reactions can be had but it’s usually the first one that crops up.
My faith has been with me since I was born. Parents are Christians. It was in our daily life all through the opening chapters of our existance. Mind you, I made the choice to give my heart and soul over to Jesus at my own time. My parents were very careful with that and it has led me to do the same with kids I deal with in life and ministry.
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- Well, @mistymontano it appears a Tuesday storm is in store. Did Mother Earth go off her meds again?
- @ColoradoKila THE EYES THE EYYYYEESS!
- @johnincolorado You made a funny! #anditwashiliariouslyawesomegojohngo
Follow me @aarondelay -
Live from the 303 by Aaron DeLay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. -
