Author: jenannlynn

In March 2004, I suffered a severe brainstem stroke, & was "locked in" for several months". I have been married to a wonderful man, Mark ever since 1994, & we have 3 kids: Zach, Jessie, & Sophie. I have been blessed in so many ways by God, so I wanted to keep a blog to share my recovery, life, & answer questions.

EXCITING NEWS

I JUST FOUND OUT I’LL BE PUBLISHED IN THE February/March ISSUE OF Digital Scrapbooking from Simple Scrapbooks. I NEVER AM RECOGNIZED, THOUGH AM TOLD I SHOULD BE, SO I HAD NO INTENTION 2 ENTERR-JUST FELT I SHOULD THAT MONING! I ENTERED W/IN 2 HOURS OF IT ENDING! I REALLY THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT!

WHAT I WROTE & I’LL POST THE PG. THAT’LL BE PUBLISHED (& WAS SOOO EASY, ANY1 COULD HAVE DONE IT!):

I used to do all traditional scrapbooking and then switched over SINCE TRADITIONAL WAS NO LONGER FEASIBLE-I HAD A STROKE & COULDN’T TALK OR MOVE. AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, I GOT BACK ENOUGH MOVEMENT SO I COULD CONTROL A MOUSE. I HAVE DOUBLE VISION, SO INSTEAD OF A COMPUTER SCREEN, I USE A 44′ LCD (BIG SCREEN TV), BUT IT’S HARD TO SEE TO SCRAPBOOK. YET, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT IT IS WAY FASTER, EVEN WITH BAD VISION, THAN TRADITIONAL SCRAPBOOKING, EASIER TO MAKE A DUPLICATE PG. FOR KIDS, AND WAY MORE FORGIVING (I LOVE THE ‘UN-DO’ BUTTON). SINCE I HAVE SEEN HOW DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING HELPS ME, I WANTED OTHERS TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING, SO EVERY OTHER THURS., I MEET WITH OTHER WOMEN AT MY HOUSE TO WATCH A TUTORIAL & PRACTICE WHAT WE’VE LEARNED IN DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING. I ALSO HAD A SISTER-IN-LAW & A CLOSE FRIEND, WHO’D PREVIOUSLY REBUKED TRADITIONAL SCRAPBOOKING, JUST WATCHED ME ASSEMBLE A PG., & STARTED DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING.

BEFORE MY STROKE, I TAUGHT KALEIDESCOPES & HOW TO USE CRYSTAL LACQUER. SINCE THEN, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT BOTH ARE POSSIBLE TO DO IN DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING, BUT I’M STILL A BEGINNER, SO I HAVE YET TO LEARN ABOUT HOW TO DO CRYSTAL LACQUER, & ONLY RECENTLY WAS AMAZED BY HOW MUCH EEASIER A K-SCOPE PROGRAM IS!

http://www.jenannlynn.org/ TELLS MY STORY, DESCRIBES MY EYESIGHT & TELLS OF WHEN I STARTED DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING, & HAS MANY OTHER SCRAPBOOK PGS., BUT I HAVEN’T KEPT TRACK OF MY SUPPLIES, HOWEVER IT’S USUALLYFROM http://store.digitalscrapbookplace.com/ & http://www.digitalfreebies.com/.

Wedding-Scrap

STROKE

I HATE THAT MY HAVING A STROKE HAS THRUST US INTO BEFRIENDING THE ELDERLY’NOTHING AGAINST ELDERLY PEOPLE, BUT I’M IN MY EARLY 30S & WOULD LIKE YOUNGER COUPLES 2 HANG OUT WITH, DESPITE BEING HANDICAPPED! I WILL ‘GROW INTO’ OLDER FRIENDS AS WE ALL GROW OLDER. IT SEEMS HARD 2 understand THAT stroke survivors r not all 80 year olds in nursing homes. SINCE MY DOUBLE VISION MAKES IT HARD, I HAD CARA, MY CARETAKER/PERSONAL ASST., READ SOME OF MY YAHOO SUPPORT GROUP 2 ME. SHE COULDN’T GET OVER HOW YOUNG WE WERE! MOST HAD THEIR STROKES IN THEIR 20S, & I RECENTLY LEARNED A GIRL WAS 7 yearS old WHEN SHE STROKED! OF COURSE, THERE R ALL KINDS OF STROKES, & FEW SEEM AS SERIOULY AFFECTED AS ME, BUT IT’S NICE 2 KNOW THAT MANY SURVIVORS OF STROKE, AFTER 15 YRS., R STILL PROGRESSING/RECOVERING! ANOTHER MYTH IS THAT 2 HAVE A STROKE, U HAVE BAD HEALTH. WRONG. I WAS PERFECCTLY HEALTHY. I NEVER SMOKED OR DRANK. I HAD NO WARNING SIGNS. MAYBE SOMEDAY I WILL POST WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THE DOCTORS NEVER FOUND A CAUSE.

GUESS WHAT

GUESS WHAT I DID MON. NIGHT? I LEANED OVER & SCRATCHED MY LEFT CALF! I HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN 2 YEARS! 🙂 4 SOME REASON (I THINK IT’S BECAUSE MY LEGS CAN’T LIFT, SO I;M NOT DISTRACTED & CAN CHANNEL THAT ENERGY ELSEWHERE) I CAN HAVE BETTER CHANCES 2 LEAN FORWARD ON MY ELEVATOR. BUT I HAVE GOOD (CAN LEAN FORWARD)& BAD (CAN’T LEAN FORWARD & RESORT 2 MAKING NOISE & MOUTH SHAPES) DAYS.

PRESCHOOL

FIA STARTS PRESCHOOL 2DAY. U’D THINK I’D BE SAD 2 C MY LAST BABY START, BUT I’M NOT BECAUSE I HAVEN’T TALKED 2 HER IN 2 YRS., & WHILE I KNOW IT’S A WAY OFF, SHE CAN RECOGNIZE WHEN I DO MOST OF THE ASL LETTERS, SO STARTING SCHOOL JUST MEANS SHE’S CLOSER 2 LEARNING 2 READ & SPELL! BESIDES, SHE’S SOOO READY & NEEDS IT! & AM I ALLOWED 2 SAY I’M LOOKING 4WARD 2 A FEW UNINTERRUPTED HOURS A FEW DAYS & I’M GLAD I DON’T HAVE 2 PICK HER UP MIDDAY. (MARK SHOULD BE GLAD IT’S 3, NOT 5, 1/2 DAYS!)

THANKS

I WAS TOLD ORIGINALLY I HAD APHSIA, WHICH KEPT ME FROM TALKING. NOW I’M HEARING I HAVE 2 TALK 2 HAVE APHSIA. WHATEVER. I JUST KNOW I RELATE 2 IT (I CAN MAKE NOISES, BUT USUALLY NOT 2 OTHERS & DEFINITELY NOT IF I’M ASKED 2 SAY SOMETHING-IT JUST HAPPENS) & THANKS 2 ALL WHO WROTE OPRAH & MADE HER AWARE OF IT. I WILL SHARE IF I HEAR SOMETHING. MY GROUP IS 4 YOUNG STROKE SURVIVORS-IT’S NOT UNCOMMON 2 MEET A 20 YR. OLD. IT’D BE WISE IF SHE ADDRESSED STROKE 2. I HAD NO WARNING SIGNS, BUT STROKE IS EQUATED 2 OLD AGE. THAT’S NOT TRUE.

BTW, DID U NOTICE WE ADDED 2 NEW BOOKS? I STILL HAVEN’T READ ANY, BECAUSE THEY R NOT AUDIO BOOKS. I HAVE HAD PART OF KATE’S JOURNEY READ 2 ME, WHICH I REALLY ENJOYED, BUT SHE COULD DO WAY MORE THAN ME.