TALKING

WHEN MY DAUGHTER , SOPHIA STUDIES FOR HER SPELLINNG TESTS, SHE LOVES TO HAVE ME READ A SPELLING WORD TO HER, SO SHE CAN GUESS THE WORD & SPELL IT 4 ME. IT’S A CHALLENGING, BUT FUN, GAME 4 ME…& SOPHIA HAS A WAY OF MAKING ME LAUGH, SO I REALLY ENJOY IT. LUCKILY IT’S WEEKEND, SO SHE WON’T NEED ME 2 SAY HER WORDS BECUZ ON FRIDAY I LOST MY VOICE. KIND OF FUNNY WHEN THE GIRL WHO CAN’T SPEAK, COMPLAINS ABOUT LOSING HER VOICE! LOL BUT, AS MY MUSIC THERAPIST POINTED OUT, IT SHOWS THAT I HAVE A VOICE TOO LOOSE, SO 3 CHEERS 4 THAT!

BUT ON THE SUBJECT OF TALKING, WHEN I DO TILT TABLE, I COUNT MY KNEE BENDS, SO MY HELPER/ASSISSTANT, ANGIE KNOWS HOW I SAY MY #’S. A WHILE AGO, I COUNTED TO SIX FOR ANGIE, WHILE LAYING DOWN. ANGIE WAS SHOCKED AT HOW WELL I DID! I ACTUALLY INCLUDED MY “S’S” & “T’S.” BUT RECENTLY, WHEN I DID MY KNEE BENDS, I SAID “SIX” & “SEVEN” W/THE LETTER “S” SOUND WHILE STANDING! I FLIPPED OUT! HAVEN’T DONE IT SINCE, BUT IT’S THERE! & NOW I OFTEN ALSO SAY MY “T’S”—THEY JUST SEEM 2 SOMETIMES “POP OUT!” “G’S” ALSO SOMETIMES “POP OUT” WHEN I SAY “GOODMORNING/GOODNIGHT. IT’S ALL VERY EXCITING!

LAST SEASON , I WAS WATCHING AMERICAN IDOL & A CONTESTANT WAS TOLD THAT U BREATHE DIFFERENT LAYING DOWN, & THAT IF SHE PRACTICED LAYING DOWN, IT WOULD BUILD HER BREATH SUPPORT…THAT EXPLAINS A LOT! I SAY “S,” “T,” “G” & OTHER LETTERS THE BEST IF I LAY DOWN. THEN IF I BREATHE BETTER & DIRECT MORE AIR AT MY NOSE, MY NOSE PLUGS, SO I CAN SAY MORE OF THESE LETTERS WHILE STANDING, OR WHILE IN MY CHAIR!

MY MUSICAL TRANING REALLY HAS HELPED ME TOO! THERE R LETTERS I AM LEARNING ONLY BECUZ OF EXPERIENCE IN DIRECTING AIR 2 MY “HEAD VOICE.” & KNOWING THE DIFFERENT WAYS 2 BREATHE.

SPEAKING OF MUSIC THERAPY: I ALWAYS TAKE THESE BIG INVOLUNTARY BREATHES EVERY NOW & THEN, LIKE MY BREATHING IS NORMALLY SHALLOW, SO I NEED 2 “CATCH UP.” I TRY 2 CONTROL THESE BREATHES, BUT MY PBA MAKES ME GIGGLE WHEN I HEAR HOW LOUD I AM, FROM SUCH A BIG BREATH.
THANKFULLY, MY PBA MEDICINE IS HELPING W/THIS (I AM LOVING THESE MEDS!), & RECENTLY (IN MUSIC THERAPY), I TOOK A BIG BREATH, & THIS TIME I “SANG” & CONTROLLED THE RELEASE OF AIR! (I “SING” IN MUSIC THERAPY. REALLY, I SOUND AWFUL, & I JUST TRY 2 MATCH PITCH). BUT CONTROLLING AN INVOLUNTARY BREATH WAS SUPER EXCITING! MY THERAPIST FREAKED, & WONDERED IF THE MEDS HELPED. I SAID “I KNOW IT DOES” (THE MEDICINE HELPED ME CONTROL MY EMOTIONS ENOUGH, THAT I COULD IGNORE THE GIGGLE & KEEP DOING WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO!) & SHE SAID, “THOSE ARE SOME GOOD MEDS!”

I DO SING 2 STUFF ALONE AT HOME THOUGH — & IT’S SUPER HARD 2 GO DOWN A SCALE, & GOING UP REQUIRES A PUSH OF AIR. FAMILY HAS HEARD ME TRY 2 SING, BUT I SOUND AWFUL. RIGHT NOW, I DO BEST W/FAMILIAR STUFF, LIKE “OLD MCDONALD” (I MOO, ETC.), OR CHRISTMAS SONGS. BUT WHEN I STARTED MUSIC THERAPY, I HAD A DREAM. IN THE DREAM, I SAT AT MY COMPUTER DESK, AND I WAS SINGING WHAT I NEEDED 2 SAY TO MY KIDS, EVEN WHEN I DISCIPLINED THEM…I HAVEN’T HAD LUCK YET W/DOING THIS, BUT I HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED TO DO THIS EXACT THING 4 MY MUSIC THERAPY “HOMEWORK!”

ONE MORE EXCITING “TALKING” STORY: 8/31 WAS A “TALKING DAY” & I HAD “WARMED UP” IN MUSIC THERAPY . MY FRIEND CAME OVER & WE CHATTED…& I SPOKE ALMOST THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION W/HER FOLLOWING A FORMAT SIMILAR 2 “SOPHIA’S FORMAT!” WHAT’S FUNNY IS HER SON WENT ON A 2 YEAR MISSION 4 OUR CHURCH, & B4 HE LEFT, HE SAID I’D BE TALKING IN SENTENCES BY THE TIME HE CAME HOME! THAT WAS ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO!

BTW, MY VIDEO IS ALSO ON YOU-TUBE, & THOUGH I’M NEW 2 THIS YOU-TUBE THING, I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW 2 ADD TAGS—SO IF U MISSED MY VIDEO, IT’S ON YOU-TUBE, & NOW IT HAS TAGS LIKE “STROKE, LOCKED-IN SYNDROME, 2012, RECOVERY, 2004, JENNY LYNN, MARK LYNN, JENNY’S STORY, & JENANNLYNN(WHICH SEEMS LIKE THE BEST TAG)”.

Have you regressed, as opposed to constantly progressing?

IN SOME WAYS, YES, I HAVE REGRESSED. IN OTHER WAYS, NO. I PROGRESS WHERE I PUT FORTH EFFORT (FIGURE I USE THOSE MUSCLES MORE)…SO, I REACH HIGHER ON MY RIGHT & SPEAK BETTER, BUT MY LEFT ARM MOVES LESS, & I FEEL LIKE MY LEGS HAVE LOST SOME MOBILITY.

I KNOW THAT NOT PRACTICING WEAKENS ME, BECAUZ I USUALLY LIFT MY LEGS IN MY SHOWER CHAIR, BUT I WAS UNABLE 2 DO IT DURING ALL MY TRAVELS. & IN JULY, I WAS UNABLE 2 DO MY KNEE BENDS ALL MONTH. THEN , WHEN I TRIED TO DO THEM AT THE START OF AUGUST, I COULD BARELY DO THEM! & WHEN I TRIED 2 LIFT MY LEGS IN MUSIC THERAPY, MY LEGS WERE INCREDIBLY HEAVY, & ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 2 MOVE!

IT WAS BUGGING ME THAT I HAVE REGRESSED AT ALL, SO I RECENTLY INCREASED MY HOME THERAPY (I OWN A TILT TABLE, W/C BIKE, & SWIM SPA): I DO TILT TABLE DAILY, E-STIM & BIKE 2-5 TIIMES A WEEK, SPORADIC SPEECH & SWIM THERAPY ON MY OWN, WEEKLY MUSIC THERAPY, OCCASIONAL ROM EXERCISES…BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH!

    THERAPY EQUIPMENT I OWN AT HOME:

1. TILT TABLE
2. MAT (I AM MOVED 2 IT, & PRACTICE SUPPORTING MY OWN WEIGHT BY SITTING W/CROSSED LEGS & STRAIGHT ARMS
3. AB ROLLER
4. STATIONARY BIKE THAT I CAN USE W/MY W/C
5. I AM JUST REGAINING MY SPEECH & HAVE 5 SPEECH PROGRAMS BY BUNGALOW ON MY COMPUTER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SENTENCE SHAPER , & SIGHTS AND SOUNDS 1 OR 2 (1 DOES SINGLE WORDS, 2 DOES PHRASES–I LIKE 1, BUT CAN DO BOTH).
6. AT 1 POINT, I HAD ORGANIZED A SCHEDULE FOR ABOUT 5 OF MY FRIENDS 2 COME OVER 1X/WEEK 2 CHAT WHILE THEY HELPED ME DO MY ROM (RANGE OF MOTION) EXERCISES
7. ESTIMULATION MACHINE AND I OWN A FLEX BELT 4 MY ABS. I THINK THE FLEX BELT IS A JOKE 4 MOST PEOPLE, BUT FOR ME, IT IS AWESOME! (IT HAS STRENGTHENED MY CORE, HELPS MY SPEECH, & AIDS IN MY DIGESTION.) IT IS ESSENTIALLY AN E-STIM BELT.

    I ALSO USE A LOT OF “NORMAL” THINGS 4 THERAPY.

• IN “CANDLE THERAPY“, I USE CANDLES 2 BLOW ON/OFF, SO I CAN BUILD MY BREATH SUPPORT.
• I ALSO TRY 2 BLOW BUBBLES OR BLOW IN A RECORDER (A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT), & I CARRY A WHISTLE IN MY W/C POCKET
• I SOMETIMES CARRY A STRESS BALL IN MY WHEELCHAIR POCKET (RT. NOW IT’S LOST)
• I CARRY A BOOGIEBOARD FROM BROOKSTONE 2 PRACTICE MY GRIP & WRITING
• I SORT THINGS LIKE PAPER CLIPS, & ORGANIZE DRAWERS 4 MY OWN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
• I HAVE “CANDY” THERAPY & SUCK LOLLIPOPS SO I CAN PUCKER MY MOUTH, OR SUCK OTHER CANDIES 2 BUILD TONGUE MOVT.
• I TRY READING–I USE MY iPAD, MY KID’S HOMEWORK, THE BIBLE, ETC.–2 STRENGTHEN MY EYE MUSCLES

I ALSO DO HOME-BASED MUSIC THERAPY, & I TOOK 1 SWIM THERAPY SESSION, JUST SO MY HUSBAND WAS RECCOMMENDED EXERCISES & EQUIPMENT, SO HE COULD DO SWIM THERAPY–WE MOVED 2 AN ACCESSIBLE HOME WITH A SWIM SPA & A LIFT THAT HAS A WAY 2 ADAPT IT SO I CAN TRY 2 WALK…NOT THAT I DO IT MUCH!

I ALWAYS LIKE 2 TRY DOING THINGS MYSELF. RECENTLY, I COULD PUT A THUMBDRIVE IN & TAKE IT OUT OF MY COMPUTER, WHICH SHOWED AN INCREASE IN FINE MOTOR SKILLS, THE ABILITY OF MY EYES FOCUSING IS BETTER, & I HAVE INCREASED MY OVERALL STRENGTH!

IT TAKES TIMME 2 BUILD SKILLS & PROGRESS, THOUGH, SO U MAY NOT NOTICE IT WHEN U DO PROGRESS! & IT IS POSSIBLE 4 THE SKILLS U DEVELOP IN 1 AREA 2 “TRANSFER OVER.”

THIS SUMMER, I WAS ABLE 2 RETRIEVE MY SUNGLASSES FROM MY W/C POCKET, OPEN THEM 1-HANDED, RAISE MY ARM 2 MY FACE, & CLOSE & PUT THEM AWAY WHEN I WAS DONE! I DID IT ALL ALONE, BUT I BARELY REMEMBER BUILDING UP TO IT! I THINK THAT IT HAS HELPED THAT I HAVE BEEN STRENGTHENING MY ARM, & IMPROVING MY FINE MOTOR SKILLS W/EATING.

What can you tell me about Mormonism?

THERE IS A LOT OF MISLEADING & FALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT MORMONISM OUT THERE. WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE, WHO BELIEVE IN GOD & CHRIST. CHECK OUT THE WWW.MORMON.ORG WEBSITE. IT IS A WEBSITE CREATED BY MY CHURCH, 2 ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR CHURCH.

THEY RECENTLY STARTED A NEW SECTION WHERE U CAN MEET MORMONS. I AM ON IT TO, IN “OUR PEOPLE” ( http://mormon.org/me/6441/ –U CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE “I’M A MORMON” LINK TO THE RIGHT), MARK IS THERE ( http://mormon.org/me/643J ), ZACH IS THERE ( http://mormon.org/me/643G/Zach ), & U CAN ALSO MEET MY BROTHER ( http://mormon.org/me/6NZ8 ). I HAVEN’T RESEARCHED WHO ALL IS THERE, BUT ANY1 W/THE LAST NAME “Yacktman” IS RELATED TO ME.

THE OTHER THING—OUR CHURCH HAS MISSIONARIES WHO COULD GO TO YOUR HOME, & THEY SPEND ALL DAY EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT OUR CHURCH, SO THEY COULD HELP U MORE THAN ME! THAT’S WHAT THEY DO!

Can you use a phone?

YES. IN FACT, I WANT A TEXTING CELL PHONE & I KNOW MY IPAD COULD TEXT! THE TROUBLE IS MORE MY EYESIGHT, THAN MY VOICE! BUT BOTH ARE GRADUALLY GETTING BETTER, SO MAYBE IN TIME… BUT 4 NOW, I HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW I CAN SEND A TEXT FROM MY COMPUTER. I CAN ALSO USE OUR HOME PHONE, & I CAN CALL (U). HOW I CAN USE A PHONE:

I BEEP 2 SAY HI/BYE. THE REST IS 20 QUESTIONS: U ASK A SERIES OF YES/NO QUESTIONS, & I ANSWER WITH 1 OR 2 BEEPS (1 BEEP MEANS YES, 2 BEEPS MEAN NO). SOMETIMES I THROW IN 3 BEEPS–EITHER I DON’T KNOW, OR IT NEEDS FURTHER EXPLANATION, & I CAN EMAIL U.

WHEN I CALL, I MAY BE TELLING U SOMETHING LIKE “U CAN COME OVER RIGHT NOW” (IF U R AWAITING THAT CALL) , OR IT MAY MEAN THERE’S AN URGENT EMAIL 2 CHECK & POSS. RESPOND 2 (VIA EMAIL). IF I NEED U 2 CHECK EMAIL, I DON’T NEED 2 STAY ON THE PHONE, WHEN U CHECK YOUR EMAIL. ANSWER BY EMAIL 2 ME, & I SHOULD RESPOND RIGHT BACK–WHICH IS WAY BETTER THAN JUST RESPONDING “YES” OR “NO.” IF NOT, & U NEED MY RESPONSE, I ASK PEOPLE 2 CALL MK, BECAUZ UNLESS U HAVE A SPECIAL RINGTONE, I WILL NOT ANSWER. U CAN SEND ME YOUR #, SO I CAN SET UP A RINGTONE 4 U (WHEN MK CALLS, THE RINGER PLAYS “I’M SO GLAD WHEN DADDY COMES HOME,” SO I KNOW IT’S HIM, & I CAN ANSWER. OTHERWISE, I LET IT RING!)

What do you do for fun/recreation?

SINCE I AM 1-HANDED, HERE ARE SOME ACTIVITY IDEAS FROM SEVERAL STROKE SURVIVORS THAT I HAVE COLLECTED:
• I-PAD: YOU CAN READ (& ENLARGE THE PRINT), CHECK E-MAIL, SURF THE WEB, LISTEN TO AUDIO BOOKS, WATCH MOVIES, THERE ARE TONS OF FREE GAME & PUZZLE APPS), FREE PIANO APP, FREE SPEAKING SOFTWARE, SPEECH THERAPY APPS, ETC.
Apps I recommend (in italics, if free)
o Fruit ninja
o Blocks
o Doodle fit
o The Solitaire
o Soduko tablet
o Touch hockey
o UNO
o Moxie (word game)o Color & draw
o Magic puzzes
o Pianist pro
o Kindle
o Audible
o Speak it
o VAST songs
o Decibal meter
o The daily (newspaper)
o Netflix
o Go to my PC
o If you are lds: THE Scriptures, BYUtv, LDS Music, Mormon channel
• I can’t imagine being a stroke survivor before the internet, locked in one place. With it? The whole world is still open to us! ON THE INTERNET, KEEP A BLOG/WEBSITE, U CAN CONVERSE W/ANY1, LIKE A PEN-PAL/LETTER, THROUGH EMAIL
• DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING: U CAN MAKE WAY SIMPLE PGS. & I TEACH IT. EMAIL ME IF U ARE INTERESTED! I HAVE AMPLE PS. ON MY BLOG/WEBSITE, WWW.JENANNLYNN.ORG . OR, U CAN DO TRADITIONAL SCRAPBOOKING IF U CAN WRITE & MOVE YOUR OTHER HAND AS A PAPER WEIGHT.
• AUDIO BOOKS ON A CD PLAYER W/REMOTE, OR THERE AREE DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO BOOKS ON AUDIBLE.COM , & AMAZON HAS A FREE DOWNLOADABLE KINDLE DEVICE FOR IT: FREE KINDLEFORPC
• PLAY PIANO -ALL U NEED IS 1 HAND! I USE A SYNTHESIZER BECAUSE MY WHEELCHAIR’S 2 TALL 4 A PIANO.
• JOURNAL –EITHER IT CAN BE HANDWRITTEN, OR TYPED ON YOUR COMPUTER, THROUGH TYPE
• TYPE A BOOK
• TV SHOW
• READ/TYPE ON WEBSITES/BLOGS
• GAMES W/FRIENDS–I DO SIGNO (ASL BINGO), CARD GAMES & SKIP-BO & PHASE 10 (USE A CARD HOLDER), MANCALA, RUMMIKUB, APPLES 2 APPLES, DISNEY SCENE IT!, IMAGINIFF, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER, TRAVEL BLOKUS, & A FEW OTHERS OCCASIONALLY
• PAINT/WATERCOLOR
• MOVIE W/FRIENDS
• SHOP ONLINE
• SELL ON EBAY
• COMPUTER GAMES-I LIKE SOLITAIRE, SPIDER FREECELL, YAHOO’S SUPER TEXT TWIST (http://get.games.yahoo.com/game/text-twist), HEARTS, & SODUKO ( http://www.websudoku.com/?level=1 ), EUCHER (http://www.games.com/game/euchre/), BESPELLED (http://zone.msn.com/en/general/article/genbespfarewell.htm)
• MUSIC & MOVIES & BOOKS IN A DATA BASE
• BIG PUZZLES
• CHAT ROOMS