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and family . I couldn ’ t see details of their faces , but I knew who they were . I didn ’ t tell anybody about my poor vision , but my family figured it out when they realized I had not turned on the television to watch ESPN ’ s Sportscenter for two days . Apparently , the post-surgery swelling was pushing on my optic nerve and causing vision problems . The doctors believed my vision would be fully restored as the swelling went down . While my vision improved , I never fully restored my 20 / 20 vision .
The post-surgery swelling was the root of many physical problems . It was so intense it snapped the seventh cranial nerve , which caused the left side of my face to be paralyzed . I had no control over movement on my face . The left side of my mouth drooped , and I couldn ’ t close my left eye . I had no idea this had occurred , but I noticed the look on my visitors ’ faces and could tell something wasn ’ t right .
Eventually , I was told about the paralysis and was given a mirror . My stomach dropped when I saw myself . I was devastated that I would never smile again .
While I was unaware about the paralysis in my face , I was fully aware of the paralysis and weakness of my left arm and leg . I was told as the swelling went down , I would regain movement in both . Over the next three weeks of therapy , I was able to move my arm and leg , but I lost all motor skills and was unable to walk . I worked and worked so hard in therapy , but it ’ s incredibly difficult to not be able to perform the simplest of tasks , especially since I had done them most of my life . All I wanted to do was get better and go home .
In fact , I begged and begged to go home and was granted a weekend pass , but my parents had to take tests of their own to prove they were able to take adequate care of me . They passed and I got to go home for a night .
AFTER I RETURNED TO THE HOSPITAL , I was told I couldn ’ t stay any longer because insurance said I reached my limit . So after about a month in the hospital , I was released because of my insurance limits , even though the doctor said I wasn ’ t ready to be released . While insurance would no longer cover my hospitalization , it would cover sending therapists to my parents ’ house . Mom quit her job , and I stayed with my parents until I was as good as I could be .
I had a speech , occupational and physical therapist come to the house what seemed to be ever other hour , but really it wasn ’ t quite that frequent . They believed that I would learn how to walk again within a year , but I worked so hard I quickly went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane and after four months , I was walking unassisted .
I still had to think in my head : left foot , right foot with every step , but eventually it became natural . I was back on the golf course in October , but I had terrible balance and no strength . I could only hit a 3 wood about 100 yards .
I continued therapy and became stronger . I still had weakness and poor motor skills in my whole left side . My balance wasn ’ t great and my face remained paralyzed on the left side .
I had to face the fact that this was as good as it gets . I would have to adapt my life and learn how to do things differently than I had done for the past 25 years . I went back to work in December
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