We Take Language For Granted-My Story

When it comes to language, we take so much for granted. Our conversations are fast and detailed, and we follow along without even giving it a second thought. After Corey’s accident, language became an obsession to me. Am I talking slow enough? Does he understand this word? That word? Are my words just a jumbled up mess to him? How much is he really understanding? Will we ever be able to communicate again? How do we do this? How do we go through life without clarity in language?

Following the diagnosis of Aphasia and trying to comprehend what that truly meant, I was devastated. Thankfully, God does not keep us there forever. I wish I could say the Aphasia faded away, but it didn’t. We still deal with it today. It has gotten better from where it was those early days in the hospital. But Corey still struggles with finding the right word for an item. He also has a hard time understanding language. This can be difficult for him and us…but we have learned to compensate well.

July 25, 2011:

I got to the hospital at 8 this morning and you had already finished PT! Nicole said you did awesome! She had you up walking with a walker. She assisted you on moving your legs, but you did it twice on your own! Way to go! She was very pleased with how well you are doing. In OT, your therapist had to tape your right shoulder. She was concerned it might be coming out of socket. 🙁

Speech. Speech is always the hard one. She asked you several basic yes/no questions. You passed on all of them except one…She asked you, “Am I a man?” You really hesitated on that one and then said, no. HMMM. Not sure why that one was so difficult.

Then she asked you if you were 40. You responded, after awhile, that you weren’t sure. So, she wrote on a dry-erase board– 39 40 — and asked which one you are. Seeming very unsure, you never responded. 🙁

Next, she had you take playing cards and match up the colors..you missed all of those. She put two cards on the board and wrote down the color for you to grab and again–not the right one. 🙁

At the end of the session, she asked if I had any questions…UHHH ya!! What is going on!? And then she said it. That same dreadful word I heard a week or so ago–APHASIA. My heart beating fast, I listened as she described what that means for you right now. You have forgotten the names of objects. You know what a cup is, but don’t understand the word for “cup”. I was so discouraged at the end. She compared it to learning a second language. I feel like it’s such a daunting diagnosis. 🙁

But I can not lose hope. God is still God. And He is in control.

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