117. AVM Metrics

All hands on deck!

I need help.

 

Do you see your country’s flag in this picture?  This is the image of flags/countries in my “Stats” page that have looked at my blog since the dawn of time (okay, I launched about a month ago).   I have enjoyed watching new flags pop up on my screen as the sun crawls around the globe.  But I’d love to see more countries represented and more importantly, an increase in views/country.  The reason is twofold:  1) I’d like to reach as many people as possible but haven’t done a fabulous job so far, which is why I need your help. 2) The daily list of flags reminds me to pray for the countries as they appear on screen – and praying for countries by name is a good thing.  So please share my stuff if you’re led.  There are easy sharing buttons under every post, and you can also share my Thank You.  The “Thank You” applies to you, first and foremost.  ❤

*Note:  While I was loading this post, another flag popped up but it’s not pictured.  Sorry, Germany!  And thank you (in every country) for reading!

Now…on to today’s post:

 

AVM Metrics

 

Metrics are my friend.  So many things in life are subjective so it’s great to be able to say (esp. if you’re recommending a course of action at work), “The numbers say…” The first question I asked when I signed up for Vision Therapy was, “How do you measure, and how often do you measure improvement?”  Answer:  They have all sorts of tests and equipment to measure how your eyes are working, and the generally accepted time frame is to do an evaluaton after every 24 hours of treatment.  My first eval, however, was after only 12 hours since we all wanted to know if VT was having any effect on me.  I had braced myself for disappointment that day but was overjoyed to be informed that the numbers indicated that my left eye (after 30+ years of neglect) is indeed waking up.  YAY!

I used to measure my recovery by the number of Cheerios I spilled on the floor of my hospital room when I was at Therapy Boot Camp.  But I soon discarded that metric since I was discouraged by the multitude of little “o’s” that stared up at me from the floor every morning.  Here are some alternative metrics/illustrations related to my injury and how I’m getting better:

What is an AVM?

 

Likelihood of Rupture as you Age

• The probability of having an AVM:  there is debate, but it’s probably around 0.2% (brain-aneurism.com)
• AVMs that do not cause symptoms by the time people reach their late 40s or early 50s are more likely to remain stable and rarely cause symptoms.
  (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000779.htm)

The Pain Scale

 

My Walking Scale

 

Qi – Meter

 

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60. “It’s okay if the answer’s ‘No.'”

116. Move faster…try harder!

Ed, Charles, and my stopwatch.

This was a phrase Ed used on me during the time I was rolling Charles, my Rice Baby down the hall, and I indulged myself by letting Ed ride on the hood. I found that if I squeezed my core and just kept one foot moving in front of the other I could walk much faster than I was wont. My big stopwatch indicated that my walking speed increased fourfold within about a week. Sadly, my leg issues soon put a stop to my efforts to move faster and try harder.

When I was still trying to hustle around the house and exercise despite my body’s protests it occurred to me one day that since I know the Lord, physical impossibility is irrelevant. I then proceeded to work out on my exercise equipment at full tilt in the morning, then was supine for the entire afternoon for a couple of days. When I emerged from my slumber on the second day I told Mom, “Okay, I admit it. Maybe I pushed it a little too hard.” She clucked at me and raised her eyebrows in a way that indicated that she knew this all along, and just patted my shoulder and made us tea.

I used to really believe that if I woke up earlier and tried harder I could finish all the things I wanted to do at work. Sometimes it would be like 4.30 in the morning and I’d be in the shower getting ready to go to the office like it was normal. News flash: It wasn’t normal. I finally learned that moving faster and trying harder are good ways to increase your efficiency, but sometimes they just don’t work. My leg problem drove that point home for me. I then remembered that there’s always enough time to do what God wants me to do in any given 24 hours, and for now, that includes resting.

P.S. Do you know what movie the title refers to? Hint: Early 90’s take on an old English tale – “No! I took the bread.”

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79. Warming Up