My life changed a little over 6 1/2 years ago. This is when Albert, my husband of 30 years had a massive stroke. Albert’s stroke affected the right side of his body; the left lobe of his brain. The effects of the stroke are that Albert cannot use his right hand or arm, he’s right side weak, and walks with an impediment; but most importantly, Albert lost his ability to communicate in conversation with others. He has aphasia, specifically, expressive aphasia. This has been extremely hard on him and me.
Expressive aphasia is hard on Albert because he doesn’t have the words in his vocabulary to say what he’s thinking. He might want tacos for dinner, but he can’t say these words. He might say a phrase like, “I need a break” or “Main Menu”. The first years communicating with Albert after the stroke were the toughest. As Albert talked, I had to stop what I was doing and concentrate on his facial expressions and his body language to figure out what he was saying. Sometimes I would do this and still didn’t know what he was saying. It was frustrating for both of us. Either he would walk away or I’d walk away without knowing what his needs were.
Once the frustration of the moment ended, he or I would go back to the other to see if he would try to explain his need again. After a time, we would figure it out, but it was difficult. As the months continued, his facial expressions and body language grew more confident and I was able to understand him better. Our communication seemed to mesh. I understood him better without words, but not 100%. I accept this because we’re growing together with stroke. Stroke isn’t going anywhere.
Learning to Live Life and Loving it - Carol Johnson Blogs 