My story < This is it read here

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    This is a short story in my own words and thought of what it was like for me to recover from a Cerebral Hemorrhage and Coma.I remember the day i asked my mother what had happened to me.She said that"~0~ i had suffered a Cerbral Hemoge and had been in a Coma".I was amazed because i couldn,t even remember being in the Hospital.I later learned while in Cognative Rehabilitation~1~ that i was suffering from Short-Term Memory Loss which is very common in Head Injuries.My earliest memories of my recovery were of being home everyday w my mom and in the evening not being able to remember what we had done that day.This went on for several years.My family and friends had been great stopping by ocassionally to see how i was doing and taking me out ocassionally.My Short-Term Memory was completely gone after i came out of the Coma and i remember the day i asked my doctor if it would ever be normal again.He said that he didn,t know.It was so bad that if i were in a room full of people and looked down for a second when i looked back up i would be startled saying to myself "wow where did all these people come from".~2~ My memory eventually started to get better and if at the end of the day  i could remember what i had to eat all day i would say i got my memory back that day.This went on for months.I would get my memory back for a day then would go several weeks with no short-term memory whatsoever.It was very scary not knowing if i would ever get it back.Eventually i got my memory back pretty good but i still have ocassions when it can still be very bad.I had been working on Memory Programs (peg names) at a local hospital and my family found a Cognitive Rehab.~3~ Program at a Rehab Hospital i had been a patient in after i came out of the Coma.A Therapist named Linda came to my house one day and i had to prepare Lunch for myself.They did this to see how far along i was in my recovery.She sat in the living room talking to my mother as i had lunch and when i was finished Linda and i walked out to the Bus Stop and caught a bus to go into the center of Attleboro.I remenber going by Capron Park and pointing out that the High School i attended was on the other side of the Park.Linda continued to ask me various questions as i pointed out certain landmarks around town that i thought she would enjoy seeing.We eventually returned to my house and Linda said i should be hearing from the Hospital within a few days if i was accepted into the next program.A few days later Braintree Hospital called saying i was accepted and would be starting Therapy the following Monday.I was picked up by a Wheelchair Transit Company early that Monday morning by an elderly man that i soon found out was an Officer in the Army Reserves.We hit it off well being a Navy Veteran and a Reservist when i suffered my Head Injury.We arrived at a Shopping Plaza about one mile from the Hospital and i was lead into the building where the Clinac was located.There was a small waiting area but i was lead to a Conference Room with a Conference Table and about 12 chairs.There were a number of other people sitting at the table where i took a seat.It didn,t take me long to figure out that i was seated at a table with four other people that had been in a Coma.I remember saying to myself "~4~" i finally found the place where i can get some of my questions answered".Some of the patients had been thru the program once or twice allready and most everyone goes thru three times.It was a six week program and we would do things like going to various landmarks like The Museum Of Science or Faniel Hall.Before we left the clinic we would set goals for ourselves to work on specific problems each of us had from our injury or illness.I got a little emotional one day when i noticed two of the other Patients helping another in the group that suffered a Physical Disability.I guess we all got pretty close to each other but we also had our problems as does any group of people that spend any amount of time with each other.To help me when i returned back to work i worked in the Supply Dept.~5~ delivering supplies to the various depatments thruout the hospital.When i returned to work at the Electrical Contractor i was working for when i became ill i started out working as a Stockboy restocking the shelves with Electrical Fittings and Stock that was used on the various jobs going on at the time.Eventually i started going out on jobs.I found it very different from what i was used to before my illness.The company had grown to over 20 people as compared to 6 that that was working there when i began.My Boss was in the process of purchasing a Motor Repair Business and moving it to his shop located in an Industrial Park.I worked in this shop for 8 years repairing Electric Motors,refurbishing Commutators and going out on Construction Jobs occassionally.I was required to go to school in the Evening for 3 years to complete the required 300 Hrs of Electrical Code Class in order to take the exam. In addition i was also required to work under a Licensed Electrician for 6000 Hrs..It takes aprox. 1 year to complete 2000 hrs.It was around this time that i also started working out.A younger guy at work (Neil) that my boss had just hired had some weights at home and lifted so any questions i had he would answer.I had worked out a bit when i was in High School so i knew the basics.There was a spare room on the side of the Mobile Home i was living in with my parents at the time so i could work out in peace and quite and not be embarrassed by my small size and strength.It only took about 20 minutes to workout at first.Useing only tiny dumbells and very light weight on the barbell.I had to write every weight i used and rep. i did so i could build on it from my last workout.I did everything by the book completely warming up and stretching to prevent injury.My parents had a Cross Country Machine i would use to warm up before i stretched.My Mom had purchased this from a Home Shopping Club thinking it would help her Athritis but was unable to use due to limited motion in her arm.I borrowed a book Getting Stronger by Bill Pearl from the guy at work and used this to learn many Free Weight Exercises that i used when i first started.I learned a lot about working out from people i spoke too but would have been embarrased to go to a gym being so weak and small but isn,t this the reason most people start someone made me realize.I worked out at home for years allways keeping in the back of my mind i would someday join a gym.I would set goals for myself on the Bench Press my first goal being 140 lbs.Neil had been benching this when i first began and i thought " wow i,d be proud of myself when i reach that weight".Eventually i reached that goal and while at work one day neil asked how much i had been Benching.I told him i was up to about 160 then and he was very surprised.I had been working hard gaining aprox. 2 reps from one workout to the next.Ocassionally i would reach a Plateau something i learned while attending a seminar taught by the man that designed Nautalus Equipment.I,m now a Certified Nautalus Instructor.A plateau is when your muscles get smart and fail to respond to the same routine you,ve been using.To prevent this you should change your routine aprox. every two months.Exercise has many benefits other than just getting stronger.It makes you look better and feel better both physically and mentally.One theory is endorphins are released into our bloodstream while we exercise giving you a euphoric feeling.This is a feelings i havn,t heard many guys in the gym talking about and when i,ve mentioned it to other guys in te gym felt like it was a well kept secret between people that lift.When asked "How can you do this for hours at a time so often"? I say"Have you ever tried it"? Most people say no.You won,t feel this feeling right from the beginning of your workout it takes time to reach the point where your just walking around the gym from one exercise to the next in a state of euforia i,ve never experienced doing anything else before.Some days you come to the gym all psyched and ready to workout expecting to get an excellent workout in and your body feels completely different after you begin.As soon as i start working out i can tell what kind of workout it will be.I,ve had my best workouts on days i didn,t even feel like working out.I tell the people i train not to go by the way you feel before you begin your workout.Get started and your body will tell you what it wants to do.If it,s not a good day to lift you will know as soon as you begin.You can allways do a light Cardio Workout if it,s not a good day to lift.My Mom used to say i can tell the difference when you don,t exercise because you seem to be in a Fog.I would sometimes see signs posted in the Fitness Center advertising for New Instructors and told myself i,d look into it someday to see if they would be interested in hiring me.I also noticed they hired disabled people so i figured this would give me a better chance of going to work for them someday.