They gave him a baseline test today to see which nouns he could "find" and say without being prompted (i.e. giving him the first syllable of the word). Apparently he has no issue with octopus, compass (as in math), and harp. Bed, house, toothbrush, and key all required prompting. This caused the speech therapist to say "Well, now: you're going to be interesting!" He took it as a complement ;-) - FFing Enigma

It might take time but the therapy will help. And if your dad is receptive then so much the better. Thanks for keeping us up to date :) - WoH: Minding her Steves

I had similar issues a while back after some health issues ... It's amazing how much my brain has rewired.. (It feels like all the data is there but the index keys are corrupt) - Sean Reiser

He's been making good strides with his speech, so I'm not all too worried about that. Over the past week he's been putting together short sentences without problem. Reading is going to be the bigger hurdle because he doesn't recognize most letters. The odd part about that is certain words make sense when he sees them: he pointed out the 'Occupational Therapy' sign to my mom today. Just another example of how creepily complex the human brain is =) - FFing Enigma

Sean, may I ask what type of aphasia you had? And while I'm probing and asking personal questions, were there any exercises that you found particularly helpful? - FFing Enigma

Of Course You may ask... I had (have, still come across words that I've "lost") anomic aphasia... Even though I went through therapy I feel being engaged in social situations with loved ones and blogging helped more then anything else, I feel the brain rewire's itself... Allow him to be circumlocuious (I once couldn't find the word Earth, and came up with "Like Gallifrey, only we're on it") feel free to reach out to me if you need http://seanreiser.com/contact... - Sean Reiser

Aww man, that's rough stuff, Tina. Aphasia is fascinating, but if it happens close to home, not so much I imagine. - Josh Haley

I appreciate it Sean, and may take you up on your offer of contact (particularly if my dad is interested in hearing someone else's perspective who's had it). William, thanks for the references. I'm only just starting to research helpful supplements and nutrients, I'm hoping to have a list ready for his neurologist visit to make sure there won't be issues with them and his current medication. - FFing Enigma

Tina, I hope you dad get better soon. Amazing how tools like FriendFeed let us talk about so many different topics. - Julio F ~ @SocialJulio

I'm not sure how I managed to miss previous posts from you about this situation. Very sorry to hear about this.. I actually heard it for the first time on the ffundercast. All the best to your dad and your family. - Jim the Blatant

This happened to my uncle. He made amazing strides though through therapy. Hoping your dad does to. - Martha

We can understand him without much issue, but it's beyond frustrating for him. And wait, this was on FFundercats? See what happens when I leave FF alone for a couple of days? =D - FFing Enigma

-1 Mark for completely inappropriate use of the word 'newsy.' ;) - Jim the Blatant

+10 to Jim for ignoring the equally inappropriate use of 'the boys' :) (Because 'rugged men' would have been much more appropriate :P) - WoH: Minding her Steves

Damn You Mark VandenPerez! *shakes fist* - FFing Enigma

Perhaps some words such as "rugged men" are just not meant to be recalled :) ...Tina, good luck to your dad. - Ontario Emperor

Tina, you are in my thoughts as you journey this adventure with your father. I say adventure because as you said, the human mind is so complex. A friend of mine was a pharmacist and could not go back to his vocation due to continued short term memory loss, he made strides relearning everything. - Janet

My dad just recovered from a small stroke. There were a few days when we were worried if it will all come back. Good luck with your Dad Tina, sure he will have a good recovery! - anna sauce

Yeah, we're noticing some short term memory issues with my father as well. I might have to suggest it a couple of times, but I think down the road journalling will be a good idea both for the writing practice and to assist with the memory issues. - FFing Enigma

My friend's wife would type an intinerary for Joe on a daily basis and he would cross off things (tasks, medications, phone calls) as well as general reminders for that particular day. The note was always in an absolute spot so Joe wouldn't forget it! - Janet