This video gives practical examples of how to talk to traumatic brain injury survivors about common thoughts, feelings, and behaviors resulting from TBI.
Recovering from brain surgery. People tell me I look so good, they don’t understand, it’s exhausting trying to explain. I’ve been avoiding a lot of people. And thank you for this very helpful information. Let’s hope people listen.
Any supportive feedback is greatly appreciated. I am the survivor of an 8 day COMA in 1983. Both my occupational and physical therapists were highly interactive and supportive, during my early recovery days. Ty ❤
Part 1. Once I got rearended at 45. My head hit the driver side window and frame. Everything went white. Not shortly after I felt like my eyes were being pulled out of my head and my brain was being sucked down into my spine. My ears were muffled, I was very nauseous. When my vision returned it was dark and everything seemed to have a hazy halo around it. I kept working QC at a medical device factory. I was miserable for two weeks after my doctor told me I HAD to take two weeks off work immediately. He put me on drugs to stop the swelling. My gait was like I was drunk and I would forget everything I was told. I wouldn’t remember anything. This went on for 4 months I had a hard time writing, concentrating, reading. I went to a TBI specialist in Cleveland and she took me out of work for 12 weeks to start rehab. During that time I was doing speech, occupational, and physical therapy full time. At night I would challenge myself with reading books on neurology. I didn’t stop till I started my IONM internship. What was the worst was how I was treated. My parents were the worst. They’d fight with me, they’d “get tried of me using the same old excuses” they couldn’t understand what was “wrong with me”. Couldn’t understand why I kept lashing out. Couldn’t understand “ what stupid games I was playing in rehab” as the found some of the games my therapists and I played. At work they were constantly harassing me about my deficits. Its a cold world for people with TBI’s I fully credit my neuro team with earning my cnim and saving my self worth. I’d be on disability without them
Part 2 Once I got the true care I needed. What helped me immensely was talking to me like an adult but speaking slower. Slower speech and shorter sentences that didn’t confuse or discourage me. I worked with one of the best TBI recovery centers in the midwest. I went from not understanding how to get from my room to the bathroom in a house I lived in for 36 years. I went from having panic attacks in my car because I would suddenly forget how to drive or where I was going. To becoming a board certified neurophysiologist in two years.
I would get furious and rage. Looking back, I was confused and very scared that I was never going to get better. I was mad at the accident. I was frustrated with my family. I was pissed my life and independence was slowly being taken away from me. It was so hard.
I still get days where I still have symptoms. They are better than they were but I still get lost and confused. If things are moving to fast and I get overwhelmed my brain hits control alt delete.
