kay,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am so sorry to hear of your daughter's illness and subsequent brain injury. You are right in that part of her has died. Please don't feel guilt about thinking about the past Her. You honor her when you remember her at her best. You will never get that back but you still have lots of room for her improve. She is young and the young brain has a greater chance to overcome injuries and obstacles.

I can understand how alone you feel. You miss your daughter and you are also alone because nobody understands what you are going through. I suggest you find a Brain Injury Support Group. It would even be worth an hour drive to attend a meeting. The other family and caregivers of the brain injured will greet you with open arms and understanding hugs. The Brain Injury Association of America keeps a list of the state BIA groups. The state BIA groups usually have a good list of support groups. Here is the Resources page to Pennsylvania BIA http://www.biapa.org/site/c.iuLZJbMM...n__Support.htm

Here is another that looks better http://www.abin-pa.org/sgrpselt.asp


If your daughter is being treated at a rehab hospital, they likely have a connection to a support group.

I know a young man who needed a hemispherectomy at about your daughter's age due to intractable seizures. His brain was able to do amazing things to make up for the lost brain tissue.

Not knowing your daughter's capabilities makes it difficult for us to suggest ways for you to interact with her. The one thing I can tell you is she likely can not handle situations where there are more that two choices / options. A question like : What do you want to wear today ? can be rephrased, Do you want to wear shorts or long pants ?

Regarding her emotions and such, she likely is dealing with a symptom called flat affect. It will take time for her to learn to express feeling. Her expressions may even become contradictory to the situation. TBI can get the whole system mixed up. It will take time and support for you to start to figure these issues out.

Have you applied for Social Security Disability for her ? It may make her available to supporting programs. Call the Social Security Administration and ask them.

The TBI Survival Guide may be worth reading. It is at www.tbiguide.com

Please feel invited to lean on us. We are here for you. Most of us are living with mTBI. A few are parents or family of a TBIed person.

And, don't forget to ask for help for yourself. You need good support from both family and professionals. She needs you to stay healthy and the stress of going this alone is not good for you.

btw, My mom lost her sweet little boy when he (I) was ten years old. We did not begin to understand the changes in me for years. That was 48 years ago and I am still learning about the injured me.

My best to you both.