When they say, "don't trust what you think you know about your injury," I think they are also referring to the fact that TBI patients can often be unaware of their own deficits. In fact, sometimes it's the worst affected who most believe they're $100% okay.

There have been cases of TBI patients being unable to acknowledge such seemingly obvious things as blindness in one eye. We've had members here assert that they are not cognitively damaged - in jumbled posts that are clearly the products of disoriented, confused minds.

Before I was tested, I thought I was aware of all of my issues. Not so. Prior to being tested by a neuro-psychologist and a neuro-optomologist, I had no idea that I was repeating myself, had lost my ability to see patterns, was completely inattentive to a significant area of my visual field, etc..., etc...,

That's why it's really important that the treatment of TBI patients SHOULD NOT be completely dependent on self-reporting of symptoms. As a general rule, TBI patients grossly underreport their symptoms. Unless prompted, we tend not to offer them up.

For example, my doctor asked me how I was doing and I said, believing it, "Fine." Luckily my husband would come to my appointments and fill in important blanks, like, "she's vomiting, fainting, swearing like a sailor, zoning out, avoiding eye contact, not sleeping, choking on food, getting lost in our own neighbourhood, putting laundry in the dishwasher, etc..."

My neuropsychologist told me that, rather than soliciting general comments, doctors should ask TBI patients specific questions. Most don't - so that's why it's a good idea to bring a family member or friend to appointments.

You also need to trust your loved ones when they tell you that you are engaging in odd behaviours, etc...

Unless you listen to those close to you, and have assessment tests done by qualified, independent clinicians, you can't be sure that you have an accurate understanding of your deficits. If you can't recognize/accept your deficits, you can't treat them and/or start to learn workarounds.