AndromedaJulie,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. I am sorry to hear you are struggling so.

Everything you are going through is very common to people here. Some of us have long histories dealing with your struggles. Thank you for breaking up your post in short paragraphs. It is very helpful.

My first recommendation for you is to check out three valuable resources .

The brain line 'TBI Lost and Found'
http://www.brainline.org/content/201...u-to-know.html

The TBI Survival Guide at www.tbiguide.com.
Print it out (84 pages)

The YouTube "You Look Great" 6 part series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Xso4qGdlI

If these links do not work properly, they are at the bottom of the first post under Vitamins in the stickies at the top.

Share these links with your family and/or friends. And, try to find a TBI support group to attend with your family. They can be a great source of support and understanding. Your state Brain Injury Association affiliate may be a good source to find one. www.BIAUSA.org has links to the state associations.

The prior posts made good points. Your children can make the changes you need. The key issue is likely too many voices at once. If you and your husband can help them learn to not talk over each other, you will do much better. When you want to talk with them, try whispering. They will usually respond the same.

In time, I will try to respond to all of your issues. My brain is not at its best right now. But, here is an important starting point.

You said "And finally, everyone is just wondering how much longer until I get better, (especially since I am so much better) and saying that I will get better, because obviously the way I am now is totally INFERIOR to how I used to be. "

A rehabilitation physical therapist who has spent a career working with the brain injured spoke at our brain injury support group last month. The most important point he made was quite simple but hard to accept. We need to let go of how we were before our brain injury. There is an important reason for this. If we constantly gauge everything by how we used to be, we rarely or never have up days.

But, if we accept our current state as the new "Me," every improvement is worthy of celebration. Even more, the sense of accomplishment stimulates the dopamine 'reward' system that helps our brain chemically respond in a positive way. We do not know nor can anybody project how much we will improve. This letting go of "Why can't I be like I was before?" will reduce our stress load enhancing our brain's ability to heal.

We also need to let go of any expectation of being able to multi-task. Multi-tasking is a strain on the brain, even when the brain is healthy. The concept to remember is that we often need to "Stop to think." This means that those distractions need to be shut off or out so we can focus on the task at hand.

I used to be able to drive, eat, listen to the radio and more while reading a map to find my customer's house. Now, my wife does the driving and may need to stop and turn off the radio and even air conditioner so I can focus to read the map. I really need to stop to think. I have been this way for 15 years although I am much better now than I was 10 years ago.

One last point. I'll try to address your numbered points later. It would be worthwhile to get a serious hormone analysis done. Not just a general look but an assessment by a true specialist. Most endocrinologists are too generic. A women's health specialist who works with bio-identical hormones is a good start. There are also doctors who specialize in life extension and performance enhancement who may be able to help. Hormones can be a part of your startle response, quick to get upset/outburst response and even social tolerance.

EsthersDoll has some posts with good information about her experience with hormones. Maybe a moderator can find her thread. I get lost trying to sort through the search results.

More later.

My best to you.