Hi,

As I'm new here, I guess it would be polite to introduce myself.
I'm struggling to come to terms with the diffuse axonal injury I suffered in a car accident. I can't say that I much like the strange new world where I now find myself. I like even less the stranger walking around in my body.
In an instant, I went from a happy, athletic, high-functioning person with a power job to someone who can't even correctly address envelopes. I suffer from many of the common deficits: forgetfulness, lack of initiative, anxiety, inability to learn new tasks, aphasia (which, fortunately, my young daughter thinks is hilarious), etc... However, by far the worst result has been the personality changes. Before the accident my motto was "no biggie." Now I can become enraged over the stupidest things. I can't imagine the harm this is doing to my poor family.
My situation is complicated because the crash also left me with an incomplete spinal cord injury. As a consequence, I am also battling physical deficits, a bevy of neurological problems and chronic pain.
I do belong to a local TBI support group. If nothing else, the meetings are amusing because none of us can remember what was said for more than five minutes and nobody can keep accurate minutes. Round and round we go… It would make a great Monty Python skit. (Hey, if one couldn’t find the humour in these situations, one would go insane.) However as this is a very small area, everybody knows everybody and sometimes that constrains the conversation. I’m hoping that the anonymity of this site facilitates more frank exchanges.
To be candid, at present, I am only holding on for my daughter. I have found many of the accounts of adaptation and triumph posted on this forum awe inspiring. I hope, in time, that I too can find some intrinsic value in my new reality.

Cheers,
Hockey