I've pulled up my chair and as my neurologist instructed, my beverage is always non-alcoholic and caffeine free.

My first brain injury was in 1965 at 10 years old. I fell when riding a bike fast down a hill and hitting a sandy area. I was unconscious for thirty minutes. When I came to consciousness, I talked with slowed and slurred speech for three days. My mother says her sweet little boy was not longer sweet.
Sophomore year, I decompensated most likely due to heading the ball at soccer practice. Started having petit mal seizures and serious cognitive/memory problems. Put on meds for three years.

Second semester of freshman college spiked a fever over 104.7 and decompensated badly again. Dropped out of school before I failed out.
Minor concussions with minor decomps until a serious concussion in 1996. No LOC.

June 1999, assaulted from behind with a blow to the head. No LOC. Wife says my personality changed.

Jan 2001, tripped off a step and landed hard and jarred my back vertically to my head. My life changed forever. Serious memory and cognitive problems. Had to stop driving due to loss of short term and immediate visual memory functions. Started having seizures while sleeping. Neurontin started a year later. This was a Work Comp injury. Tried to get Work Comp benefits. Denied after 7 year struggle.

Applied and finally was approved for SSDI March 2009, after three year application and appeal process. Spent hundreds of hours doing research to help with my WC and SSDI cases.

Total of 13 memorable concussions. Who knows how many I do not remember.

I had been able to retrain my mind many times previously. This last time, all efforts to retrain my brain were just exhausting and frustrating. My neurologist thinks I have finally exhausted my brain's ability to retrain.

I have been on a serious nutrition regimen since 1981. When I fall of my nutrition wagon, my wife can see a big difference and gets me straightened out.

One thing I have learned is there are plenty of Pro's who know a little bit but very few who know a lot about closed head injury/concussion.

Still on meds, still seizing from time to time, like this morning from 4:30 to 7:30 am according to my exhausted but wonderful wife.

Attending a brain injury support group was enormously helpful for my wife. Now she can understand what is the injury's behavior and what is just my behavior.