wendroo,

What part of northern Calif are you in?

Has your son applied for Calif State Disability?

As you watch him improve, something you will notice is called 'over-learned skills.' These are skills that have been done so often and for so long that they get memorized in many different locations in the brain will many different ways of recalling them.

An example is, I know my way around the greater San Jose area like the back of my hand. I learned the roads here in Idaho very quickly but suffered my life changing head injury 6 months after moving here. The roads here are very easy because they are an agricultural grid pattern (one mile square sections). I lost all sense of the roads here and have not been able to re-memorize them. But, I still remember the roads around San Jose. I drove those roads from 1973 to 2000 and had over-learned them.

Your son's cooking skills are likely over-learned. Over-learned skills are a great source of re-establishing a life. They often include the ADL's (Activities of Daily Living). I was put through some ADL activities at the local rehab hospital therapy kitchen. Things I can easily do I struggled with because I was so lost in a strange kitchen.

I struggle with being very easily distracted. I can lose track of the task at hand and stare into space or look around trying to get started again.

One of my best therapies has been doing auto repair. It can take me hours longer than it should. But, I don't have time requirements so I just take my time. I have had to do some re-assembly jobs two and three times because I missed a step along the way. I have developed exceptional tolerance for my own goof-ups. I was never that way before. I have also become far more tolerant of others struggles.

Your are right about how intelligence is not effected as much as other cognitive and memory functions. My IQ is at the top 10% in one area ( verbal, I think)with the rest in the top 2%. My processing speed, auditory and visual immediate and short term memory are in the bottom 10% and some below 5%. I am convinced that most of us can learn work-arounds and accommodations to overcome most of our struggles if we are just allowed the time and freedom to do things a bit slower.

Your son should be able to do quite a bit by using a PDA/smart phone. He can set alarms and lists to follow. It will be helpful if you have him text you on a regular basis. Getting into a routine is very good for the recovery process. he will do better if he find more constructive things to do during the day. Does he like to fish? Learning to tie flies can be good therapy. There is plenty of online instruction on YouTube, etc. Having a pile of flies tied at the end of the day can make a guy feel productive.

Regarding his bleed. It is not uncommon for a brain bleed to not show up until the third day. CAT Scans are more likely to show a bleed at 72 hours than at any other time. Earlier and there is not enough pooled blood to show up. Later and the blood is starting to dissolve and be absorbed unless the bleed is ongoing.

He will likely need to get past his alcoholism as getting drunk will manifest as a relapse of his brain injury from a cognitive point. A hang-over is the brain saying, "I have been assaulted." Was it a part of the cause of his original injury?

Hope you both have a good weekend. Church will have far too much stimulation for me tomorrow so I am staying home. Your son is fortunate he can tolerate crowds and noise.

My best to you, Mother Bear.