Hi all... Guess I will get down to it.

My husband is almost six months out from a severe TBI. He made a miraculous recovery and has no physical/medical effects to be seen as a result of his TBI. However, he does have some personality changes and emotional issues.

He has been reading in to the things that people say, jokes they make, etc. It's almost impossible to predict what will offend him. I think this is a side effect of stress. He went back to work full-time almost right away after rehab and I think this was a mistake. During therapy he wasn't particularly stressed nor did he have such huge reactions to perceived insults. When I try to discuss things I'm seeing (such as stress from going back to work, expecting people to always know how not to step on his toes when it's impossible to predict what will bother him) I get accused of being an *edit* and micro-managing. If I don't use the perfect tone of voice or the exactly perfect wording, I get accused of micro-managing or being a jerk or making a mountain out of a molehill. Like I said, it's really hard to predict what will set him off, and I find it interesting that it is happening this way right after returning to work full-time. Anyway... I guess I can get into it more in the other forums.

Hi! Besides being the spouse of a TBI patient, I am 24 year old military wife and a student. I love animals and am teaching myself to draw. I'm very lonely as I am living with my husband overseas (no family or close friends nearby) and for obvious reasons our marriage isn't what it used to be. It seems like loneliness is a common problem for spouses of TBI patients. Looking forward to connecting...

Emily

Hi Emily and welcome to NeuroTalk. I see you have located our TBI forum.
These forums are a great place to exchange information and gather support.
I'm glad you've joined us but sorry for the reason.

Emily,

Hello and welcome each of you to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Let us know how we can help you out. Here are a great number of dear friends to listen when you are in need of ears. You will find out we are supportive and relaxing place.

Please keep us up to date on your condition. Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Darlene

Hi Emily and welcome.

While all brain injuries are different, the personality changes you describe are not uncommon in TBI survivors, especially when the frontal lobes are involved (Google Phineas Gage sometime).

Your husband is relatively early in his recovery. I went through lots of personality swings and changes over the months as my brain learned to rewire itself. I’m now 20 months post injury, and while I know I’ll probably never be exactly like I was before, my wife assures me I’m now pretty close to my “old self”.

You may also want to read the book “Where is the Mango Princes” by Cathy Crimmins; it a memoir from the perspective of the spouse of a TBI survivor.

Best to both of you on this recovery journey.