Infor On TBI
 

Hi my name is Jeff, new to this forum and I'm looking for information on TBI. :)

Hi Jeff. I am quite new here, but I have read just about everything that everybody had posted and a lot of the recommended links as well. I have learnt a lot in a very short time. Well as much as a person with a learning disability can digest. Look forward to hearing your story.

Learning my way around
 

To Lucy THANK YOU for the post. I was hit buy a drunk driver 4 year ago and experinced TBI and PCS as a result of the truma to the head. No fun losing your idenity and your ability to work or function. It's been a long slow healing process. I'm improving slowly and now it's time to find other people who have had the same type of truma so that I can learn to function as the person a I am today. I'm strating to understand the system of his disorder and looking for new ways to manage there effects on my personality.I do understand that the neuro transmitters in the brain will create new path ways to process information and that is kind of where I'm at today creating the new path ways in the brain

Unfortently people who do not or have not experinced a truma to the brain do not understand so I'm having to learn new ways to communacate and that why I'm here, Jeffn

Jeffn,
How much better are you in 4 years and what neurological deficits do you still have now? Are you able to live a pretty good existance or are you very challenged? Tell us more!

Nancy F
 

Thank you for the replie Nancy, yes there are still challenges as each brain is different and each injury is also different and it is my understand that the brain well heal it self in it's own time and that it is a slow process.

Some of the symptoms I deal with is I still get upset and angery over non sence that would have never upset me before I was injuried. This is some thing I will have to learn to manage. I think I read in this forum about taking a time out when this happens so I'm implementing that into my healing process.

Last year I went through some very difficult migrain headaches for almost a year no fun. I take imitrex for the headacches and it seem to help.

Stress seems to bring on the headaches so I try to manage that as best I can some days you win and some days you don't.

My brain still flat lines where I can not process information in of out and I still have lag times between my long term memory and the cognitive part of my thinking processes.

I have to accept the reality that that old self is gone and work on rebuilding the new self. I believe that the brain will heal it's self but it take time and we may have to learn how to do life a little differently then before.

Thankful to be alive and yes there are day's that are hard but this to shall pass . I'm trying to learn and grow so that I can function as best I can each day. Some day's I have to ask for help and there seems to be someone willing to help you to get back on your feet again. Jeff

PS I think I read a post in regards to your son ?

Jeff

You are doing lots it sounds like. I think you are doing wonderfully.

I have post concussion syndrome. And have just past my first year.

I also have abnormalities in my brain that I had diagnosed in May
that I have had all my life. So I'm retraining my brain how to do
lots of things so that I wont fall as much, and will learn how to
do many things not to be a hazard to myself. I have some cognitive
things that I still have trouble with too. But thankfully many of
them get help from my Physical therapy.

I've also had to stop my PT at present to deal with my shoulder and
feet. Seems if its not one thing its another. I just seem to share with
my whole body.

Donna

Good Evening Donna
 

Thank you for your reply Donna Tb and PCS are invisible injuries and that make them hard to deal with and even talk about in our society. I just finished reading a post in the Chorionic pain Chorionic on 101 ideas to empower person in pain lot of good web site to check out they maybe helpful.

Don't ever give up the brain is an incredible organ and it can rebuild it's self. God created it that way. Think about it every breath one takes is ordered by the brain.

Take Care JEFF


PS I use sticty notes alot very helpful and you can post them anywhere

Jeff you are so right about having to learn a new way to communicate. I have such a hard time understanding things people say...can't figure out what they mean and words, especially, if they use a word that has more than one meaning. Goodness I see what they are saying in a competely different picture and it is hard for me catch on! My PCS is mild. I am better now, than right after the wreck by far..yet some of this stuff just want go away and I think I will always be like this. That will be OK though...if I can just learn how to handle it. At my age everyone thinks I have Alzheimers. :eek: Gaye :)

Thank you for the reply
 

To Froglady, Thanks for the reply, One of the tools I use is I write everything down. I like sticky notes and 3x5 cards. When I have to go talk to the mean people at Social Security Office I alway take a friend and I do not make important deciesions until I talk it over with someone. I set up a master mind group of 4 men and 1 women for feed back on dealing with people unfortunately some people are not very nice and will try to take advange of me because I can't think fast enough to call them on there BS Another problem withTBi is that I have tunnel vision. I have to stay focused on 1 task or it doesn't get done.

Life is a game and should be treated as such.

Take care get well and don't give up Jeff:)

Jeffn,
I'm glad you have been reading alot of posts. I have learned alot by doing that and I am understanding alot more about PCS. I think we can learn more here than anywhere else. You have a great positive attitude and I think you are doing a great job problem solving your issues.
Nancy f

Good Morning Nancy F
 

Thank you for your reply. I think it is important for people with TBi and PCS to shair there experience with what's happening to them mentally and to look for solutions to there problem and positive constructive ways to over come the mental condition there dealing with. From what I've seen on this site is people sharing and looking for solutions to solve their problems.

One of the tools I use in this rebuilding process is KIZEN, witch is breaking up a large problem into small incremental parts and finding a solution to that small part then moving to the next part and so on. KIZEN has been a very helpful tool for me in this healing process. It teaches one to start where they are at today and to make improvement there.

When I was first hurt I was unable to read or write so I had to re teach myself these skills one word at a time. I went from reading 3-4 books a week to being unable to read one sentence and the same with my writing skills. I'm still working on rebuilding and improving these skills today.

THE KIZEN WAY 1. ASK small questions 2 Think small thoughts 3 Take small actions and 4. Solve small problems. This was the model that was used to build The Toyota Corp and the same principles can be applied to TBi, PCS or any other problem a person is dealing with. What one small thing can I do today to improve my mental condiction today.

Take Care Nancy, hope all is going well with your sons recovery. Jeff:)

Jeffn,
What a great system, the KIZEN method. It goes along with the concept of how do you eat an elephant?, one bite at a time. I also think it is helpful with PCS and TBI because one of the symptoms I am reading about and observing with my own son is, how easily you can become overwhelmed, multitasking is also very frustrating. Keeping it simple in small chunks without becoming overwhelmed with the big picture is calming and a very productive way to go about any day, whether you are brain injured or not. You have learned so much in your recovery and your experience and success is motivational. One thing I am learning, in my wiser 40 something years of experience, is how much joy there is in accomplishment, no matter how small or large. If you create a goal for yourself, go about the task of meeting it, and succeed, it empowers you and propells you forward to meet other goals. The key is making sure the goals are divided in small chunks and realistic. I have actually run 10 marathons, from this concept. I could not understand why I kept wanting to do them after, the first but I now realise it is "the high" of the accomplishment that makes me go back to it. I now have to back off from that as I age and find other projects for these little lifts in self esteem. You should be proud of all you have accomplished in your healing. The biggest challenge for most patients, is battling depression and finding motivation, it appears you have been very successful with this! Stay well
Nancy F

Thank you for your reply
 

To Nancy F thank you for your reply. It is always encouraging to read your posts. Staying in the positive.

When two minds come together to solve a problem there is in that meeting the creation of a third mind, and I think this is a good place to share ideals and concepts in regards to the healing process with TBI/PCS.

Depression is a symptom of TBI/PCS and needs to be addressed. I was talking with my sis about this issue yesterday part of it is the grieving of the lost of self. I am not the person I was before I was injured and I have to accept that fact. I also have to accept the fact that person, who is still there in my sub conscious mind, my life experiences may not be coming back and when your 50 and starting over that is a big deal. The frustrating part is that I know who I was before I was injured my skills, abilities, talents and life experiences, I'm very fortunate that my long term memory was not effected from the trauma and all that information is still intact. I'm having to learn new ways to process information from the long term memory to the cognitive part of the brain. Theres a delay time in this processing of information and I think this is way the brain shuts down or get overwhelmed under stress, as you can not process the information fast enough and this effects your communications skills, lost words or train of thought confusion ect.

I'm currently in the process of writing up a treatment plan to decus with my Doctor and depression is one of the items on the list. I don't use mind alterning drugs, medication, anti depressants ect, because the side effects of many of these anti depressants on the market today are very un healthy. Looking for and alternative here and there have been some interesting post to the treatment of depression without using medication.

I'm still unable to multitasking at this time but I am able to move from one task to the next through out the day. Tunnel vision is one of the problem with people who suffer from TBI/PCS so I have to stay focused on that one task until it is finished and then move to the next task. I use 3X5 note pads to write up my goals for the day 3-5 items and set those goals up on a priority list doing the most important item first thing in the morning. I like the 3-5 cards because I can put them in my back pocket and carry them around with me and to use as a reference when needed.

Progess not perfection.

I hope your son is doing well and making progess. This maybe a little more difficult for a younger adult.

Take Care Jeff :)