Getting creativity back
 

I am a writer, poetry mostly, published and all, and I want to start writing childrens' books. I've written one and am about to start submitting it to agents, but I'm really struggling to get back on track creatively. Part of the problem is that I can't read as much as I'd like, mostly because my eyes hurt too much. I have a nook and can blow up the text, which really helps, but it just still hurts! I have barely written anything since my first concussion 2 1/2 years ago. I've got back my cognitive function, so what's the hold up? It's frustrating. I just feel totally out of practice! Anyone else dealing with this?

Have you had a full vision exam including checking for Prizm needs ? Your eyes may be struggling with convergence. That is when the eyes move to make both images overlap properly.

You can try a test.

Look at the text then cover one eye. Does the text improve or does you eye feel relaxed ? Cover the other eye. A similar situation should exist. If you can read comfortably with one eye closed or covered, it would appear to be a convergence issue.

The visual processing workload on the brain can be intense. Any problems with the eyes make it much worse.

I get eye head aches. When I close my eyes, the head ache is relieved withing a few minutes.

PCS and eyes can be a struggle.

My best to you.

I should have mentioned . . .
 

Sorry, I should have saId that my eyes are my only remaining PCS problem. I have nine different things wrong with my eyes. I've been meaning to make a signature saying what they are, but I've been trying not to spend too much time on the computer, for obvious reasons! Anyway, yes, convergence issues are one of my problems!

I suspect you could benefit greatly from prisms. I did one year after...I am also a writer and was unable to write for a year. It is slowly coming back. Read the other posts on vision and prisms. Good luck!!!!

Signature, Prisms
 

Okay, I finally made a siggy. I tested out a prism lens at the neuro-optometrist and it didn't seem to help me much. :( There was something else that helped though--a binasal occlusion patch--but that isn't a very appealing option. Soooo I've been doing sensory integration/vision therapy. So far, I have seen an increase in my depth perception and some improvement with my dizziness. My light sensitivity is just awful though! I had a setback right before starting vision therapy. Too many hours on the computer!

This was mentioned on another thread but...... have you tried vestibular therapy? I have noticed a decrease in my dizziness (not gone yet though) and also a decrease in my light and sound sensitivities. Maybe it would help you also. I still have cognitive issues and if you have any secrets to how you cleared those up I'd love to hear them!

I can't help with the creativity because I have none!

CC

vestibular therapy, cognitive symptoms
 

Yes, I started vestibular therapy back in October and threw in the towel on it in January. It wasn't helping much. That's when I went to the neuro-optomitrist at my physical therapists recommendation. I might go back to it once I'm finished with my vision therapy, or at least do it at home, to see if it helps with any residual symptoms, if I have them.

I do have some suggestions for resolving cognitive symptoms! Of course, I think rest was key. Also, keeping a journal helped me watch my own progress and forced me to write even when I wasn't writing creatively. Also, I got a membership to Lumosity.com, which I found very very helpful and well worth the money. It allowed me to see myself getting better, and I think it actually helped me regain lost cognitive abilities as well. When I started, some of the games were soooo hard for me. When I started getting better at them, it was a triumph! I can actually look back at the date where my BPI (a score to track your progress) jumped 230 points in one week! That was when my brain really bounced back. I could feel the difference in my everyday life, but Lumosity also quantified it for me, which was gratifying and gave me confidence in my regained abilities. I went from the 11th percentile for Memory and 18th percentile for Attention among my age group to the 86th percentile for Memory and the 70th percentile for Attention (and I have ADHD, so that's as good as I'll ever get!). Anyway, check it out! Just don't overdo it on the computer. I wasn't careful enough and now I'm paying the price!

Lumosity
 

Cyclecrash, I just noticed it says you do 15 minutes of Lumosity a day. Do you find it is helpful? I will say that I did more than 15 minutes per day. 15 was my minimum, but I often did up to 45 minutes. It just depended on what kind of day I was having. Then I got addicted the word bubbles and did way more of that than I should have. What can I say, I love word games! Word bubbles probably contributed to my recent setback, although the real culprit for that was online shopping. Scrolling is just really bad for me! Anyway, striking a balance is so imortant, and I really struggle not to get sucked in to the internet's many divertissements.

Thank you for the tips! I was doing the five recommended daily activities on lumosiity, and then adding on word bubbles rising because I love that one too, but I think it has been too much for my eyes so I've changed it and only do it when I feel I can.

I'm doing vestibular therapy right now and also trying to add in yoga so I was finding it hard knowing what was causing what when it came to flare ups. Over the last couple months though my score has been steadily going up and I do think it would be helpful to people that can tolerate it. Once I'm able, I'll use it more frequently.

I love the word games although I know I'm not doing anywhere near as well as I would have pre accident. I have a hard time with the raining math one and I know I should be much better at that! When the timers get low and anxiety kicks in my brain just shuts right down.

Hope you're having a good day!

CC

Cognitive & Creativity
 

My cognitive is overall a lot better since I got anxiety,depression and panic to go away because I had to choose medication. My cognitive is horrible esp grammar. I was a college student and owned a biz. Now I am trying to start practicing on my own my grammar. If you read any of my post from Dec & January it is very confusing. I was REALLY BAD for I think about a year. I have speech problems as well. I was a scatter brain. I have to do all my rehabilitation and the last rehab I believe is my cognitive. I am starting a 3 part cognitive with my PTSD psychologist.

Creativity was a hard thing for me to find what I liked or I could keep interest in. I was going to hobby store every week for awhile before I found making organic soaps. My mother was worried at first because I have to use a knife to cut base soap. I did fine and this is my hobby now. I feel like it is helping with a few of my impairments such as following directions, attention, memory and problem solving. And the oil's smells good and soothing.

*I do not recommend this activity to anyone*:grouphug:

CC
 

I too dislike the raining MATH and I am bad at word finding bubbles.:eek:

Sorry for jumping in on this topic, but I just joined up so I could write here. I've been suffering from the effects of three, maybe four concussions in the last 2 years. Mostly the usual symptoms, cognitive and memory difficulties and such. I was always a unorganised and forgetful person already, now it's just ridiculous. Plus I have Bi-Polar Disorder to boot, so mood changes are quite bad.

But that's not my point. I've always been a very creative person. I've been studying photography and am embarking on my career and wanting to start a business. I've always been doing projects, I'm also a musician, did a bit of writing, all that sort. Lately I just haven't been able to do anything like that, I just get completely stuck. It only occurred to me a few minutes ago that this may be linked to my concussions. Is it possible? And do you think I can get it back?

My creativity is (or was) a big part of who I am. I really do feel hollow and pointless without it. If it's gone then I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do with my life.

1erasmus,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Your struggles sound familiar.

Please feel free to start your own thread with the symptoms you are struggling with. There are many good people here to help and support you. The thread "Vitamins" has some good information and links that you may find helpful.

You say you are on a lot of meds (Your Sleep Apnea post). What meds are you taking ? What is the objective of each med ?

Many doctors use meds rather than trying to understand their patient's symptoms. Over-medication after a concussion is common.

How long have you been diagnosed as Bi-polar ? Does it have an coincidence with your concussions ?

My best to you.

Lumosity
 

CC and DFayes,

What are you trying to accomplish by doing Lumosity ? It sounds like it is stressing you. Its value for rehabilitation has not been studied successfully.

Yes you can!
 

I know exactly how you feel. I have felt much the same way. The good news is, that I have started being more creative again. It just takes a lot of effort and doesn't feel easy, but then I guess it never really did. At least with writing, it can be hard work but so rewarding. The main thing is that I think it's like everything else with PCS pick--you have to ease into it and you can't jump in with both feet. In particular, I can only read about one poem, maybe two before I have to stop. (Mainly this is because of my eyes.) Reading is a part of my creative process. I don't write if I'm not reading. In this way, I guess my remaining PCS symptoms are still holding me back. I do believe that they will get better with more therapy and more time, so for now I just have to at least start. I have to do what little I can to get out of this stagnation. When I was at the height of my PCS symptoms, I did just have to accept that fact that I was not going to be creative until I started feeling better. But then once I did start feeling better, and I felt up to it, writing my first children's book was such an awesome feeling. It's not poetry but it's something I always wanted to do, and I'm proud of myself for pushing the limits of what I thought capable of doing and creating something again.

I know it feels hard, and I don't know where you are in your struggles, but have faith that you can get your creativity back. I think it's just a process. I'm not finished with the process yet, but I'm getting there. I think you can to. Just think baby steps!

A valuable tool
 

Mark, as I've said in my previous posts about it, I found Lumosity to be an invaluable tool in recovering my cognitive function, regardless of whether or not there is any science to back this up yet. In fact, rather than increase my anxiety, it's actually had the opposite effect. By allowing me to see myself getting better, it helped to alleviate a lot of anxiety. I'm not saying it's for everyone at every stage of the recovery process, but it's worth doing the free trial to see if it' might be helpful IMO. There are times when my eye-related symptoms make it so I'd better restrict my computer usage, but that's about the only negative from my POV. You can feel free to disagree but you won't change my mind about the benefits I have experienced.