Severe TBI here, then maybe a seizure
 

Hi. So, I'm a 28 male. When I was 23 (almost exactly 5 years ago), I was driving to a friend's house from work. It was raining heavily, and I've been told that I was supposed to pick another friend up. However, she said she needed about half an hour longer, but I offered to wait. She told me she'd take the train, so I drove off. Then, apparently a FedEx truck hit me, or I hit a FedEx truck (according to the driver's testimony (no witnesses)).

So, yeah, basically, I broke a bunch of bones, punctured my lungs, had a part of my right-side temporal lobe removed due to swelling, had a hemorrhage, and lie in limbo, comatose for 26 days. Doctors thought if I survived, I would be a vegetable. However, only one rehabilitation center took me in, Helen Hayes Hospital in upstate New York. So I went from a wheelchair to walking; I went from pointing to letters to communicate to speaking; from soft mushy foods to learning to swallow properly; I went from being really awkward to being slightly less awkward.

Luckily, I have a wide ranging support network. Well, had, anyway. However, I picked up smoking again, much to my parents' dismay. Marijuana, which I think I love, and cigarettes, which I'm sure I hate. However, last Thursday, my mom (yes, I still live with my parents) found me unconscious on the floor of the bathroom. After waiting in the ER hallway for 2 days, I was finally given a room and a 24-hour EEG was run. While not discovering any seizure activity, the doctor thinks it was a seizure due to my TBI and due to my description of what I remember before I passed out. So I quit cigarettes, and my parents convinced me to be a monthly user of marijuana instead of a daily user. Furthermore, I will ingest edibles rather than smoke it. But that's a different topic.

After my TBI, I briefly had cognitive therapy until it was canceled, the pathologist determined that I do not have cognitive deficits. This slightly worries me, as it seems too good to be true; how can I go through such massive trauma with my brain and have so little wrong with it? Either way, I'm done with this topic. I mean, I'm pretty sure I have more to say, but I am going to leave this alone for now, not wanting to think anymore; not sure who my target audience is yet.

Cannabis lowers blood pressure whether smoked or ingested. If you had been using it could have been the reason you found yourself on the floor.

I used it many times the previous night. I also remember feeling weird and seeing points of colors before I passed out.

So fortunate that the damage was to the passenger side! You have been spared but warned, just my take on what sounds like an awful ordeal.

I understand your frustration, but cannabis is not the answer. It also may have been laced with who-knows-what!

I have been dealing with seizures pre & post, so PM me if you need more info.

Glad you found this site,
Grace

Well, people have different views on cannabis. My town has an active medical marijuana program and it is now legal in small amounts in July. I think it's important to follow the science. The

cannabis plant has both cannabinoids and THC and there are some studies that suggest the cannabinoids in cannabis

lowers inflammation and is a neuro protectant. I know people who use it as a tincture with no high, but get pain relief. I think it's a personal choice. I personally try not to alter my brain with recreational substances; my brain is weird enough. But it does lower blood pressure and

can cause a person to faint, which is just good to know, especially if you are finding yourself on the floor. You're young everybody.else and have had a great trauma so be cautious, which I know can be hard when you are 28.

I like both the high and the healthful effects.

By the way, I didn't know this, but nicotine patches are awesome if you want to recall your dreams. :)

Well, you might be enjoying it but smoking anything is not healthy and smoking just any strain of marijuana for the high is also not healthy for you right now. There is a way the cannabis plant can be used medicinally, but it sounds like you are using it recreationally which could have some potentially damaging long term effects for your brain. I surmise you are giving your parents a nervous breakdown at this point.

The medicinal part of cannabis is only the CBD (cannabidiol). The THC that causes the high has not demonstrated any medicinal value. In fact, it has been shown to cause psychological problems, especially for people who use it routinely during the maturing years (10 to 25 years old.)

If you want the medicinal value of CBD, it is most available in Charlotte's Web or ACDC (Oracle). At 20 to 1 CBD to THC, there is just enough THC to take the edge off.

Nicotine is not good for a compromised brain.

You don't say what your ongoing symptoms are. It appears that you manifest executive (decision making) struggles. This is common to TBI. Your life will benefit greatly if you can learn to accept the help of others, like your parents or extended family, when you need to make decisions. They were there for you through thick and thin and deserve your respect as they try to help.

My best to you.

I don't really think I have decision-making problems, but then again, maybe I do. If I had those sorts of issues, would I know? Most people, except my parents and I, think that I'm the same person I've been. I actually think I'm less impulsive now than I've ever been. And yes, I agree about the acceptance of help, but I want to discover self-reliance.

As for the marijuana, I don't usually smoke to take the edge off things. Sometimes, sure, but usually to see things from a different (sometimes more enjoyable) perspective. Unfortunately I don't live in a state with easily accessible legalized marijuana just yet, but I gave up smoking in general. I ingest it orally, so far it's been bimonthly and weekly, respectively.

Forgot to respond to this. Hasn't it been shown to exacerbate psychological problems, not cause them? But maybe you're right, research always evolves. But I honestly think I'm safe from most pot-related psychological issues, as I only started at 19. I started daily use (and daily tobacco use) at 21. But once again, maybe I do indeed have psychological issues.