Is this possibly as good as it gets?
 

I'm two and half years into my brain injury. Follow up MRIs show no further progression of brain lesions or tissue tears. EEGs showed epilepsy is a bit worse, still controllable during the day but nocturnals are worse.

Cognative skills are not improving, in fact my "word fishing" seems a bit worse.

Lately, I've been thinking "What if this is as good as it gets?"

:confused: Ever have that feeling, worry, concern or thoughts about what if this is as good as it gets in recovery?

I have been at that point for years. I make improvements but they do not become permanent. My good days are better but my bad days are the same as always since about 2-3 years post injury.

What I am getting much better at is working around my limitations. My work-around skill sets allow me to do most anything, if I can control the environment and pace.

I have word finding tricks, recall tricks, etc. I still struggle with word finding regularly but don't get so stressed so I can recover from the frustration to lower the effort level and find the word.

I have a trick that works well for me. Hopefully, I can explain it. If I am struggling to remember something or find a word, I have to 'let go' of the effort to find the word and switch my mind to a different task. Just as my thoughts are letting go and switching, I can find the word or memory.

Is this making sense. Maybe this analogy will help. You look in a drawer for a spoon but do not see it. You decide to look elsewhere. You start to close the drawer while still casually looking in it. Just as it is almost closed, the spoon comes into focus.

I learned this trick as I used another word finding trick. I will look around the room and mentally put a word to the objects I see. Often, as I mentally say picture, bookshelf, sofa, chair, and so on, the word I am looking for will pop to mind.

I discovered that it is as I change my focus that the lost word or memory is likely to be found.

I have lots of other tricks. I have yet to buy the book "Brain Injury Survival kit: 365 tips, tools and trick...." but suspect there are some similar tricks in it. I have emailed with Cheryle Sullivan, the author, as it appears she has some good ideas. Check out http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Injury-S...3156289&sr=8-4

My wife also has learned many ways to tolerate and live with my issues. Or maybe I should say, subscriptions. I don't have issues. I have lifetime subscriptions. LOL

Has your doctor tried checking your blood oxygen when you sleep? My experience is nocturnal seizure activity can be associated with poor oxygen levels. You can rent pulse ox alarms at the medical supply companies. They fit on a finger while you sleep and wake you if your pulse ox drops.

I'd like to find one that works on the ear lobe. This would measure blood ox near the brain. I think I have a problem with blood flow to the back of my brain from upper neck inflammation.

My biggest frustration is my inconsistent ability to drive. I can go weeks without a clear enough head to feel safe driving.

Post you cognitive struggles. maybe we can help you with some work-arounds.

My best to you.

My MRI didn't show anything wrong in the first place, so there's clearly loads of other stuff going on in an injured brain which may still have room for improvement even if it's not showing up on an MRI.

'Is this as good as it gets' is, I think, a terrifying question which is likely to give rise to lots of harmful stress hormones. Probably best to avoid such thinking if at all possible. From what I understand of the evidence there is still hope of improvement even after years have passed.

Mark's highlighting of coping strategies is I think a useful focus - even if there is no more improvement organically you could aim to get better at such strategies and so improve your quality of life slowly. Important to keep some hope up I think.

All the best.