I am not my tbi
 

:grouphug:I feel like a part of me died I lost myself. A part of me died in that accident. i grew up watching the same thing happen to my dad. He came home looking the same but he was a stranger and I watched thier marriage fall apart and he become a person no one liked. And, now i'm living it but its not the same because i'm making different choices. Im not escaping to pills like he did , i'm not lashing out at my kids making them feel small. I'm working on my marriage that was super strong to begin with. I can get thru this and find my old self or become a better version. It does not not have to destroy me or my family. I am not my tbi and I am not my father

I understand what you mean about feeling like you lost a part of you.

*I just read your first post...I am glad that you are here to talk to us today!*

What I think is great, is that despite all you have been through, you are looking at this as an opportunity to work on yourself and your marriage ! I think that is very strong and I admire that. I just wanted to welcome you and say thank you for your post. :grouphug:

Welcome to the forums. Well said. While there is the tendency for many of us with traumatic experiences to dwell on the "before" and "after", we have the ability to move ahead and grow. A recent book What Doesn't Kill Us: The New Psychology of Posttraumatic Growth by Stephen Joseph has a lot to say about this. Best to you as you recover.

I am going to have to check this book out. Thank you

I'm a completely different person since my accident, and feel all the better for it. Despite being a hermit who sleeps most of the day and can't walk 10 minutes without having to stop, I've never felt more alive. And I've never felt more sure of the difference between nice people and absolute morons. I'm glad you're looking on it positively too.