I thought it would be a good idea to list the things i learned i shouldnt have done while recovering from my brain injury. Maybe it will give you all a laugh at how a nurse is the worst patient! And what not to do!! haha

1. Checking myself out of the hospital the day i was admitted and 5 hours after i gained consciousnes!

2. Driving myself to the doctors the day after my accident while i was hallucinating and seeing bugs and everything was green in my visual field. Definetly stopped driving for 2 weeks after that.

3. Going back to work 3 weeks after accident for 3 shifts and realizing i was way too sick to be there.

4. Thinking i was well enough to attend my 30th birthday festivities in Las Vegas. Stimulation capital of the world!! Only 4 weeks after my brain injury. That was a rough, exhausting, and painful trip! At least i was with 3 nurses who knew how sick i was and left with me from situations that made my symptoms worse

5. Visiting my best friend in San Francisco and biking the golden gate bridge to Sausalito after doing no major physical activity for a few months. 2 and a half months after accident. THought my head was gonna explode!

6. Going back to work at my 3 month mark with only 1 week of no headaches but still dizzy and fatigued. Lasted 2 months at work before symptoms became too unbearable.

7. Visiting my friend in Florida at my 4 and half month mark and spending 2 days in Disney World with her and her 2 year old. Tried riding on the carousel which immediately made me dizzy and headaches. Again....stimulation overload.

8. 2 weeks ago trying to watch 2 diff football games and a baseball playoff game with 5 diff tv's in front of me. Could barely move later that night from the stimulation overload.

That is quite a list! You must have a fair bit of fortitude and resilience to get through all that with your symptoms - hopefully this will stand you in good stead as you recover with a less taxing itinerary.

My list is much shorter:

- Drove home after being discharged from the ER (after examining me for a couple of minutes, the ER doc said, nothing to worry about - the human skull is very thick! Talk about ignorant). In any case, no way I should have been driving - felt a bit woozy as I navigated the highway ramps

- Instead of spending the first couple of weeks doing nothing but resting quietly, I tried to go for walks outside, do laundry and other chores, etc.

- Almost two weeks after my concussion, had a busy day that culminated in socializing with extended family, when I hoisted and carried my 45-lb nephew a few times. Felt horrible that night and into the next day, with a renewed headache. My tinnitus also started then.

Yes, your activities DID seem to be a bit hasty after your TBI, but then most of us who are survivors are tough--and want to think of ourselves that way.
I'm awed by all that you attempted to do! Perhaps pay attention to what your body (and nursing experience) tell you, esp. in terms of stimulation overload.

As a 30+ year survivor, I find that overload and over-stimulation always cause me agitation and upset, which isn't fun for me-- or anyone who is with me, either!

Yes, I know we don' 'want to believe we need to ease back into life; this is another one of the BI symptoms, as is not conisdering what we know is true (gradually returning to physical activity and work).

Cudos to you for trying! Keep on trying--and maybe engage your brain--and experience--too?

*edit*

God speed you on your journey!

Carolyn Dolen, author-triathlete-survivor

i drove home later the night after my accident (2 hour drive) not knowing i had a concussion.

worked the following week -- feeling awful (in a hair salon ...loud music, etc)

i'm actually a glutten for punishment...I continue to try to do things.

Know that fight or flight -- I ALWAYS fight. ...then suffer

nightnurse,

No 8 gives me overload by association.
< 8. 2 weeks ago trying to watch 2 diff football games and a baseball playoff game with 5 diff tv's in front of me. Could barely move later that night from the stimulation overload.>

No 7 is almost as bad. And these appear to be just the tip of the iceberg. I can't imagine the other things you are still doing. Makes my life seem like I am the walking dead.

Now, you have no excuse to abide by the old axioms, at least axiom no 2. :

A foolish person does not learn from their own mistakes.
A smart person learns from their own mistakes.
A WISE person learns from others mistakes.

My best to you.

I'm definetly learning from my mistakes. I always seem to think i am doing so much better and push the envelope and realize after the fact the what i did was making me feel worse.

When i went to watch football a few weeks ago, i didnt think there would be so many tvs right in front of me....i pictured there would be one tv i would focus on. I know now that the sportsbar i went to is not conducive to my needs. This week my game was on national tv, so i stayed in my pajamas and watched it at home on the couch.

I also would get the ok from doctors about my trips, but with the disclaimer that if its too much, i need to rest...which i did every day. Needless to say....i will not be going to Las Vegas or Disneyworld again for many many years!!

You will be happy to hear that i am home resting from now on, not going out to restaurants that are noisy or crowded or have too much stimulation, no more trips, and focusing on physical as well as cognitive rest. I am listening to my body. This past week, i have had less headaches, and it seems my resting is helping. So i will just keep on resting and not push myself anymore. Thanks for the tips!!

Hello fellow Nurse ))
I'll have you know, we are very much alike lol!!! After my injury, I drove myself home from the ER as well (seeing I worked in the hospital, you would've thought they would have been more proactive??)...I actually pulled over on the interstate under an overpass during a thunderstorm to take a "nap"...I had no idea there was a Tornado warning and my family was calling my cell constantly!!! I also stopped for gas!!! I remember coming home, crawling in to bed...and then......nothing. My accident was in July and my next memory is late August...apparently I drove myself to MD appts. as well....:/ I'm ashamed, I would never purposefully put anyone else's life at risk for my own stubborness...:/ I also went to Yankee Stadium (awful!!!) and the grocery store in the beginning was very scary to me....now, I can not multi task to save my life and my grammar seems to be slipping...I just know that this is a very frightening and often times, lonely diagnoses as people can't "see" what's wrong, they figure you're "normal"....-__- I'm in the midst of a bad episode...headaches and horrible fatigue...and the mood swings...ugh. I pray this is the darkness before the dawn.....We Nurses are not easy patients...lolol...

UGH! Nightnurse! Just the mention of dizziness or vertigo makes my stomach upset. Yeah, guilty of trying to do too much too soon.

I cannot believe you checked yourself out AMA same day after being unconscious for 12 hours! Health care professionals are truly the worst patients.
Biking the Golden Gate Bridge was very ambitious of you too!

The sad thing is the doctors gave me an option! They said, "well, we would like to keep you the night for observation, but if you want to go home with your roommate (who is a nurse as well), you can go."

I was in complete shock from the accident and didnt even know how sick i was until the next day. I wish i could post the picture of me from when i woke up...racoon eyes, my right eye was swollen shot, 2 fat lips, and other bruises on my face along with 39 bruises on my body. Couldnt get my words out, stuttering, etc.

I woke up to 2 police officers in my hospital room and they told me i was assaulted because i sure looked like i was. I just wanted to get home so i could figure out what happened. I was smart enough to make an appt with my doctor for the next morning while i was still in my hospital bed before the office closed for the day knowing i was going home.