NeuroTalk Support Groups - When do you know that your symptoms are permanent?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark in Idaho (Post 839201)

Years ago when we determined that I needed to severely limit my driving, we consolidated cars and bought a brand new, full size GMC Yukon. We are not usually new car people. They are just too expensive. This time, the new Yukon offered side curtain airbags. We felt this was an important feature to have since auto accident concussions often come from the side glass or door pillars.

EstersDoll, You said <I was a very accomplished, bright, over-achieving, independent, hyperactive and energetic person before the accident and the impairments have been vast and seem to have affected many areas of my brain, so there's still a lot of improving to do.)>

These same people are often the most effected by persistent concussion symptoms. We are so used to working at the top edge of performance that we notice every difference. It is also a reason we rarely get good concussion diagnosis and care. Our post concussion functions are still so high that many dismiss us. I believe the NeuroPsych who first assessed me was intimidated by my high IQ scores. He was definitely pushing the limits of his IQ and making up for his deficiencies with ego and arrogance.

We are also most able to develop many work-around skills for our good days. They don't help much on our bad days as we struggle to sense any intelligence at all.

As some have mentioned, learning to live in the present and find ways to keep going has made us better, more compassionate people.

Some one mentioned a high maintenance wife on TV tonight. I asked my wife if I am high maintenance. She said No, not now. But she said I was high maintenance 6 years ago, before I started working at learning better people skills and coping skills.

Hope we can all learn to not be high maintenance.

My best to you all.

Thanks Mark :hug:

I've read similar findings from neuropsychs about people with high IQ's and how we deal with tbi, etc.... and I totally grok what you're saying about struggling to sense any intelligence at all on our bad days! Argh! ;)

It's really unfortunate that the first neuropsych you saw felt so threatened by your IQ.

My first speech therapist wouldn't believe that English was my first language and didn't understand the associations I was making between nouns when she asked me questions if they weren't directly written down in her answer book - even if they were correct. (My boyfriend is a pretty unassuming guy, but he started defending my answers, tried explaining them to her and almost started an argument with her about them.) lol I feel very blessed that I got a better ST!

Luckily, my current speech therapist realized that I have a High IQ and she told me that she likes stretching herself by working with me (that her other patients haven't made her do it as much at all) and in some areas when she couldn't challenge me anymore, she is honest with me about it and we move on to work on something else. I think she realizes that it is not an indication of her IQ, just a reflection of the tools she has to work with in such a short period of time.

A joke around our house is that I am the epitome of "high maintenance", but my boyfriend is AMAZING and always assures me that I'm well worth it. I'm *very* lucky to have him in my life.

I always try to live in the moment and be the best person I can be in the moment. I have accepted that I am just not able to do what I used to do or even what I want to do (for now) as much as I can. I know I can accept it more often or in better ways, honestly I'm still learning how to do that, but it's also like an out of shape muscle. The more I accept it, the easier it will be for me to remember next time to accept it and so forth. It was very difficult for me in the beginning because I really just didn't understand why I couldn't do things I used to be able to! But at the same time, I think I will hope and strive in some ways to be who I was before the accident for many years still... and I think that's probably just a part of going through such a fast, life-changing event like this.

By the by, my new car is a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it has something I'd never heard of before I did the research called active headrests which reduce the chance of whiplash by about 30%. I think a lot of the safety features found in more expensive cars, like side curtain airbags and active headrests should be made standard in all cars.