Thanks wendroo, and sorry to hear about your son.

Mark, I'm turning my phone off this entire day and I won't be reading or posting on here. Let's see if your theory is true...I'm convinced that there is some other unlying problem that is causing me to get worse.

I'm cancelling my neuro appointment and staying in bed all day.

We shall see.

Hi nwsmith
 

I am sorry you are having all those symptoms. If your neuros are a dissapointment, maybe you have to find another. I know you are dissapointed in how you are doing. Staying in bed, may be good for the sleep, but it won't solve the issue. I wouldn't give up, but continue to go for help. I do wish you all the best, and that you get well soon. Nobody likes to live with symptoms that just don't go away. ginnie

Not a whole lot... but I guess they keep me from becoming more depressed over stuff.

On the aricept, we lowered to 10mg a day about 6 months ago, and I think I would be worse without it. Since going on it, I have not tried to go off it, it doesn't seem to be the right thing to do at this time.

I also have the workarounds, but the panic comes when someone asks me for something 'right now'... with time, I can figure something out, but on the spot, I am stumped, and I panic.

Your right...it doesn't fix the problem. I'm glad someone else understands what I'm saying and believes there is something else going on.

I'm taking a break from...taking a break. This is day 5 of this huge change in my cognitive performance and personality. The second big change in a months time.

I highly doubt writing an occasional post on here and responding to a text message from my mom every couple hours is holding me back from healing. There is no way its making me worse and staying that way. If I feel I'm being overtaxed, I stop what I'm doing and close my eyes for a few minutes. The majority of my day is spent in complete silence. I lay in bed with my earplugs in and sleep or stare at the ceiling. I might leave the room for 5-10 minutes to spend time with my son...so he doesn't forget who I am.

I changed at the beginning of last month...with losing the spontaneity of my thoughts and sentences in conversation. It never got better..I just got used to it and found a work around. Then, the beginning of this month, my whole personality, the way I'm acting and responding to people, the way I present myself and the words and sentences that come out have changed. I'm...different. I'm not acting right at all...Even my friend the other day noticed I'm acting different/weird. My girlfriend is starting to worry because she noticed the change...I've been able to hide my brain injury symptoms before...Not anymore.

So, something is going on. I've been having some weird pressure like feelings in my head. It feels like something is moving in the area my brain was damaged when I lay down at night. I think I'm having small seizures, too, because when I'm laying down...I'll be thinking about stuff and all of a sudden my arm, hand, leg or whole body will jerk...and whatever I was thinking about will disappear from my head. Its like I black out for a split second and the thought doesn't come back.

I changed my mind about skipping out on the neuro appointment. I'm gonna beg him to find out what's wrong with me. I think its time for another MRI...and perhaps a spinal tap.

Nick, resting does not mean doing nothing. It means doing things that occupy your mind in mundane ways. Whether it is music or doing a repetitive task. Knitting or crocheting is a mundane repetitive task. It occupies your mind and hands at a slow pace so they both have a no stress task.

I spent hours sorting out my coffee cans full of mixed screws, bolts and nuts.

I spent hours listening to vocal music that had a rhythmic style and words that i understood. I need to find a rhythm that matched the rhythm of my brain. Staring into space leaves too much room for new thoughts or repetitive questioning thoughts. Grey or nature sounds without something for your hands to do is OK if you are going to sleep. But, otherwise, your brain needs mundane things to be casually occupied with.

Playing solitaire with a deck of cards. Simple things that do not cause frustration or stress.

Just anticipating a text or call puts the mind on the ready. For me, phone calls and such are annoyances, not anticipated events.

And, just a day of quiet is not enough. It takes many days linked together. Your rest is not better than the worst moment of the day. One minute of screaming can undo 8 hours of peace. Unless you learn the ability to let the one minute of screaming not effect you. It is more important to be restful than to be right. It is more important to be restful than to find out an answer.

It is almost like having a feeling of apathy, except it is choosing to ignore things rather than not caring. Write it down on paper and put the paper where it will be seen. Then, forget about the issue.

It is a learned skill and not easily learned. It takes discipline.

Hope this helps.