http://www.fightingpcs.com/

There is some interesting stuff on that website.

Cheers,

Nick

Thanks for the link.

I read the recovery article.

The writer divides the stages into parts, with 4 & 5 being "victory".

She said she reached them at the 3-year mark. Interesting.

GReat site, hard to read a bit, with head spinning, LOL.

the recovery article was pretty decent.

I like her "never give up" attitude and advice!

Great site! Thanks for posting!

Space cadet, I too am concerned sometimes when dealing with people\medical professionals, that I come off as too normal so how can there be a significant problem going on here? I have periods of rage\frustration that I try to vent in private. I have been told I have a good logical understanding of what I am facing and dealing with; however this comes off as normal to anyone who doesn’t know or doesn’t care to understand you have a brain injury. I sometimes fell like saying I suffered a brain injury but it didn’t make me stupid or I didn’t lose my common sense. I believed at first, the concussion I had was just that, and would resolve in a few weeks of the accident. This has not been the case and dealing with my employer and insurance co has been more than challenging. My employer will not offer reasonable accommodations as outlined by the neuropsyc doc. The insurance companies are trying every tactic they can to minimize the situation. The only bright spot is that the accident was clearly not my fault and that fact cannot be disputed. I wish you well in your recovery. It sounds like you and eown are enrolled in some sort of rehabilitation program? Is this something offered to you in your area or how did you learn about it. Is it helping?

Frankly just taking meds and waiting it out doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me at this stage since I did undergo testing which showed deficits that validate a closed head injury; however there doesn’t seem to be any other alternatives other than meds\and figuring things out on your own to find new ways to cope with the challenges.
I would assume that this is the same with most other TBI, but do you have problems sleeping getting to sleep or staying a sleep?

Hi jinga,

Have you talked with your PCP or Neuro about getting some speech therapy? Or going to see a therapist? Either of those treatments, or both, might help you to improve.

A lot of people have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep when recovering from a tbi. I'm one of them. There are a lot of pointers out there you can find by googling something like "how to get a good night's sleep".

Off the top of my head, I recall a few tips:

-Waking up at the same time every day will help.
-Exercise should help.
-Not doing anything but sleeping and having sex in your bed and bedroom is supposed to help too.
-Meditation is supposed to help.
-Not doing anything super stimulating right before going to bed, like watching a suspense thriller is recommended.
-Don't drink caffeine after 12p or 2p as YMMV.
-Getting out of bed and doing something else when you have insomnia is a good idea. ie: Don't lay in bed for hours when trying to go to sleep. ie: Try to fall asleep for 30 minutes and then go read (or sit) in your living room for a while if you have trouble falling asleep, and then go try to fall asleep again.

Also, I don't have a lot of advice as far as dealing with your insurance company or workplace. My HMO denied giving me any neuropsych testing but approved speech therapy up the wazoo... I hope you have a good attorney - maybe they can help you get the treatments you want/need.

What does YMMV mean?

Some of us are not texters so we do not know these terms.

Google can define some of these but not all.

I cannot begin to express how much I can relate to everything you wrote. I am a college student and am expected to do well academically, be involved in campus activities, and have a lively social life as well. Since I seem "too normal" like you said, it is difficult for friends, classmates, and professors to understand the challenges I face every day. It's been 2 1/2 years since my initial head injury, and it's been an uphill battle, especially considering the lack of understanding and knowledge in most people about concussions and PCS. I don't really have any specific advice or encouragement at all, but sometimes it's better to know we're not alone in this.

Laura

so ...in doing my research...here I am...back again

I was advised that I need to ask for reasonable accomodations, and that when they deny me...I can apply for retirement with a disability for the state....not that I will or will not get it...so I am looking at listing my needs...like peace and quiet, and time to keep relearning and recalling...my short term memory needs constant reminders...and that head buzzing and vertigo get in the way whenever I think I figure out what to do

I like that site...it is good for some parts

and then again, I need one where women who are over 60 ...after 7 months still in bad shape

too long a day today...I should have napped

Your employer will not meet reasonable accomodations? Curious what your accomodations are - my employer wont at this point either. i thought ADA helps in situations like this but apparently not if the employer refuses to allow you to work. Then what?