Hi. I’ve been lurking for a few months, soaking up the info. I thought I would introduce myself and tell my story…
I’m a male in my mid-50s, 6 ft X 180 lbs.
Last September I suffered an mTBI when a shelf collapsed and I was struck by a gallon of paint from a height of about 8 feet (2 feet above my head). I had two contusions—one from the paint and the other when my head hit the ground. I had an estimated LOC of 30 minutes and anterograde amnesia for 3 days. The initial MRI in the Emergency Room was negative.
A complicating factor is that I have mild spastic Cerebral Palsy (left hemi). To this point it has not been life-limiting at all. In addition to a mild “limp”, I have amblyopia (no binocular vision), mild lordosis, scoliosis and lumbar/sacral DDD. Like most with spastic CP I have a strong gag reflex and other pronounced primitive reflexes. Periodically, I use an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) to help with some gait-related pain. I do experience some synesthesia—“hearing” flashing lights and “seeing” certain sounds.
MRIs and other imaging show that the right hemisphere of almost all brain structure is under-developed, demonstrating some sort of prenatal developmental problem.
In the immediate aftermath of my injury I experienced pretty strong emotional lability. Rage/anger was only an issue for a day or two. However, I could be brought to tears by the most innocuous events and am still struggling with this. It’s incredibly embarrassing to be leading a meeting at work only to start bawling when someone announces their retirement. I have no control over these episodes and can’t tell how long they will last or how strong they may be—sometimes it’s just a crack in the voice and a tear or two. Other times it’s a blubbering breakdown.
Within a couple weeks post-accident I lost the ability to urinate on my own. This doesn’t happen every time I have to go, but I can count on it at least once a day. Sometimes I just can’t get things flowing. Other times I shut down mid-stream. It’s called “neurogenic bladder” and, most likely, it was caused by trauma to the sacral section of the spinal cord. A few times since my injury I have spontaneously urinated without the ability to stop the flow. It’s only been a couple ounces, but certainly enough to have an embarrassing wet spot on the front of my dress pants.
I’ve come to terms with this problem and it’s only a minor inconvenience now. I catheterize myself a couple times a day and it’s just become part of my routine.
I’ve been to the ER six times since the accident with uncontrollable nausea and vomiting. Of those six, I was admitted three times. The dx is always “probable damage to the pneumogastric nerve subsequent to concussion”. Treatment is intensive rehydration with Zofran/Phenergan/Reglan in an IV rotation.
My chief complaint is memory loss that doesn’t appear to be getting better. I have no problem recalling events prior to the accident. The biggest issue is moving memories in the immediate past (last few seconds to last few minutes) to something more permanent. For example, if I’m working on a toy and I need a Phillips screwdriver, by the time I reach the toolbox I often have no idea what kind of tool I’m looking for. When things are particularly bad I won’t even know why I have the toolbox in the first place.
Names are also very trying for me, and it doesn’t seem to matter if I’ve known the individual for 15 minutes or 15 years. Strangely enough, I can figure out the names of my coworkers by associating their face with the location of their office. For example, “Joe” starts a conversation with me and I can’t recall his name, I will start with my own office and work my way around the building, naming each office occupant, until I reach their office. Since I’ve associated a face with a specific office space I can recall their name. It takes a while, sometimes, but it’s better than not remembering at all.
Cognitively, as long as I am not under stress, I can think. Any pressure—at all—and I lose the ability of logic and reason. The greater the pressure the worse my performance.
More often than not, when I try to explain my issues to friends and family I’m interrupted with a pat response that they, too, are “bad with names”, etc., and we’re all just getting older <chuckle>.
1) No, it’s not the same. Maybe you and I are both “bad with names”, but I’ll bet you can still take a **** when you want/need to.
2) Maybe we are getting older, but I did not suddenly get older one sunny September afternoon after a gallon of Glidden whacked my brain pan.
3) “<chuckle>”. WTF? Not being able to remember my kids’ names is somehow funny?
4) Yep, sometimes not being able to remember where you put the car keys ranks right up there with not being able to remember how to get home from work.
So, I’m looking for ideas: either to cope with this nonsense or to resolve it…