Look at me!
 

Hi there. I am now eight months with TBI and have just posted a new thread. Just keep trying. You will be ok.

We wish you speed recovery.

Like Mark said stay off benzo meds as they are tough on brain.

Follow the vitamin regimen and eat healthy

Don't drink alcohol.

Keep us updated with your process.

Just another update for ya'll. I have been sleeping (thank god) but I definitely waited too long to get some help. Brain fog, extreme fatigue, inattentiveness, difficulty reading... Sheesh. I am still only 3 months post-injury so I know I have a long way to go. I am positive about everything and just taking every day on its own.

I may have to withdraw from graduate school though. It seems to be a bit much for me. That is a huge disappointment, but my health is far more important.

-Owl

Yikes I didn't realize that I haven't posted in so long!

I did formally withdraw from graduate school. It was too much and was causing so much stress. I noticed an immediate improvement in my symptoms once I didn't have to think about homework, studying, due dates, etc... Definitely the right decision! I can resume classes in the summer with no fall-out. Thank God for that.

Otherwise I have been so-so. I haven't had any real improvement in symptoms, but my ability to do sustained mental effort is improving bit by bit. Where I might have been wiped out after 90 minutes of real effort, now I can do 2-3 hours. I still have a lot of issues but I consider it progress. My sleep is so-so... I can't quite sleep through the whole night, but I have been falling asleep right away. I am trying to avoid marathon sleep sessions on the weekends, and have noticed an improvement with that by placing my pink-noise generator app on a timer instead of simply being on. When it turns off, I generally wake up. So, that has been a good way to limit over-sleeping.

I took a long walk about two weeks ago at a brisk pace. I walked for about half an hour. I returned home, feeling good, but I was dizzy. I remained dizzy for over 14 hours; got little sleep that night and of course that wrecked my next day. I wasn't very steady on my feet and felt like I had to look at the ground the whole time I was walking. I didn't realize that I was so unsteady. My eyes were darting around and I couldn't help but constantly check the ground to look for obstacles. Not sure what is up with that...

Hmm... what else... Reading is still a challenge. I told my family that reading is a bore because the words are just on the page. Before my accident, reading was a lot of fun. I could "enter the story" and become the character, envisioning myself as the words flowed through my subconsciousness. Now I just read words on a page and can't quite imagine the scene. So, I don't read much... But, I do enjoy movies again. That, and documentaries, or anything with very high emphasis on the visuals. Audio is just lost on me so I hardly follow dialog. That has been a strange thing to realize, but I am adjusting.

Not sure what else to say really. I am just moving along. Seems like my recovery has slowed down a lot since my last update. Kind of on cruise control right now. Thank you all for your continued support! you rock!

OwlinFl84,

You might want to try using head phones or ear buds when watching TV. This will improve your ability to sort out the ambient sounds so you can focus on the dialogue of the program. The improvement can be remarkable.

Without my head phones, I have a similar problem. I hear the words but they get lost in the ambient sounds.

I can't read fiction or even overly descriptive non-fiction. There are too many people and concepts to keep in memory. I end up reading the words but not comprehending the subject.

As a general rule, female writers are harder for me to follow that most male writers. Male writers of non-fiction tend do be more mechanical in style. This allows my brain to fit the pieces of the writing together like a puzzle. The more abstract concepts are very difficult for me to process and comprehend.

Understanding if you have similar limits allow you to select readings that are comprehendable.

My best to you.

I found the vitamin regimen to be very effective at lifting the brain fog, its definately worth a try. I've been taking the vitamins for months now and the fog has dissipated. Actually, it only took a few days before I started noticing the change. Diet is important too. I'm cutting out processed sugar and eating more fresh vegetables, berries and nuts. All that is helping with forgetfulness and concentration issues.
Best of Luck!
Jamie

When I read your post about having a bout of dizziness after walking, it reminded me of the relationship between your vision and vestibular (balance) system.

You might have your vision examined by a neuro-opthalmologist to look for convergence, binocular and accommodation issues. Often the eyes can get misaligned after mtbi.

When you walk your brain must continuously receive messages from your eyes and then output to your body in terms of walking. If you are unsure of your gait while walking (i.e. having to constantly look down), this may signal issues with your vestibular system. If the walk triggers dizziness, it could be the brain getting overstimulated from input (vision) and output (vestibular).

It was a good call to postpone your studies-you can always go back. Best of luck!

OK I had my 90 day follow-up with my neurologist and he believes that I am progressing fine. All of my symptoms are perfectly normal and expected, and he wants me to focus more on tracking my sleep. He is concerned because I am having at least 2 bad nights a week and wants me to have only 1 bad night per month.

So, for the next few weeks he wants me to keep a detailed sleep diary and visit him again so he can see what to do about it. In the meanwhile he said to just take it easy and keep doing what I am doing, but to try to do yoga and meditate instead of going out walking or trying to run or anything too crazy.

As for how I'm doing, as of late, it really has been a struggle to sleep all the way through the night. I've begun to write poetry, which I've never in my life been able to do. I also have been writing down some short story ideas that, when I have a little more capacity, I intend on writing to completion. My creative side, which has never been a part of my life, is roaring to fruition in a way I never could have imagined. My "new" self is quite an "artist" :p It feels good to express myself through writing so I've been writing a lot.

Has anyone else noticed new skills or interests post-injury that previously were impossible or had little value to you?

Hi there, hope you feeling better physically
 

and emotionally about things--I had to wd from grad school also a while back. Have several other diagnoses as well, I must medicate for, but the gapapentindoes helpw sleep. Other things that help are the vitamins, supplements, and as much physical activity as I can stand, stretching, gardening, getting out with dog, etc., friend. Be well, Owlin and others! Anneo:)

Time for an update. Largely I feel fine. I don't really have fog issues, although I still struggle with fatigue daily. I am writing and drawing and being artsy like never before. I've begun to really like that side of me, so if anything I am thankful for the time I've been given to learn about my creative side.

I still have sleep problems but it isn't out of control like it was before. My tinnitus is still very bad. I guess my focus is now on lessening the fatigue and trying to learn the triggers for it, so that I can avoid feeling tired all the time.

Hey at least I'm going out more :) I just sleep the whole next day haha!