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-   Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome (https://www.neurotalk.org/traumatic-brain-injury-and-post-concussion-syndrome/)
-   -   Anyone else home all day because you can't drive (https://www.neurotalk.org/traumatic-brain-injury-and-post-concussion-syndrome/204763-else-home-day-cant-drive.html)

Living_Dazed 05-22-2014 12:42 PM

Hi mynewreality,

I did that several times today. Substitute coffee with turkey and tomato sandwich. I just got a picture book on North American birds. Problem for me is I can't track them to see exactly what they are.

So...it goes. Hawk. Seagull. Geese. Crane. Song Bird. Fast bird. High in the sky bird. Sadly sometimes on my walks, dead bird, Oh! It's a brown finch!

I hope you have a good view on your patio. You could get really wild and drink flavored tea. Be careful with that. :)

Peace and wellness,

Jace

Socks 05-22-2014 12:57 PM

Can you guys do jigsaw puzzles? I've always enjoyed putting them together but I don't know if they're too much stimulation now. I haven't tried. Or word puzzles (word searches, crossword puzzles, etc.) I'm not a crafty person but knitting/crocheting? I'll try to think of other things we can do.

Hockey 05-22-2014 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Living_Dazed (Post 1071010)
Hockey,

It must be nice to have some independence back. Wow, that's great.

Do you have damage to your vestibular nerves? The nerve that controls my vision is damaged. I was just told I wouldn't drive again. It would be great to hear of someone's vision improving enough to drive! Even if I could only drive in my town I'd be thrilled.


We are in the process of selling our second car. It's a sedan and I can't stomach my family being in it. I was in an SUV when the accident happened. If I was in the car it would have been much worse. When the rest of North America drives sedans then we can be in a sedan. Until then, I just can't.

Jace

I've been pretty lucky on the vision front. I do, however, know of someone who overcame convergence issues (had to use a prism), etc... to regain her driver's license.

I owe my life to a high quality SUV, as well. Even the cops told my husband, I would have been killed in a car.

Living_Dazed 05-22-2014 06:11 PM

Hi All. I can't Do word searches and things like that with my vision. I m not sure if I'll like knitting or crocheting but I'm open to it. I am open to any ideas

I was on here so much earlier I had to nap. But it was nice to have conversations today.

I loved my pilot. It did what I needed it to do that day. I was so excited the day I bought it. We took it to the mountains two months later and then to Arkansas in the summer and many more vacations. Now we have another one but it's not the same.

Jace

Hockey 05-22-2014 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Living_Dazed (Post 1071072)
Hi All. I can't Do word searches and things like that with my vision. I m not sure if I'll like knitting or crocheting but I'm open to it. I am open to any ideas

I was on here so much earlier I had to nap. But it was nice to have conversations today.

I loved my pilot. It did what I needed it to do that day. I was so excited the day I bought it. We took it to the mountains two months later and then to Arkansas in the summer and many more vacations. Now we have another one but it's not the same.

Jace

Have you tried gardening? A little flower bed might be nice. Just watch being outside in the heat.

Living_Dazed 05-22-2014 10:26 PM

There's really no short answer here so here it is.

We sold our house and moved to my moms. We were going to be building and adding an inlaw suit for my mom and while living at her house getting it ready to go on the market. We were going to move to the town I taught in.

Two weeks after we moved in my moms our daughter had a scheduled spinal surgery. She had broken her back they think in gymnastics a few years earlier. Where she broke it was not a painful break but after time the bones wore away and her spine at the L5-S1 were not connected with bone. We were unaware of the break until all her sports brought out the pain.

We we waiting for her to heal enough that she could go to school full time to start building the house but 3 months after her surgery her and I were in the accident.

That put off building. I still had our original plan in my head even though I wasn't working and in bad shape. I couldn't see how I was. Plus our daughter was still healing from major surgery and the accident.

I think I was the last one to get it that our life plans had to change. We could no longer have the same lifestyle on one salary and save for college and retirement. My hubby decided to buy a new townhouse with property management taking care of everything outside. They are putting a pool in now and building a club house. There are lakes and a rough walking path, not paved.

Our past house we built was 1/3 of an acre and 2300 sq ft with large pool. Way too much to do again. This new house is 1450 sq ft. When he gets home he has lots of time for us instead of yard work and repairs.

I've never liked gardening or dirt. I did well at the old house but it was a lot of work. Now we have a small front yard with a bed and a small patch of grass in the back with a patio.

For the first time I think I am going to do a few plants and I want to. I want to keep them alive. I think a pot in the back and I will plant daffodils in the front. I used to have a gorgeous trumpet vine growing on my fence. I never had to do anything to it because the downspout ran to it. The hummingbirds were always there and by the honeysuckle. The peonies were maintenance free and the rest were bushes and maaintence free stuff.

I was the painter and project person. Restructure a room? Sure take this wall down add this or that. I loved changing things to make our home what we wanted. I grew up with a father that taught me all about tools,building, plumbing, all of it. If I'd hadn't done it before I would learn it online and do it. I miss doing those things. I can't cut in trim or around doors n windows with paint anymore. My hands aren't steady like before the accident. I tried to use a grinder months ago and got my thumb good. I was banned from power tools.

Now I come up with the projects and my hubby does them. He already took down a wall between two rooms and many other projects in our new home.

I really lost my focus here. ? Thanks for your patience. Well I think I will try things I didn't do before.

Exhausted in my brain,

Jace

NormaW 05-23-2014 10:34 PM

I find having something to look forward to helps.

During the winter I go across the street twice a week to watch t.v. with an elderly couple. I really enjoy it.

My brother invited me to Bermuda for 2 weeks and I really enjoyed it.

I get some satisfaction from baking.

The worst part is the isolation, I am sitting home tonight, my headache is particularly bad and all I can really do is go to bed.

My daughter may take me camping this summer. I really hate the lack of independence. I can't drive very far, I can't lift anything heavy, so I have to depend on others if I want to go somewhere.

I must admit one of my new goals is to create some type of social life for me. Before the accident I was thinking about dating, but now I am so limited I can't image dating. No movies, no crowded places, no loud places, can't walk too far but I can still talk.....

It is a huge adjustment and not easy, but we are not alone, there are a lot of us making the same adjustment.

LauraM 05-24-2014 10:24 PM

I too sit around the house all day. It has been over a year now, and I have been able to drive off and on. I fell again a few months ago and hit my head again, thus a back slide and lost permission to drive again. I have been on good days anyhow. Luckily I live in a small old city with nearly all one way streets to and from every where I let my self drive to. If it is on the highway I let my hubby drive. I can not ride well in the car or I am sick. Head movements, walking light and noise still make my head aches worse and the vertigo too.

I listen to a lot of audio books and have recently found that knitting on the round looms I can do. It is not fine detailed work that stresses my brain much and though my eyes get tired pretty quick it is easy to put down and continue later. Hats are quick you can make a stocking cap in about two hours or less. I made a blanket for grand baby due any day now it took me about 2 weeks.

I know how you feel, I feel like I have had no fun in so very long but anything I can think of to do that is fun there are a bunch of reasons I cant or am afraid of doing it. Last summer I got my fishing license so we could go fishing but that was hard too. We went at night twice once during the day turned out to be a bad idea and did not go again.

So Audio books, sitting on the porch with the dogs and round loom knitting...
otherwise PT and house work.

MiaVita2012 05-26-2014 12:53 PM

I can Relate
 
I can drive but I do not often. I have a sedan it hurts my neck, head, and lower back to drive and I get anxious. I cannot do much these day's except I like to watch the birds on back porch. My family had got me a bird house that all the little finches are loving! And a bird bath that I will sit and watch all the birds stop by for a drink. I have yet to see a bird take a bath. I was amazed the other day, I had seen 2 Doves:D fly up to a line.

I watch for spiritual awakenings like different kinds of birds, butterflies etc to give me hope and know that the Higher Power is with me. I have really shifted to spirituality for survival. I am now free of antidepressants since winter and I am trying to manage my depression on my own. I became resistant to antidepressants which I am feeling more a sense of who I have became in result of this devastation.

I basically look to nature to ground me and for peace.

But I gotta go now headache is starting. Take care:grouphug:

Living_Dazed 05-26-2014 02:09 PM

Norma,

I agree about having things to look forward to. I have learned to put events in my iPhone using the calendar. Now I see what's coming up and it helps me keep track of days.

We just had egg roll day yesterday. My family comes over and we make tons of pork and shrimp egg rolls. This year my husband finally bought a stand up freezer. We've talked about it for years. I was so excited for this year's egg roll day. Taxing, but I had good fun and memories.

How much snow do you have to get through to go to your neighbors in the winter? What was Bermuda like? Blue waters? I always wanted to go to Figi, or Cook Islands. I'm still hoping someday. I want to just sit in that beautiful water all day and if I heal snorkel!

We used to camp very year before my injury. Haven't since. The heat makes my headaches worse so I'm a little nervous cause we tent camp. I love the outdoors.

The Smokey's and Michigan have been two of our favorite playgrounds. Lots of hiking, mountain climbing, and blue waters with no salt. We love the history of both lands and the diverse cultures.

My neuropsych wants me working on my social relationships. Being a teacher, and mom, and wife, we've always been very social out and about. After my headaches easing up I felt the loneliness of not having those same interactions daily.

So my first step is to work on my relationships here. I enjoy interacting with everyone. I can't wait til we get our stickie for social chat and games. I don't always want our conversations to be so heavy.

I have my ipad key board nearly memorize with mscle memory so typing isn't so visual and the screen is smaller which helps and auto correct helps too.

If you are bored send me a note. I check several times a day since I'm home alone all day.

Nice to meet you.

Jace


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