Now I understand what my low scores mean. I live in Idaho. I must have a potato for a brain.

I don't understand the concept of being devastated. The NPA just quantified what already existed. For me, I finally was able to understand and accept the reason why I was struggling. The NPA did not cause my struggles.

With knowledge, I could choose my battles. No need to fight against my dysfunctions. Instead, I went forward building on my strengths and learning work-arounds for my weaknesses.

lol @ Idaho potato.

___

Seriously though, isn't the whole idea of the testing to find out if you do have specific cognitive weaknesses [as well as show your strengths] so that you can move forward with professional help?

I often see members devastated by their results or really anxious about what their test may show. I do understand the concerns, honestly, but you won't always feel this way. If the tests show weaknesses in certain areas, it doesn't mean that you will always have that and in the meantime it allows your care team to direct treatments or advise about problems you may be having in school or work or with relationships.

Great advice that Mark has said below in the quote...

I've seen the same in young children dealing with many different neuro problems. Focus on strengths. Accommodate weaknesses.

Yup, I agree with that mantra. At the time I had the tests done, it was only 9 months in and I didn't fully comprehend my situation, how I was feeling, and that things might actually get better (still hanging on to this one).In the end, the Neuropsych attribute my performance to my headaches.

Now, my wife and I laugh about this quite regularly.

I think the initial feeling of devastation comes from the shock/surprise. One of the hallmarks of TBI is lack of self-awareness. While we're aware of some of our deficits, it's predictable that testing would highlight some that had escaped our notice. For example, I didn't realize, among many other things, that I repeated myself so much, had poor impulse control, the attention span of a gnat and difficulty with pattern recognition.

That said, once I got over the mourning, the test was an invaluable tool in my recovery. It allowed my cognitive therapy to be targeted toward my specific deficits. The neuro-psych was the best thing I did after my TBI.

I feel as if I don't have cognitive deficits after my TBI, and I'm afraid that the neuropsych eval will give me something new to worry about. Or it could just reaffirm my opinion and help me make the decision to focus my recovery on treating anxiety and depression. Double-edged sword.

The neuro-psych is the best tool for evaluating how your TBI is really playing out in your cognitive functioning. Don't be afraid of it. If all is well, great! If not, you can start on the therapies and adaptations that will make your life better.

Sadly, we TBI patients aren't always the best judges of how we're performing. Honestly, I didn't realize just how many deficits I was battling. However, once I knew, I got working on them. I have made a much better cognitive recovery than my neurologist predicted initially. That wouldn't have happened without the neuro-psych to document my injuries and get me into the proper treatment.

That is a really good way of looking at it. I know initially it was shocking, but then it was almost a relief that I had this formal report confirming what I was struggling with alone. Now I need to figure out how to move forward.

donnie,

Since you acknowledge your anxiety and depression, there is no reason to not focus on those issues. With them in a better managed condition, any cognitive or other symptoms will be much easier to accommodate.