This is a continuation of another frustrating week in a TBI survivor’s life after two decades.  The struggle is ongoing.  By reading this I hope you will reach out and help someone you know instead of passing judgment.  This is an attempt to help educate others as to what happens behind closed doors with an invisible injury.  This is Part 2 of 2 in this series about cell phone changes.

Students Using Apple iPhone as Learning Tool (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Goal is to remain independent at one’s optimal level of functioning.  Only you can find that level of functioning.  Don’t give in, and don’t give up! The message on my iPhone indicated I did not have enough free space.   I had nothing on my iPhone 4S except contacts, calendar and photos.  I was told I had too many pictures, about 850 so I deleted everything later that evening. I’m still getting the same message, so I’m sure it’s a glitch in the system.

PhotoStream started working when whatever the problem was resolved.  The problem remains a mystery to enhanced support and Apple.  I got the same message, “Not enough space”.  Somewhere, the problem still exists for others who encounter this issue.  AT&T believes it was a space issue, and Apple didn’t know how to correct it but they did give me another telephone and eliminated it from a hard drive problem. Apple knew it was not a space problem.

Finally, after all this time on Saturday this person resolved the problem.  With all fairness, I would not fill out a survey and I usually do.  I always give constructive positive feedback.  Given, this lengthy problem and no solution from Sunday through Saturday I could not judge this one individual fairly at least at the end of this day. I explained this situation to her supervisor.  I was exhausted and still couldn’t even talk with my friends.  I had no mental or physical energy left.

The difference here, the enhanced support person is being paid for a living.  I’m struggling to be living…and this is zapping everything out of me!  This is just one example of what people deal when they try to compensate from injuries, illnesses, and other issues.  It’s unbelievable the amount of time we are all spending on the telephone correcting errors of everything and every kind.

Now, since my husband has retired he is also helping correct errors.  There is never one week that we don’t collectively spend a significant amount of time correcting errors related to medical bills, financial, insurance claims, and others.  Why are there so many errors?

800px-Errors (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At least my husband is finally helping with the paperwork and other problems…but that’s just beginning two decades later!  Better late than never! He’s been supportive throughout the years for the most part and has tried to get me the help he believed I needed.  Unfortunately, with better healthcare he would have learned other ways to help and understand brain injury. Healthcare did not help much in our case, and I doubt it helps in most.

It seems like no one cares about how they do their jobs.  It’s always someone else’s fault.  In reality, they blame you until you can prove it otherwise.  We have been through this all too often and are finally fighting back.

My husband is so disturbed by the continuous errors he has decided to keep a 5 subject  handwritten notebook.  I’ve always kept notes with names, dates, times, and exactly what was being said.  This helped with my memory, but also helped follow up with calls.  It’s the only way businesses would back off when I told them I call on this date, at this time, and spoke to this person.

No wonder we have no energy for anything else.  Traveling back and forth to two different stores that were 40 minutes away and spending too much time on the telephone on two separate days is unraveling to even the strongest of spirits!

Is four days acceptable to solving one problem?  What is happening to our system?  Is it time constraints or quantity over quality?  It’s not hard to see how people with brain injury plummet into depression.  Some deeper depression than others, and many ending in suicide.  Everyone is too busy to help.  Few are educated in brain injury.  No one knows how to help.  No one has patience, and those with brain dysfunction don’t have patience either! It’s a daily struggle. Please help those you know.

Enhanced support helps one to learn a cell phone with greater ease, and easily accessible help.  Apple one-to-one sessions also help learn the iPhone.  These services combined is what makes my learning possible. If you use these services make sure you have an abundance of minutes to use.

I have not been able to meet my goals with posting lately, but I’m doing the best I can to share what really happens so others can learn and help when they are or know someone in these situations.  I’m not writing this for others to feel bad for me, I simply want others to understand so they too can help people they know.

These are common issues millions of people are dealing with after brain injury, chronic illnesses and the aging process.  Please jump on board and help others. If people don’t want help or don’t want to learn that is entirely different issue.  Time is all we have on this earth.  Spend some time helping others instead of ridiculing. Ridiculing will separate families and friends forever.  Learning gets harder and more complicated with the aging process.

att-001 (Photo credit: wuji9981)

Those with brain injury and other illnesses that happen earlier in life learn to compensate and approach the aging process in an entirely different way.  They don’t worry about loosing their keys or misplacing something once in awhile.  When that happens to the general population it’s as though their life is in shambles over the loss or misplaced item one time!

I’ve brought this to attention of others and the reply is “you have a brain injury”, and that isn’t the point!  The point is simple…what would happen if you dealt with misplacing items every day or more? This is where empathy doesn’t happen in my life.  Those things happen every day hundreds to thousands of times in a day.

Keep on learning.  Your brain will not function if you don’t exercise it!  Your brain needs exercise and nutrition just as your body.  If you don’t use it, you will loose it!  Remain independent and find your resources to help resolve problems.

Related articles

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• ATT Rips Off Customers For Normal Internet Usage (newsworldwide.wordpress.com)
• AT&T reportedly readying new blocking service for stolen phones and tablets (imore.com)