Keeping organized is essential to recovery from brain injury. Clutter overwhelms the brain and may cause Read the rest of this entry »
Category Archives: Injury
Laughter as brain injury medicine … another day another year
I tried on and off all day to post a simple laughter note. All I wanted to say Read the rest of this entry »
Long-term problems of head-injury
Here is a glimpse into the reality of brain injury. Another TBI patient has shared this clear and concise writing about brain injury. It was stated that the information was written by a physician, but I do not have the author’s name. You will find by reading this that it’s a “snapshot into your troubled reality following brain injury”. Read the rest of this entry »
Simple tips to taking back control and saving relationships after injury Part 2 of 2
It’s never too late to change. If you have a new or old injury make sure you are doing what you can for yourself. You need to focus on the things you can do. Evaluate the things you might be able to do, and try to do these things. Repetition brings success. Read the rest of this entry »
Laughter as brain injury medicine … socks hanging on door
Have you laughed today? Oh, how I love helping others and being their advocate … but sometimes Read the rest of this entry »
2007 Christmas family gathering where most people wouldn’t expect
It’s the holiday season and reminders of years past. It’s bad enough that my subarachnoid hemorrhage occurred December 22, 1991 … a date I will never forget and left my life and my immediate family’s altered forever! What comes to mind now is Christmas time 2007! Read the rest of this entry »
Simple tips to taking back control and saving relationships after injury Part 1 of 2
If you are depending on others to help get you through the early phases after brain injury, illness or other health issues remember to keep these dependencies temporary. Take back control and do all the things you can do for yourself providing you stay safe. Put fear behind you. Don’t let fear control you. Don’t depend, join in and attend life! Read the rest of this entry »
Laughter is the best brain injury medicine … just one childhood moment with friend
With all the sadness in the world, it’s time to laugh again! Have you ever done something as a child you never told your parents about? What was the motivation for doing it? Children are innocent and they have memories their parents Read the rest of this entry »
If I could have, I would have … The Caring Children Program
In 1990 and 1991 two nurses from Cleveland, Ohio health systems founded programs that taught children several levels of health in the elementary school setting. The “Caring Children Program” was taught in the classroom and other community settings as a team effort with nurses and children. Teaching focused on preventive health, education and understanding through hands-on skills and active participation. Read the rest of this entry »
Simple tips understanding injuries are very different … Part 2 of 2
Following the minor accident she sustained many symptoms. Some of the problems she recalls are: memory problems, an inability to focus, poor judgement, poor financial decisions, unable to balance a checkbook, unable to compensate, unable to sleep, increase in pain, extreme fatigue, irritability, unable to be independent because of level of fatigue, required assistance to accomplish activities of daily living, profound confusion, and finally an inability to work at career that was her passion.
Most importantly, she was unable to care for herself and struggled to parent her daughters. She did not qualify for rehabilitation. Now she wonders why her brain didn’t qualify for rehabilitation, but her amputation was covered daily for several months! Was her leg considered more valuable than
Simple tips understanding injuries are very different … Part 1 of 2
How many have been compared to someone who have a visible injury? “Look how much someone can accomplish after they have lost limbs or have some other visible physical injuries.” Is the frustration with brain injury Read the rest of this entry »
What is causing an increase in dizziness over the past year…a new revelation!
dizziness (Photo credit: iamnelaas)
I’m still figuring out symptoms and trying to problem solve nearly 21 years later. So what is the cause of dizziness anyway? I’m sharing this level of frustration so others can see how difficult it is with any individual dealing with traumatic brain injury. Read the rest of this entry »
To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 4 of 4
This is the final pages of my letter to my last patient part 4 of 4. This letter in its entirety has clearly identified numerous safety issues without our healthcare system and specifically rehabilitation for neurology and traumatic brain injury patients. Safety is ultimately the concern for all patients and staff. Do healthcare professional overlook obvious symptoms because it is just a “job”? Are patients truly safe?
Neither myself or immediate family ever sought legal action against this facility. I was trying to get well and had no energy to do anything else. In retrospect, if we only knew the long-term consequences and had the proper legal advice with authorities looking out for the innocent the outcome would have been totally different. Maybe, it’s what nurses are expected to put up with and the facility is always right.
Read the rest of this entry »
Unless you get it, you just dont get it…
Unless you get it, you just dont get it….
I read this, and I think everyone with a Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and Chronic Illness (mental or physical) can understand these ignorant comments.
Take a look and think about how many times you’ve heard so many of these comments. Gee, how easy life was when I could jump out of bed, get dressed, take care of family, go to work, go to school, do community work, etc…and if only we could do that again! Instead not only do you deal with the daily problems you need to deal with ignorant and uneducated individuals.
This was an excellent posting. Hope you can identify with this. You are not faking it, you are not crazy, this is not drama… this is your LIFE and it is REALITY!
Snail Mail is Delivered Almost Every Day. The Best Ways to Manage Mail with Brain Injury, Memory Issues, and Chronic Illness.
The amount of paperwork is insurmountable after brain injury. A time when paperwork is the most difficult to complete and work with, you now have more paperwork than ever before! Now, everywhere you turn you need to fill out papers on: Employment leave, Health insurance, Disability insurance, Social Security, Worker’s compensation, Medicare, Medicaid among others. And no one is prepared to manage this paperwork even without a traumatic brain injury. Read the rest of this entry »
Fatigue After Brain Injury or Anyone Suffering from Excessive Fatigue
Are you exhausted or constantly fatigued after brain injury? Anyone suffering from chronic excessive fatigue or exhaustion? Is it “normal” or “excessive”? You might have an underlying condition that has not been diagnosed or treated yet. 10 Suggestions and more to help find your cause. Read the rest of this entry »
Could this Nightmare with Traumatic Brain Injury be Ending?
I was sure this nightmare with head injury was nearing the end. I guess my expectations were unrealistic. Being well-educated in the field of brain injury and rehabilitation did not prepare me for all that was to come in December 1991. I thought I was better shortly after brain injury but it got worse. Read the rest of this entry »
What do I need? Or where do I go? To relearn my computer or purchase a new computer after brain injury?
My computer is not working like it did before brain injury. I need a computer to help me compensate for my memory and other things. What should I do and where can I go? Read the rest of this entry »
10 Tips in Placing Telephone Calls with Brain Injury
10 tips and highlights to handle telephone calls without distraction and keep focused for those with brain injuries, brain dysfunction, and other chronic illnesses.
So many types of telephones.
Everyone is familiar with the telephone for communication at work, at home or more commonly everywhere one goes with their cell phone. Read the rest of this entry »
Deeper into the Twilight Zone with Brain Injury
Feeling puzzled? common symptom after brain injury.
Frequently x-rays and other diagnostic tools are "Normal". Need healthcare professionals to monitor symptoms and clues to changing status.
I did not think I could go deeper into the twilight zone and neither did I think I had a brain injury. After all, I had many injuries prior to this assault and recovered from every single one without residual effects. What was I thinking as a nurse? Read the rest of this entry »
Best and safest exercise for brain injury…brain dysfunction and all other areas of health
Are you having difficulty standing? Is your balance off and you fall often? Are you dizzy? Or are you simply too tired or fatigue? Do your joints ache? Do you think you have had a traumatic brain injury but not sure? Have you been diagnosed with a brain injury or medical condition? Are you a hero that has fought for our country? Are you a disabled American Veteran?
Children in aquatic therapy
Exercise is always important, but now it can be fun! Read the rest of this entry »
Entering the Twilight Zone of Brain Injury…Nurse
CAUSES OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
Learning what brain injury is all about. It was nothing like I experienced as a nurse treating the patients with brain injury. Little did I know I was about to enter the twilight zone at work on October 30, 1991. Read the rest of this entry »
Difficulty remembering? Start here to help yourself. Brain Injury?
Forgetting or simply not remembering? Which is it? Well, forgetting is something you have in your memory. Or maybe it is not that simple. It could be something you tried to memorize but could not, then you forgot what it was. It’s all a matter of intrepretion. Remembering is questionable. Was it ever in your memory to begin with, or was it something you tried to remember and could not have. The question is more complex then anyone could believe…until you’ve been there. Read the rest of this entry »
A Journey into Darkness … From Nurse to Patient.Traumatic brain injury
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
Nurses work with violent patients every day. Their safety is compromised by combative patient’s and families. Safety is always a priority for patients, but rarely is safety acknowledged for the nurses themselves. Or at least it does not appear that way behind closed doors. They are exceedingly exposed to abuse within the healthcare system, but yet expected to accept it. This is true for all our of healthcare professionals and caregivers. Read the rest of this entry »
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