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Category Archives: TBI

Healthcare professionals with a traumatic brain injury. Who should know better? 2 of 3

Brain Injury Awareness: Anywhere, Anytime, Anyone.  Healthcare professionals are not exempt from this devastating traumatic brain injury. Without more education, understanding and research how do you think this could compromise your health? How many healthcare professionals are dealing with current brain injuries? We should start doing pilot or research studies on this, or at the very least surveys.

I functioned without difficulty until this last injury.  It’s imperative we educate healthcare workers before this happens to them.  It’s always an after thought.  The I should’ve, would’ve, could’ve scenario!  Stop it from happening to begin with. Prevention is key and they should all know that! When does someone step in to help?  When should they return to work?  Two weeks after brain surgery?  Two months after injury?  Where are the guidelines? What and who are protecting patients? Who is helping the healthcare professionals through this difficult time?  They are always helping other people at work…but what happens when it is a healthcare professional?  That’s the key…when it happens to a healthcare professional then everyone is expected to understand and help.  That is not the case. Few understand and fewer care.  This is all about brain injury awareness and patient safety and advocacy.  You don’t want to be a patient! Read the rest of this entry »

 

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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!

 

How do you really feel dealing with traumatic brain injury? Video by me!

If you are dealing with brain injury you spend many days just standing at the crossroads in life, and wondering which way to go!  It’s not easy when families walk away, friends  leave, and your pet(s) stays!  Traumatic brain injury affects the entire family system including the animals. Pet therapy and their unconditional love help patients and families cope throughout this difficult journey. It’s priceless.  Animals are consistently the most therapeutic in this lengthy rehabilitation process for these special families.  This unimaginable journey is affected in every aspect of life: physiologically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Families walk away, friends leave, and animals stay.

 Poor judgment is only one issue of this complex injury.  In this video one can see that even the dog’s health was jeopardized.  Read the rest of this entry »

 

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Healthcare professionals with a traumatic brain injury. Who should know better? Part 1 of 3

How confident do you think you would be if a healthcare professional was caring for you and had a recent traumatic brain injury? It’s doubtful you would know unless this were a new injury or obvious problem. Isn’t that what brain injuries are: Invisible Injuries? So who’s policing healthcare professionals when they do not understand traumatic brain injuries? Denial, denial, denial.  Errors are not widely publicized and rarely are documented. They are supposed to be documented. When errors are documented they are usually not in your medical records unless it’s a subtle mention so they do not raise red flags. There is a separate incident report created that is not attached to your medical file.

Healthcare is also guilty of pushing their employees back to work. Why don’t  healthcare professionals understand TBI or mental/brain dysfunction? They are the least likely people to be compassionate and understanding when an employee is ill (mentally or physically) or injured.  Unfortunately, their misgivings may become part of your life threatening injury or illness and affect your health and life forever.  I will share only one situation at this time so not to overwhelm anyone with what’s happening inside our healthcare facilities. Read the rest of this entry »

 

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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 »

 

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 »

 

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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 »

 

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Leaving the Twilight Zone … So I thought! after a closed head injury

If you look okay you are expected to be working!

It was time to get back to work following a closed head injury.  I thought everything was going well and my simple concussion was resolved.  Oh, if I only knew what was yet to come.  So by Monday November 4, 1991 and 5 days later I was ready to return to work.  After all a few days have passed since I was hit in the head and certainly there should not be any reason to keep me from working. Read the rest of this entry »

 

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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 »

 

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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 »

 

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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 »

 

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Entering the Twilight Zone of Brain Injury…Nurse

pie chart of causes of traumatic brain injury

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 »

 

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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 »

 

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A Journey into Darkness … From Nurse to Patient.Traumatic brain injury

English: An animated gif of MRI images of a hu...

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Patient Safety Month
MRI of patient with brain trauma and resultant...

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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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