Trust is a basic need. When your life and health is jeopardized because those who you trust do not help where can you turn and what happens? I was initially injured October 30, 1991 and a subarachnoid hemorrhage in December 22, 1991. I was not treated or diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage until 2000 after gathering my medical records and having them reviewed as well as an excellent medical doctor who listened. Read the rest of this entry »
Tag Archives: TBI
Simple tips to help deal with memory problems
Digital Camera Magazine (August 2011) (Photo credit: midlander1231)
Are you having difficulty with your memory and want to know how you can help yourself. Here are some tips to help compensate for memory problems. There are a list of ways to cope with these deficits. The first way you can begin to help yourself is by keeping a journal and documenting. Immediately following an injury or dealing with brain dysfunction you may need a friend, spouse, or significant other to help document in a journal. Have you tried using a camera to record everything in your life? One will give suggestions of how this works. 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.
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To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 3 of 4
To my last patient part 3 of 4 poses a number of problems that cause further psychological harm to inpatient on this rehabilitation unit. The fear they demonstrated throughout this lengthy stay was insurmountable. It’s sad that these patients were more concerned about my well-being following the assault they witnessed than staff themselves. Safety is always a priority. How safe can anyone feel while being hospitalized? Read the rest of this entry »
To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 2 of 4
This is part 2 of 4 on the letter I wrote to my last patient after the assault as a Registered Nurse on a Neurology-Head Injury Rehabilitation Unit in Northeast Ohio October 30, 1991. In part 1 of 4 I included the table of contents for this letter. This letter was retyped March, 2008 but otherwise has never had revisions. It gives good insight into what was happening inside the healthcare system, and how I perceived the individual who assaulted myself and other healthcare professionals. Read the rest of this entry »
To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 1 of 4
This letter was written in 1993, a little over a year after my injury. This letter details not only what was happening to me shortly after brain injury, but what was happening inside the healthcare system. The information is accurate and correct as supported by documentation. It has been retyped, but no other revisions exist. Read the rest of this entry »
Healthcare professionals with a traumatic brain injury. Who should know better? Part 3 of 3
Awareness of Brain Injury Daily. I’m applauded with the behaviors and treatment toward my nurse friend when she needed educated healthcare professionals to help her. Instead it was quite the opposite. They simply did not understand traumatic brain injury and they believed she was manipulating her symptoms so she could work the hours of her choice. If they only knew how she was suffering and what she needed to do to show up to work. These healthcare professionals were totally in disbelief of her symptoms and never understood anything following her injury. They began questioning her behaviors and other issues following this mild traumatic brain injury. She wasn’t even told or diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury until about a year following injury. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
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 »
Inspiration for Brain Injury Self Rehabilitation Blog (BISR)
- HAVE YOU LAUGHED TODAY?
I am inspired to blog by the important people in my life and to help others in the same predicament. Blogging was first suggested by my warm aquatic exercise partner, a journalist, speaker, and professor. It’s been a long time coming before I was able to have the energy to blog, but I never gave up hopefulness and my faith drawing on my inner strength. I’ve journaled everything along my journey believing someday and somehow I would improve and that day did come! Read the rest of this entry »
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