Brain Bits

A while back I promised that I'd tell ya'll a bit about what I've learned concerning my head injury. So here are some "brain bits", courtesy of Gail L. Denton, Ph. D. author of Brainlash: Maximize Your Recovery from Mild Brain Injury. I've read several brain injury books in the past six months, and this is hands down the easiest to understand. It's written in a readable font, it's not "technical" at all, and the chapters are short and easily digestible. I highly recommend it!

* "Your whole life is affected. Your entire lifestyle changes. Executive functions don't come quite as easily as before. Social situations are often difficult and embarrassing. You develop inhibitions you've never had before. Not only does your physical body experience a damaging blow, but your psyche is also traumatized. Emotions run high, and they often surface at times you'd rather they just stay away." (from the preface by James Brady)

* Brain injury recovery is generally a long-term experience. Two years may be a minimum length of time. (I REALLY don't like the idea of recovery taking two flippin' years!)

* I am not the person I used to be. I am new. The "new me" so to speak. According to Dr. Denton, declaring that I have a new life is a good idea. I think I agree with this. Once I decided that I just have to slow down and let my brain heal and not try to get back into school and work right away, I've been much happier.

* When more than one thing happens at the same time, brain injured people may become lost or confuse, unable to proceed or prioritize their responses. We lose track of thoughts. We can neither differentiate nor focus on the issues at hand. The brain shuts off and thinking grinds to a halt. It is a helpless, frustrating feeling. I don't think I'll ever get used to feeling lost and helpless. I've never been helpless before.

* Multi-tasking (different kinds of jobs at once) and multi-threading (many tasks related to a single job) are "graduate-level" skills. I'm still in third grade. I keep my life simple. I used to be "super woman" - working part time at the church, teaching Computer Science at the local college, taking 2 graduate English courses, and taking care of a husband, teenager, and two dogs. And I got it all done, and done to a surprisingly satisfactory level. Not anymore. I'm lucky to get supper cooked without my brain coming to a screeching halt!

Hmmm.... Anything else? Surely there is...

*Asking for help is okay. (I have to repeat this to myself often, as I am no longer Little Miss Independent)

*It is important to tell the truth about my condition and not smile and say I'm fine. (I have trouble with this one, too)

*Fun is important, but it sure eats up a lot of energy.

*Naps are necessary. I tried to get away from napping, but found that it was detrimental to my recovery. I must nap each day. And some days I just sit and stare off into space for periods of time. Not tired enough to sleep, but too mentally tired to engage in anything productive.

*Discernment is the ability to be tactful or to speak tastefully. Um, I'm usually pretty good at this, but sometimes things pop out of my mouth that really shouldn't. If I offend you, it is not intentional. And I'm much more likely to use bad language than ever before. It's not a conscious thought - it just pops out instead of the word I meant to use.

*The brain uses about 80% of its energy just filtering information and environmental input for you, so that you can think straight under normal conditions. Wow! That's a lot of energy! And considering I don't have much to start with these days, trips to the store are exhausting! There are lights, sounds, and movement everywhere! Social situations are overwhelming for this same reason - too much going on all at once. I don't have the energy to filter out the extraneous stuff and still function.

*Talking on the phone is exhausting if it's someone other than Mom, Dad, Cindy, or Ed. Think about it - when talking on the phone you must talk, think, listen, sort, evaluate, consider, respond, and hold your attention span simultaneously. And you have to screen out environmental factors (dogs, doorbell, oven timer, etc). I've never liked to talk on the phone (other than when I was a teenager), and I hate it even more now! If you must call me, please keep it short and simple.