Hi Dawn. Thank you for creating this outlet. To you and everyone who has posted, I offer my sympathy for the loss of your former self. Nine years ago, I suffered a high-speed head-on by a driver not looking where he was going. Concussion and multiple spinal injuries. I lost most of my words and after 6 months with a dictionary on my lap, got most of them back. (I start losing them again if I don't do crosswords daily.) I continue to suffer from every single symptom in the "Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome" listing. I am better than I was the first couple of years after the accident, But so far away from where I used to be. Executive function is so lacking I used to sit by my dresser and cry because I couldn't figure out how to pick an outfit and get dressed. (I learned to wear a "uniform.") Ocular migraines are so bad I bump into people and trip on pets. My best advice is to never stop doing battle for yourself. Advocacy for TBI patients just isn't there, so if you don't have a loved one who is willing to fight with you, hire a psychologist to get to know your case and help you. Strangely, my best help has come from you-tubers, mainly with autism, who share what helps them with their sensory, communication, cognitive and energy issues. (search "autism accommodations" or "autism life hacks") For those of you with severe medical issues ongoing (BP, unbearable headaches, etc) I say shame on your primary care providers for not fighting to help you. Get your medical record copies and write a timeline of symptoms beginning with your injury, and the next time you are in a crisis take it all to the ER and demand help and answers. Keep going until you find improvement. Finally, the therapy you had at the beginning needs to be ongoing -- use it or lose it. Keep doing your physical therapy exercises, practice radical self-care and protect yourself from the stimuli and unhelpful persons that harm you. I will be praying for you all.
(Currently suffering severe burnout and exhaustion from trying to do half of what I used to ...I hold out hope it will improve soon)