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@cor17 As you have found, healing from TBI is hard and very slow. I didn't have physical injuries beyond my TBI and skull fracture. Physical injury adds to the fatigue. After 2 years I felt better, but still some physical and emotional fatigue. I exercised my brain and body when I wasn't fantasizing about naps. I still had to heal from the social isolation; every time a coworker joked about me being brain damaged I felt gut punched. Most people will have no idea of what you are going through physically and emotionally, and having at least one person for support is important. I was also working on integrating who I was with who I was now; even just having a TBI will change you for better and worse. I lost trust in my self and abilities until I had healed enough to recognize what a difficult journey I had been traveled.
Most of my recovery took about 2.5 years (as marked by smell and taste returning and word finding mostly returning). It actually took more than 8 years for my final-point recovery, when my left temporal EEG was normal and driving felt like cars were not aiming for me (processing incoming noise, motion, colors). It has been 33 years, and my word finding didn't recover completely, but it means I have a good excuse to cheat on crossword puzzles.

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Replies to "@cor17 As you have found, healing from TBI is hard and very slow. I didn't have..."

@kayabbott

Thank you for those time details.
I'm 23 months in, and...I just have days where I think THIS IS IT. It's not going to get any better.

The before and after mental battle does take it's toll. I feel like an idiot when the wrong word comes out, or I struggle with math, or forgot.

@kayabbott You are not alone. My brain injury (fell off a roof 2003) has plagued me as well. I experienced having my brain not connected to my tongue. The thought was there but not the words. My handling of communication was asking questions. I choose the topic. I am 76 years old and remain young at heart. I continue to believe that my smile is not on my face but on faces of those around me.