Adult Life after a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Dawn, I am 73 yr old woman. II listened to your pod cast and have experienced similar difficulties after a car accident in 2015. My life too, has not been the same since the accident where I had two brain bleeds most likely made worse by my taking a blood thinner after having an MI and stent placement five months before.
It took a long time to recover because I also broke my neck, six ribs and had compression fractures down my spine.
At first I had anxiety attacks daily which soon became PTSD. Being immobile in a turtle shell cast with a neck brace made my emotional reactivity worse. I had neurologists do cognitive testing and my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology where I had led a busy professional life was not so evident. I still have trouble with complex life tasks like filling out forms, figuring out the steps to take to finish a task and I refuse to read through insurance or tax documents because it is just overwhelming and I am likely to cry.
Loud noise, a room full of talking people and bright lights give me trouble and I am likely to get dizzy and light headed. Stage plays overwhelm and events like weddings, funerals are so hard to attend and I am exhausted after.
Seeing a car accident sends me into a high anxiety state and I am likely to cry uncontrollably. Sometimes something is mentioned that sends me into a flashback state of sobbing and shaking. Nights can be full of waking up with high anxiety.
Riding in a car is nerve wracking because I over react to situations. I get car sick now and am dizzy when driving or riding.
When going for a walk I sometimes lurch to the right or feel like I have a bobble head.
I have to write everything down or I forget. You know the routine. Yesterday, I left my purse in a shopping cart. Luckily for me an honest gentleman turned it in.
There is more but that is enough for now but I need to tell you my coping skills.
I walk daily and use a stationary bike daily. I listen to soft music and do visualization of happy, healthy, holy. Grateful, gracious and grounded.
I sing in a chorus, play the piano and flute and read. I could not finish a book at first but now I am able. I follow athletic events. Go to church and sing in the choir and have taken up water color painting. I get exhausted easily and must rest often.
Lakelifelady

Dawn, I am 73 yr old woman. II listened to your pod cast and have experienced similar difficulties after a car accident in 2015. My life too, has not been the same since the accident where I had two brain bleeds most likely made worse by my taking a blood thinner after having an MI and stent placement five months before.
It took a long time to recover because I also broke my neck, six ribs and had compression fractures down my spine.
At first I had anxiety attacks daily which soon became PTSD. Being immobile in a turtle shell cast with a neck brace made my emotional reactivity worse. I had neurologists do cognitive testing and my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology where I had led a busy professional life was not so evident. I still have trouble with complex life tasks like filling out forms, figuring out the steps to take to finish a task and I refuse to read through insurance or tax documents because it is just overwhelming and I am likely to cry.
Loud noise, a room full of talking people and bright lights give me trouble and I am likely to get dizzy and light headed. Stage plays overwhelm and events like weddings, funerals are so hard to attend and I am exhausted after.
Seeing a car accident sends me into a high anxiety state and I am likely to cry uncontrollably. Sometimes something is mentioned that sends me into a flashback state of sobbing and shaking. Nights can be full of waking up with high anxiety.
Riding in a car is nerve wracking because I over react to situations. I get car sick now and am dizzy when driving or riding.
When going for a walk I sometimes lurch to the right or feel like I have a bobble head.
I have to write everything down or I forget. You know the routine. Yesterday, I left my purse in a shopping cart. Luckily for me an honest gentleman turned it in.
There is more but that is enough for now but I need to tell you my coping skills.
I walk daily and use a stationary bike daily. I listen to soft music and do visualization of happy, healthy, holy. Grateful, gracious and grounded.
I sing in a chorus, play the piano and flute and read. I could not finish a book at first but now I am able. I follow athletic events. Go to church and sing in the choir and have taken up water color painting. I get exhausted easily and must rest often.
Lakelifelady

Dawn, I am 73 yr old woman. II listened to your pod cast and have experienced similar difficulties after a car accident in 2015. My life too, has not been the same since the accident where I had two brain bleeds most likely made worse by my taking a blood thinner after having an MI and stent placement five months before.
It took a long time to recover because I also broke my neck, six ribs and had compression fractures down my spine.
At first I had anxiety attacks daily which soon became PTSD. Being immobile in a turtle shell cast with a neck brace made my emotional reactivity worse. I had neurologists do cognitive testing and my Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology where I had led a busy professional life was not so evident. I still have trouble with complex life tasks like filling out forms, figuring out the steps to take to finish a task and I refuse to read through insurance or tax documents because it is just overwhelming and I am likely to cry.
Loud noise, a room full of talking people and bright lights give me trouble and I am likely to get dizzy and light headed. Stage plays overwhelm and events like weddings, funerals are so hard to attend and I am exhausted after.
Seeing a car accident sends me into a high anxiety state and I am likely to cry uncontrollably. Sometimes something is mentioned that sends me into a flashback state of sobbing and shaking. Nights can be full of waking up with high anxiety.
Riding in a car is nerve wracking because I over react to situations. I get car sick now and am dizzy when driving or riding.
When going for a walk I sometimes lurch to the right or feel like I have a bobble head.
I have to write everything down or I forget. You know the routine. Yesterday, I left my purse in a shopping cart. Luckily for me an honest gentleman turned it in.
There is more but that is enough for now but I need to tell you my coping skills.
I walk daily and use a stationary bike daily. I listen to soft music and do visualization of happy, healthy, holy. Grateful, gracious and grounded.
I sing in a chorus, play the piano and flute and read. I could not finish a book at first but now I am able. I follow athletic events. Go to church and sing in the choir and have taken up water color painting. I get exhausted easily and must rest often.
Lakelifelady

Yes, the word thing. Sometimes an out of context word will pop out. I do a lot of posting on FB just to keep writing and thinking and replying. We live out on a lake so conversational opportunities are somewhat limited. I play Bananagram a word game much like Scrabble with a dictionary close by to help me. This game can be done alone, which I prefer because I have trouble keeping up with others.
You have family still at home which I envy a bit. I know how difficult that must be. When our three grown sons come back for lake life activities in summertime everyone knows that Grama cannot keep up. We also have adult grandkids now who step up.

Many of you have talked about experiencing lingering symptoms after a TBI and the struggles you've faced, therapies you've undergone and how you have coped through this time. It would be great to hear how things are going for you, and I believe that your experiences will also benefit others in this discussion.

@kobeelya - how are you doing? Are you continuing with the homeopathic remedies you were using?

@dawnpereda - wondering if you ended up pursuing the intensive therapy program? Have you made more podcasts?

@carnes - how are things going with the exhaustion and difficulty staying asleep you were experiencing?

Hello Dawn, your sympton story is so similar to mine. I am an RN CNS MSSW. My injuries came from being stopped at a redlight and rear ended by a large suv, the driver going 45 mph. On a cell phone. I was wearing a seatbelt, but the impact was so intense that I was knocked out and dx with brain concussion shear injury, brain stem concushion and severe injuries to my entire spine. Damage to my sight and hearing. I was in perfect health, never had any type of injuries in my life except rotator cuff tear. I am petit but had a good amount of muscle mass, that probably saved my life. I was 68 at the time. In a split second, I became old. Your cognitive symptoms sound similar to mine. I have memory problems, math and writing problems, speech word problems, intolerance of large groups, noise, and anxiety with being in traffic. And more. Reading what you shared helped me so much. I am very greatful to have found this group. Thank you all for your sharing.