Traumatic Brain Injury: Come introduce yourself

Hello! This is Brady and Kim from Pillager (west of Brainerd). Thanks for the phone conference. Hoping this will help to be able to open up and discuss things that otherwise may not want to or am afraid to.

Hi All. Kevin here from Grand Marais. Good to chat this morning with others who know what it is like.
My experience is chainsaw/tree related. I am told that a branch bounced up and hit me. I remember starting to cut the branch, then woke up 6 hrs. later in a HCMC. Thankfully I was not home when it happened as I'm 2 hrs. from the nearest trauma center. Both bones in my left forearm and both jaws broken in addition to the TBI. Why is a 66 year old guy running a chainsaw? Because I can. I finally bought a replacement last week, It got wrecked too.
I feel fortunate because even though "full" recovery is still a long way off, I can do most anything I want to do. I went roller blading about a month ago and I have bought my season pass for Lutsen Ski Area. I can't do anything as fast as I used to, But I can do it!
Hopefully you all will too.

Thought the picture would be small.

I am Rebecca. I chose my user name because I am the proud owner of 5 lizards. All of which I ended up finding for free. I have 2 bearded dragons and 3 different species of geckos (crested, leopard and African Fat Tail).

I also own 2 dogs. One of which was born with cerebellar hypoplasia meaning her cerebellum was underdeveloped at birth. I got her a month before my accident and it has been helpful. She is a normal dog other than she has the worst balance and coordination ever and has limited peripheral vision. Sound familiar?! 😁 She is my brain damaged puppy. I have even walked like this goofy mutt early in my recovery. If you search Lady Lacroix on Facebook you should be able to find her Facebook page.

Anyway, little background on me.... I have had numerous accidents over the past 30 yrs. The last one 16 mos ago has changed my life entirely. I rear ended someone after work one day.... Overly tired and shouldn't have been driving. So feel stupid sometimes that it was my stupid neglect that caused my issues.... But I have accepted it now and this is just me now. Waiting for my disability appeal to go thru. 👍

Hello,
I am Jim from Minneapolis. Last December a little after Christmas, I stepped from a stair onto an icy landing and fell, striking my head on the bottom step. Mostly I don't remember, but I was taken to HCMC where a CT scan showed I had fractured my skull. I had no other injuries thankfully. The next day I was sent home.
Three days later I was back at the ER after having fainted at home and making a loud crash that got my wife's attention. I spent the next six nights in the ICU at Methodist with low sodium, called "syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion", big name for something that's fairly common.
A couple weeks later I was starting to return to work part time when it came time for a follow-up CT scan. The scan showed I had a subdermal hematoma that was pushing my left hemisphere into the right. I was admitted the same day and had surgery the next day to remove the clot. Five nights later I was back at home again.
It all sounds very dramatic but I have recovered well and am back at work full-time. I feel very lucky and I'm very thankful for the skill of the surgeons and doctors and nurses who treated me.

Welcome all.
@kimfeist and Brady, that is my hope too that this group will be a place to talk about stuff frankly and honestly - a place without judgement and boatloads of understanding from people who get it.

@hevykevy, great picture! Would you like to use it as your profile picture? Find out more about how you can update your profile here:
- How to Update Your Profile https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/newsfeed-post/how-to-update-your-profile/

When you do physical activities like roller blading and skiing, what precautions do you take to protect yourself from re-injury?

@luckylizardlady I appreciate the humor in your post. You paint a great word picture imaging walking a goofy mutt early in your recovery. You must be kept busy caring for 5 lizards and 2 dogs. How have your pets helped your recovery?

This has been my avatar for many years. I was about 5 at the time and actually caught those fish.

Couple of nice brookies.

Yes, progress is very slow. I've always been known for my patience, but I learned from this that patience with myself is a whole new dimension. Taking note of small milestones of progress is so encouraging, and getting back on the horse is huge!
I'm not an exercise person but I have a good sized vegetable garden and have been working on landscaping projects at home. Physical activity is so good for both the body and the mind.

I've been wearing helmets for skiing, skating and biking for years. My former boss knew that if anything happened to my head it would be a disaster. Too much critical information was stored there. I was less than two months from retirement when my accident occurred and had been training a new person for three months.