Traumatic Brain Injury: Come introduce yourself

@lplucker I would connect with your states brain injury support group. Oh my they validated everything I was feeling telling my drs and drs didn’t fully understand-I was being dismissed-told to see a psychiatrist. But now I am connected with the right specialists. There is a couple people in my support group who sustained their injuries from a patient assault

Hello, I am Lisa. I work as a psychiatric RN in a psychiatric hospital that only treats involuntarily hospitalized patients. I was assaulted in April of 2025 by a patient and sustained a significant right shoulder injury and head injury. I did not lose consciousness. I was assessed at ER, no concerns. However over the next few days I noticed changes. My vision became blurry, I was running into things, getting very lightheaded and dizzy, the nausea kicked in, my headaches began, my speech was slowed, I stuttered, my cognition was slowed, I could not taste vinegar, sugar or salt, visual changes, anxiety was constant, sleep was nonexistent, pain, ptsd and much more. I was unable to drive for about 4 months. Headaches for weeks at a time. It is 8 months past injury and I'm back to driving since mid-August because I decided to try to take my life back and my distance vision was good and oculomotor skills had improved a lot. However I am still unable to converge my eyes at 10-12", I still get very uncomfortable shifting my gaze upwards/downwards regardless of my head movement. Headaches come and go frequently, occasional ringing in my ears, I have a blind spot in my left eye, anxiety and ptsd are still present as well but improved. I'm only able to work 10-15 hours a week doing light duty work such as chart auditing and helping out with computer stuff but my eyes get very tired and the headaches continue and I'm exhausted after a few days of this, I cognitively slow down to the point where I stutter still at times. I've completed concussion therapy with OT, speech and PT. However I've been waiting months to see a neuro-opthamologist and finally get to go this coming Monday. I'm not exactly hopeful that they can do anything for this blind spot that also increases in size during activity such as exercise and my headaches. It is always present but definitely grows. Sometimes nothing helps the headaches. I tried sumatriptan but that made me cry uncontrollably. I take showers/baths to help with the headaches. Excedrin helps for maybe an hour. I eat nutrient dense foods and get regular exercise. I'm not sure what else I can do and what the future holds but this is all very discouraging how long it has lasted and impacted my life. I try to push through it, then find myself cognitively fatigued. I do give myself grace, I try my best and wing it. But hope is dwindling.

@adayatit - that sounds like a truly terrible bike crash. I can't imagine not being found till the next day.

Your home help may be arriving soon? But you have no neurology appointment for a year, if I understand? And any chance you might get another opinion anytime sooner?

@shyrestalone097 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Hitting a truck sounds very scary. I'm glad they got you to care quickly.

How is your walking and talking now?

@msa1396
McKenzie keep up with the notes. I had so many someone that didn't know what I was going through thought a neighbor play a joke placing about a 1000 of them they saw when they walked in. I did one even better and went out that chalk paint and did the main wall that open as you come and go. Now everything is in a list of many but it is a since of accomplishment went I look at what is overwhelming but then see all the items with lines through them. I feel better celebrating even the small wins on what has been a lonely 6 month journey since my TBI.
Take care, Alan

@hevykevy
I bought a Stihl 250 something all the line clearance guys carry one up. I even opted for some new easy start, the last one talk me into that. Lightly pull out the cord and the recoil started up in the tree 1st release. I got to use it for the weekend before it was stolen. Best feature ever. Glad you are doing so well all things considering. Glad the saw didn't come after you sounds like that branch did get the best of you, until you get it burnt.

@totto
Never be afraid or ashamed to say NO! And let it grow to the point it is a no without any explanation needed. You have to take care of yourself before you even think about anyone else. That may sound harsh but pose that question to the top psychologists and they will all agree. I am only a week away from the treadmill (no running) but you have to celebrate the small victories along the way.

Hello, my name is Alan and I had a TBI May 2025 fell off ebike late at night on a really nice railtrail ( old railroad bed blacktopped very well maintained along the river and through woods. Had nothing to do with the 85lb bike and drizzle. The new mag flashlight kept going out shook it so much I lost too much speed and was swerving across all 10ft of trail hit fresh new gravel and happened to be at the 6' steep drop to the ditch. Bike was just to heavy pushed me laying down in the 2ft of water. Drove it up the hill, close to home something broken and must have fallen 20 times on the trail. Found the next day by the first jogger. A day to bring my body core up. Nothing conclusive after 2 weeks in the hospital. Home help did not come. Then just a mess. Finally home help is suppose to arrive 6 mo late. Neurologist is confused looking into systems developed 2 years ago. 4 1 hr sessions of speech therapy and everyone called it good on the TBI. Symptoms are getting worse with a huge divide between recall and memory. New and the last few years are fading. Explained balance issues, constant mistake well above the norm. Black Friday included an entire new cook set. 12 meals left on over night to cook. Put up a smoke detector on the wall next to stove and a camera because it left on. Rather than worry I'd rather see if i left in a rush. Volunteers I have been with for 7 years can't name but a few and need their name tag in site. Much is off. The doctors around me can't diagnose 1 out 5 things I've thrown at them. There is nothing. I lived most of my life in the country outside of Detroit where you certainly had options of some of the best care in the country. They put the neurological testing back up with a wait list of 6 mo again at U of M, after that it will be a year before any other appointment gets made. I am alone. Continuously making adjustments and mistakes. I have exhausted every possible resource. I moved into the city to be 2.5 miles from the large hospital campus. They know own everything except a few off shoots but pretty much bought out the entire top half of the state. Every hospital. I move up here with 2 very serious 2nd opinions regarding a different operation, went in for a 3rd here and was told nothing wrong. My top specialist said a few years ago you need to get to the Cleveland Clinic by pass Ann Arbor. Just hasn't been possible regarding that issue, all he could say is yes there is something serious wrong related to your lungs nothing will show up on about 10 tests but he can tell it's there but can't see it any form of test results or imaging and that is why I have needed to see a neuromuscular specialist along with the team of 5 physician well that ship sailed. The comment was just for overall perspective.
Winter is not my happy time nor productive time of year. With all the chaos I think I only got 5 days of summer. You become to get worried when no one will listen. I can't even get my words close enough that grammarly can help out and have had to resort to asking Siri how to spell words I just can't access. What do you do except double down on access to apps or anything cognitive that puts a strain on the brain the good ones wear me out just like my hour with the speech pathologist. I hope the good news of a home help aid living near by comes to fruition after waiting a month at a time for what should have occurred in a week. Thankfully I heal fast because I was black and blue and scraped all over and really nothing needed bandaging things are just broke where they can't see.

Hi my name is Tony S. my trumatic brain injury happened November 9, 1997. I was riding a bicycle and pulled out in front a truck that was do 50 miles per hour. I hit the truck flew over the truck landed on my head receiving a open head injury, torn skuala, two broken ribs, collapsed lung and two broken legs. I was bleeding so bad that I got life flighted to LDS Hospital where I was in a coma for two weeks and then transfered to Salt Lake Region Mediacal Hospitat where I spend releanrning how to walk and talk. All that I remeber before getting on the bicycle is smoking a joint the size of my thumb and taking 2 Sudafed because I had a cold. I mother told me latter that my blood alchol level high

I had a tbi when I fell and fractured my skull and had a brain bleed back in June 2025, I am struggling most with the fact no food taste good anymore, everything taste like chemicals and nothing taste like it is supposed to. Vanilla and chocolate are disgusting to me, anything cooked in oil is disgusting to me, but basically everything is gross to some extent...I have had to force myself to eat for over 5 months now and I haven't been able to enjoy anything. The closest thing to what I remember is sweet tea and I mean really sweet tea but at least it's something recognizable. I have had so much trouble getting to see the specialist I was referred too so I just now found out about the smelling 4 essential oils every day to try to help remap my brain and get things to taste good...I'm really praying it is going to help because I am so tired of eating the same couple foods that I can tolerate over and over just so I don't starve.