#TBIs
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Visual Processing Issues & TBIs
You know your alphabet, the sounds each letter represents and how the sounds blend to reflect the facts and feelings of your world. You have been “inside the code” for some time and reading gives you great pleasure. Images form in your mind and you are often transported from your uninspired life to somewhere much Continue reading
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TBI #5
Throughout the 50s and 60s, at least in the mill town where I grew up, girls were required to wear skirts or dresses to their academic classes. There was a spell after the mini skirt became popular that girls wearing skirts considered “short” were required to kneel by the teacher’s desk. At the outset of Continue reading
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Effects of TBIs on Relationships, Part 6
Although I have dozens more examples, this is the final installment addressing the effects TBIs have on relationships. TBIs can feel contagious to those who have to deal with an injured loved one, friend, or colleague. The injuries are disruptive, disorienting, and disheartening to everyone involved. Thanks again to Nan Dunne, ND, for her encouragement Continue reading
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Effects of TBIs on Relationships Part 4
Changes in sleep patterns is probably the most common disrupter that romantic partners complain of after a head injury. Change in sleep habits. “If you can help Doug, I’ll kiss your feet. He’s up at all hours, TV on full blast or banging around in the garage with the radio on full-bore. The neighbors have Continue reading
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TBI #4
Mom decorated cakes – not just little birthday cakes, although she made those too. She took great pride in making wedding cakes that served over 400 people. After she died, we found an album she had compiled of newspaper clippings – pictures of “her” brides and grooms smiling from behind their giant, frosting-rose-adorned cakes, ready Continue reading
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TBI #3
When we lived on the farm, a couple of acres near the top of Prune Hill, my sisters played softball in an open field. They had plenty of room for all the bases and an occasional spectator, such as myself, the kid who was too little and uncoordinated to be included in the game. Our Continue reading
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Case studies #2 & #3: Are there “natural born killers”?
Josh and Becca had much in common. They seemed like small adults – bright with impressive vocabularies. Both were more oriented toward interacting with adults than dealing with their peers and, most importantly, both were dangerous. If they continued on their paths, it seemed clear the judicial system would eventually be involved. Josh had been Continue reading
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Why is it so easy to injure a brain? Part 2
Neurons are microscopic, gangly, and FRAGILE. Without the elaborate “insulation” provided by glial cells, neurons are brittle and become tangled. Unfortunately, glial cells are susceptible to damage from stress hormones, especially cortisol which can corrode glia like battery acid. In addition to the fragility of the neuron, the layout of the neurons in relationship to Continue reading
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Why is it so easy to injure a brain? Part 1.
Let’s start with the skull. The skull, on a normal day, protects the brain which sits, all glumpy – somewhat like a child’s balloon filled with pudding – in the skull. Because the living brain is nothing like the rubbery, dense preserved brains of science labs and hands-on museums, it needs all the protection it Continue reading
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Why Another Blog About Brain Injuries?
It took me years to self-identify as a head injured person. Heaven knows I had had plenty of injuries – some that rendered me unconscious for extended periods – but the message I received when family and caregivers were involved (most of my injuries were untreated at the time they occurred) was simply that Continue reading
disclaimer
This is a work of non-fiction depicting actual events in the life of the author, presented as truthfully as recollection permits. In order to protect the privacy of the very real people involved, names and other identifying characteristics have often been changed.
Information regarding health represents the opinions of the author and are not intended as medical advice. Consult your health care provider for individualized care.
My Life in Brain Injuries 