Article Title: Some Cognitive Effects of Head Injury
Author: Craig Lock
Category (key words): head injury, brain injury, brain damage, neuro-psychology, medical information, medical resources
Web sites: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://goo.gl/vTpjk
The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.headbraininjury.wordpress.com and http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com
Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles.html
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig!)
Publishing Guidelines: I hope that the following piece may be informative to others. This article may be freely reproduced electronically or in print. Although very personal, if through sharing a little of my experiences, it helps anyone “out there in the often very difficult, but always amazing ‘journey of life’ in any way, then I’m very happy.
We share what we know, so that we all may grow.”
*
SOME COGNITIVE EFFECTS OF HEAD INJURY:
by Craig Lock
“Compare it (your head) to a jelly in a bowl. The bowl is the skull – a strong, protective container – and the jelly (the brain) is nestled within. The skull is able to withstand many types of blows; but the brain is vulnerable to sudden swirling or rotating movements. Shake the bowl and see what happens to the jelly.”
– Dr Don Mackie, Emergency Specialist(in New Zealand)
This extract (in note form) is from a chapter from my manuscript titled MY STORY, MY DREAM available at http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Do-It-My-Way/ and as an e-book at
http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Do-It-Way-ebook/dp/B005GS6ZVO
AlsoLIVING WITH HEAD (BRAIN) INJURY (from ‘MY STORY’) * [Kindle Edition http://www.amazon.com/LIVING-BRAIN-INJURY-STORY-ebook/dp/B005IQMC0W/
and his latest Who Wants to be Normal Anyway
#
Firstly …extreme FATIGUE
* Wake up every morning feeling heavy-headed (very).
* fatigue – take frequent breaks and do the most demanding tasks first…even get exhausted reading a newspaper! So break the task into “bytes”…doing most of my reading “first thing” when I awaken early)
* in SA found telling stories very difficult – kept facts to a minimum. Write way better than I talk.
* muddled – making tea AND coffee for guests. Sugar, one two, milk??? Total confusion making for more than just myself. Ha ha (just ask my friends if it’s true – a clue – they make the drinks)! So I put one thing away at a time, then finish. Single-minded FOCUS.
Not observant.
Visio-spatial organisation
short-term and visual memory (visual overload)
I have the ideal job (at long last!). Very part-time and flexible, work in my own time, take breaks when fatigued. Info overload (and change) is a real problem, when other things are going on – groups (avoid that!), etc.
WITH determination, self discipline one can achieve wonders.
*
THE EFFECTS OF FATIGUE:
I wake up every morning feeling exhausted, as if I haven’t had a good night’s rest. ALWAYS. A bit light-headed too – no very HEAVY-headed. It’s hard to describe the feeling. I feel I could sleep for days, but force my self out of bed to do my daily tasks. However, the first 2-3 hours of the day are by far my best times for alertness and getting the most important tasks done (like sending out articles on the internet). Also get more tired as the day progresses. I need more rest and have to work my day around my “funny job(s)” – by taking frequent rests and walks. It’s not at all depression, just REAL FATIGUE – a “heavy headed” feeling, a bit like
the “hung-over” feeling (not that I’ve had one for “moons” – thank goodness I don’t drink much… what I be like then… a total zombie!).
On reflection, my Lifegrow insurance job in Cape Town, South Africa was perfect for me… It was liason/marketing/PR. Worked few hours early am, then socialised just ‘cruisin around’. Only then I didn’t know then what I now know….and how well it suited me. Thank goodness for the great people, who helped me to “success” (Nicola, Rethe, Tony and Ronnie). Then after “emigrating” everything, our entire worlds, came crashing down in Perth, Australia …and the real struggles began. Yet God can do the most amazing things, work miracles… by turning our deeepest scars in to the most brilliant stars.
Now many many years later after that trauma my current position selling subscriptions for Sky TV (very part-time) here in a small provincial NZ city suits me perfectly. Flexible hours working when I want out of the “corporate rat race” and doing it “totally my way” . I’ve been doing it very successfully for over three and a half years (five now, now over ten!). It’s my longest and best job in my entire “career” and I’m very happy here “Dropped out in Godzone” (the title of my second book, btw).
BE HAPPY too
craig Nov 2012
PS:
If you are interested, there’s a great detailed article by Dr Frederick Linge at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/What_Does_it_Feel_Like_to_be_Brain_Damaged.html
It’s also on this blog at www.headbraininjury.wordpress.com
“Success to others may be apparent in what you DO; but
significance, meaning and purpose lies, then reveals itself
in what you ARE and BECOME down the ‘river of life’ – how
and the spirit with which you face, then overcome the daily
obstacles, the frequent trials and tribulations along the
often rocky path-way of life’s magical and mysterious
journey.
Light your path brightly.”‘
“The task ahead of you can always be overcome by the power behind you…and the seemingly difficult path ahead of you is never as steep with the great spirit that lies within you.”
“When the world is filled with love, people’s hearts are overflowing
with hope.”
– craig
Craig has a long-standing head injury and has been researching and studying in this field for nearly twenty years. He hopes that by sharing this information, it will make some difference in those lives affected by brain injury www.craiglockbooks.com www.selfgrowth.com/experts/craig_lock.html
The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” (including his new books Who Wants to be Normal Anyway) are available at:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://goo.gl/vTpjk
MY STORY, MY DREAMis available at http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Do-It-My-Way/ and as an e-book athttp://www.amazon.com/Ill-Do-It-Way-ebook/dp/B005GS6ZVO
AlsoLIVING WITH HEAD (BRAIN) INJURY (from ‘MY STORY’) * [Kindle Edition http://www.amazon.com/LIVING-BRAIN-INJURY-STORY-ebook/dp/B005IQMC0W/
and his latest Who Wants to be Normal Anyway
The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.headbraininjury.wordpress.com and http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com
Reblogged this on My Story (I'll Do it My Way).
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Hi! I could have sworn I’ve visited this web site before but after browsing through a few of the posts I realized it’s new
to me. Anyways, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back
frequently!
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Thanks for the comment/follow/link/like
Hi
CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
MANY MORE COMMENTS OVERNIGHT (many thousands already),.. together with hundreds of thousands already on my various other blogs at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/craigs-blogs-and-writings/…true!) …obsessive or WHAT! *So hope it’s not slowing down your loading speed!). Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share.
So sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet, but DO try to read as many as possible daily (and even moderate a few when I get a “mo”),
* “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
~ Franz Kafka
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”
“As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”
– craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)
“Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.a
“Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”
“Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…
and you may even hit the stars.”
– craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
When (or if ever) you arrive in heaven, let faith, hope and love be the wings that carried you there.”
– as adapted from the inspiring words of Jonathan Edwards, former minister in New England, Massachusetts
“The Greatest Race: Living by (with) faith, hope and love is the highest podium any person can reach, God’s podium that anyone stand on.”
– c
from http://www.sharefaith.wordpress.com
“Having pursued the goals, the dreams set before us and run the race with persistence and endurance, after giving it all. Then one day standing on the summit of life, breathing in the pure sweet oxygen of achievement, totally satisfied in running the greatest race, the race of life one that ANYONE can run and win.”
from http://racetothechequeredflag.wordpress.com/ and http://www.godandformula1.wordpress.com
“If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,
he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
here lived a great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
PPS
Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing
“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”
The various books* that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=%22craig+lock%22&sitesearch_type=STORE
http://www.creativekiwis.com/index.php/books and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –
MINE!
Don’t worry about the world ending today…
as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand
”Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.”
– James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915)
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