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LIVING WITH HEAD INJURY: WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A HEAD INJURY?

THE EFFECTS OF HEAD INJURY
There are many misconceptions and a great lack of understanding about this condition, so here is some general information that I hope may be able to help others.
Extreme fatigue. This is my area of greatest difficulty and has shaped my entire adult life (from age 15). I wake up every morning feeling very tired and washed-out. Heavy -headed…and have felt like this all my life. So I do my most demanding “work” involving thinking early in the morning and structure my day around this. I am typing this at 5.45 am. (my “best time of the day”)
Apparently neurosurgeons say that the effects of fatigue can prevent many highly-intelligent head-injured people from functioning fully in the formal work force. Doctors don’t even understand… so how can employers be expected to? Many people assume head injured people to be simply lazy, whereas they are just conserving energy (well how else could they avoid making judgments, when people with head injuries look so normal). That’s why it’s often referred to as “the hidden handicap”.
I get very easily muddled- so break little tasks down. Often wonder what to do with two pieces of paper in my hand. Even putting one piece of paper away, then doing the next.

I always wondered why I never spoke much in class after my accident. I had great difficulty in telling a story (even a short one) geting muddled and confused, so I kept quiet. This is called “mild dypsphasia”. I find that I communicate way better through writing… so that’s what I do.
The only way I can tell a joke or do a short presentation in my working life is by rote and repetition… and this is the method I’ve used all my life. I found it difficult telling long stories and Marie always helped me, so I was very to the point.

I had a closed head injury of what is called the ‘acceleration’ or ‘decelleration’ type. This results in my poor balance, coordination and weakness in my left side. Now let us look at the most significant physical effects of head injury.
I had great difficulty in dealing with shapes and sizes, as evidenced by the tests in Perth measuring visual-spatial ability. But I’m nothing like as bad as Michael Crawford in the British comedy series ‘”Some Mothers do ‘ave ’em”, when he tried fitting things into various holes.

PPS
“Just because a brain has been damaged, does NOT necessarily have to affect the human mind…and so the quality and height of our thoughts!”

“Let’s not what we can’t do stop us from doing what we CAN do…best!”
“There are no perceived limits, just endless possibilities…horizons far and wide”
– craig Continue reading →