am i abnormal ?????

[burtongal]

hello all hope ur all doing well and smiling , my questions is am i normal as since my brain operations i find that if i think too much do too much mentally wise , talk to much worry too much , like on tuesday i spoke to a mate on the phone someone else via text also tried to sort out some problems i did these things as i felt ok mentally wise , but oh my gosh yesterday i crashed i cried on and off all day headached was having dark thoughts so i had to take myself off to bed in the afternoon i woke bout 3 hours later felt ok for about 2 hours then bang im watching tv and crying on and off again , it felt like my brain was being squashed , so i went back to bed , today i feel ok but i have things i need to do but im scared as i dont want to crash again , has anyone else had this or am i abnormal , thank you x

[philcollis]

Hi Burtongal - Having a brain op is something pretty significant in our lives. We get through it and then have all these questions/fears etc. after a pretty scary experience. Sounds to me like you are going through what many of us encounter during recovery - these are all things that relate to anxiety - sometimes it is underlying and comes to the surface in different ways. I think it is really important to counter this anxiety by learning to relax. Different things work for different people i.e. breathing exercise, meditation, TaiChi etc. if you Google 'relaxation techniques' you might find something that suits you in learning how to relax and manage our anxiety. Sometimes certain things we do 'trigger' these thoughts. Its a good idea to write down when these anxieties happen so that we can learn what might cause them. Anxiety is not good for any of us so it is really important to learn how we can manage and control what triggers it and how to eliminate it through relaxation techniques. It is pretty common following brain injury .....just need to find what works best for you Good luck 😀

[burtongal in reply to philcollis]

hi hun , thank you for taking the time to read and reply i appreciate it , i can usually calm myself down by watching my fav tv programme or deep breathing or just going to sleep , but some days i cant do any of that its like my brain wont stop spinning and i hit rock bottom , im hoping once i get to see a neurophyscolgist i will be able to open up and get everything out as since my first op in 2019 i havent had any support from drs etc and most of my family and friends avoid me as they dont like the new me . thank for your kind words hope ur well x

[JULIETstevens in reply to burtongal]

your friends don't really sound like nice friends if they avoid you rather than trying to support you. maybe you need new friends- here is a good place to start as we understand your trauma and won't try and avoid you. be strong and keep going. my recovery hasa also been hard but i won't give up and i feel like i'm coming through it now and so will you soon. there is happiness out there again, you just need to keep fighting and looking for it. love and hugs. juliet xx

[Redclutter]

Hi Burtongirl. I think anyone who survives a brain injury like us or a stroke has the same problem with labile emotions. It comes with the territory. We lose some of the ability to control these, so give yourself space and cry when you need to. It can improve your mood too I’ve found. I’ve let my family know that I can’t control this and it lets us bypass the issue if I want to. As to the other, it sounds like you’re suffering from neuro fatigue and, similar to ME sufferers. Even tv can stimulate too much and you may need to withdraw to stop this. Unfortunately even talking can set it off. It may well improve over time. Mine has. Give in to it and above all else keep well hydrated. I found the neuropsychologist was a fantastic help. Good luck on your journey x

[brandyga]

Hi there - you are certainly NOT abnormal, based on my experience. Since my SAH (9/13/21) I have pretty much completely lost my ability to multi-task. If I try too much, my head lets me know really quickly. I think this is what people are referring to when they say you have to adapt to your "new normal". It is quite challenging, as I am/was a go-getter, capable of managing multiple work projects, staff, family , home -- too much really, now that i look back at it. However, I am learning to adapt, move 'mentally' more slowly so as to not overwhelm myself. Some days, particularly if it is stormy, I have far less capacity for mental work than others before a headache sets in.

As to the emotional aspect, I certainly find myself more emotional when dealing with the bad headaches. I feel like dealing with that pain just takes up all of my brain space, leaving no room to deal with anything emotionally -- cue the tears. You. Are. Not. Alone.