how many of you carry a headway card ? its basically if you have a problem.
it explains that you are a survivor of a brain injury,
you may have problems with your memory,speech or actions.
then goes onto say........your help and patience would be appreciated.
there is also a space for contact details
Stickman communications produce other cards which cover things like fatigue, and invisible disability, bought some for hubby which are really useful.
mw6mlj i got mine from group but they come from headway.....size of a credit card
Nope - not heard of those before . I do have a medical ID bracelet with details of meds/ my condition / emergency contact numbers .....
Where did you hear of this or how do i get one ??
thanks
i go to a support group. got it there.
had an abi 31/2yrs ago. where as most people can think something my thought process is in my tongue and i swear so this is an ideal get out of jail card...........if youll excuse the pun.
the cards themselves actually come from headways
Yes I have one and used it a few days ago in Tesco's when another customer was being rudely impatient and asking me to move out the way while I was still being served at the checkout. I wasn't even particularly slow!! It shut her up when I told her I have a brain injury and took my card from my purse and held it out for her to see!
and dont tell me the girl on the till tried to put your club card points on it hahaha
Well it did get us both a bit flustered as the customers behaviour was totally out of order! The lady on the til was actually very apologetic and it got the other til people nearby looking over as well. As I walked off the customer kept repeating 'she's got a brain injury'. Didn't hear anymore cos I just wanted to get away!
i think the main reason i only go to town with my wife is due to my brain injury iswear and my behaviour is unpredictable
Hi steve.
Yep got one , came in handy early on after bi. Found really helpful in shops when stood trying to add up coins. Simply handed over card and suddenly cashiers become helpfull.
Just wish I hadnt needed to stand and struggle unaided first before any help was offered.
Brilliant little card.
Pax
Yes, I have had mine for a good few years, issued from Headway after speaking to the nurse led helpline. I carry it in my purse in the clear credit card size space.
I would advice anyone with a B.I. to ask for one 😃
Good point well raised Steve55👍
I was given one at a headway group. I had forgotten about it until I read you post. Wish I had remembered it when an elderly man shouted at me for parking in a disabled space even though I have a blue badge and walk on 2 sticks when I'm not in my wheel chair. Thanks for the reminder. I think some people think you are misusing a relatives blue badge if you are (relatively) young.
Got mine at my local Headway group.
It has been really useful when I've been flustered shopping and started arguing over change.
By the time I am convinced that the change is right and feel really foolish I sometimes remember to get the card out and it makes a real difference to the whole atmosphere.
An absolute godsend.
Lovenhugs
Xoxo
Steve, why do you feel a hypocrite????
As said above I carry a card and I am never allowed out by myself...... EVER
Because of the complications of my B.I. I have lost all independence outside the home. It's frustrating but thank goodness for family, friends and my blue badge.
On occasions out I have the added security of the Headway card in my purse, which all who assist me know about. 😃
I had a similar card from the ME association...lost it somwhere, must remember to get a new one 😊 Have made my own in case of aneurysm rupture with info for emergency medical teams including annie details, name of my neurosurgeon and hospital...need to avoid our local A&E if I want to come out of such a situation with my faculties intact 😮
I have a few of them...one tucked in my phone and another in with my bus pass and a third in my purse...but to be honest at the times when I could probably use them, I am usually way past realising I even have such a thing and well on my way to a meltdown.
They are great for starting a dialogue about TBI though
I carry mine around with me all the time, which someone on the headway helpline was really kind enough to send it through the post for me as my nearest headway is to far for me to travel just for an hour or 2 as it'd take me about 2 hours to get there and 2 hours to get back,
I go gymnastics and to this parkrun on a saturday and now another run on a sunday to help out and all the coaches and people who are in charge know about my head some have seen the card and some haven't but everyone knows about my head they also know about my other problems as well so if anything happens to me and I can't speak or I'm out cold they know what to tell the person on the 999 helpline and paramedics, everyone is so nice at the events and they try to include me in everything that isn't to difficult for me to understand, just over a week back at the great run local I got to shadow a marshal because of my problems which was great of them even though the woman I spoke to thought it was weird until I explained why and then paired me with a really nice woman and has also said that if I want to do the run she can pair me with someone of a similar speed as me just in case I panic or get lost etc they do that with people with disabilities which I think is great because it helps other people get included as well,
I've never used the card when I've been out and about though, I do get flustered, frustrated, embarrassed etc, trying to find something or trying to remember something and I get weird looks from other people but forget about the card I carry with me so I just tend to walk away with my head down,
Take care,
Siobhan x
hold your head up high siobhan.......as henry v said ......we lucky few we band of brothers, oh sorry,. and ( in these pc times we live in ) sisters
so we have a brain injury so things take us longer to do than them.....but theyll live one boring existance.
for us life i s new and exciting we dont know whats going to happen now weve been re born
Thank you,
I do say to people if they give me funny looks that I suffered a brain injury and they just give me a filthy look as to say don't say your brain damaged when you clearly ain't, I'm just glad there are some decent people out there who help me when I need it even if I don't come out and say I need help because the ones who help can see it in my face that I'm struggling and usually it's people who are in their 60's and 70's that help me, I will start holding my head higher than I was,
Take care,
Siobhan
P.S. I thought it said henvy the 8th not the fifth stupid brain is tired just spent 3 hours getting help off this woman from the council finding work, so brain has decided to go on holiday lol 
Got one from Headway keep it with my bus pass
really good idea I suspect i'd not use it to be honest, I'm mostly fairly able, and the times i do get flustered i tend to hide, ie either walk away or essentially shut down.
i have been quite blunt/rude to shop attendants, etc though mostly to my poor suffering wife when I've tried to do far too much!
oddly when my balance was more apparent and I used to have quite glassy eyes. public would offer help, at least the young men/women who regularly would offer help, was the middle aged who assumed I was drunk etc.
roger when you had your glassy eyed moments did you get any warning and how did you feel?
i ask because i have episodes....i go really hot then everything starts spinning. a really bad one and im sick and suffer diarrhea.
unfortunately my thought process is in my tongue.....when i went for my PIP assessment i made the assessor cry and she called me rude.
unfortunately thats the new me!!!
As ever with these things I wasn't as aware, my wife said that when tired my eyes would look glassy and my walk would become like a zombie!
I am more self monitering/aware now it's rare for me to reach that stage to be honest, now I'll find some where to hide/sleep etc.
the cards sound great and nice one strawberrycream! i bealive allot pepole these days are truly lacking patitence
you can get them from your local headway group or by phoning the headway number
Hi Steve,
My problems started in 1996 and mostly finished by 2000-2001. I have had further operations down thline but kind of spread out. I had not even heard of headway until 2007! One of the first things a doctor should do is point a BI survivor to Headway. Maybe they do now but that is a little too late.
Anyway, in about 98,99 maybe, I was having physiotherapy and my physio gave me a card. A brain injury survivor card like you said. A genuine Headway card but I or my family didn't do much else, we never looked into what Headway were and really we should have.
I didn't even use the card to be honest. I just had it on hand and that was all.
Like I said earlier, I joined Headway in 2007 and the card had been mentioned by other uses a few times over the years.
I think it was 2014, last year when a staff member gave me a wallet which came from my bus company and it holds my bus pass in it and my headway card as well.
Because of Headway I now do a bus journey all by myself and I use my bus pass with the Headway card by showing it to the driver and I haven't any problems so far :).
But thinking of it, I could have joined Headway years before 2007.
Take care,
MJ
i agree matt,headway should be more promoted! there were leaflets on the ward about them but yes doctors should point you at them! and so pleased to read about youre bus journies!
Headway
Brain injury card
Do not forget your local headway!!!
