This is what a brain injury feels like

Middle England's top journalism rag The Guardian has a front page story today about a lady who got a head injury, what happened after and what changed in her during recovery.

theguardian.com/news/2017/o...

[Kirk5w7]

Hi, my daughter brought this to my attention. It is good but my comment to my daughter was, it's very insightful but imagine that plus more that is still going on 5years later !!!

Janetx

[cat3]

Interesting account of concussion. My BI was a bleed, but the comment "might as well have been born on the pavement" resonated big-time with me. That feeling of 'resurrection' since the blackness, and emergence from it, has been an intrusive mindset for me.

And the lack of concern over sports injuries continues to rankle but, so long as we have free choice, we're at risk of injury in all areas of life.

But the assertion from the author ................

"a brain injury might alter me, but it doesn’t annihilate myself any more than a broken leg would"

.................doesn't work for me. My brain is everything I am, & without it I wouldn't exist. Cat x

[spider555 in reply to cat3]

It's still not me. Just physical, spiritual, emotions. Everything.

[Yb007 in reply to cat3]

Very interesting article but I couldn't agree more about the lack of concern for sports related BI and also the bi doesn't annihilate any more than a broken leg... That ignores how the changes to a brain really mess with one's sense of self... That's can be quite annihilating if u ask me.

[moo196]

Someone brought this to my attention too, and I had to add much more to it as it missed so many frequent symptoms.

Disappointing article in my opinion 😑

[RogerCMerriman]

Amused that she though CT scan, was fun, got to be honest one of the annoyances is though I’ve had a CT scan I have no recollection of this or number of other interesting things that happened in the short time I was at hospital.

It sounds like her concussion hasn’t left lasting effects her personality is close or as it was? Now and people do like to self rationalise.

[Hidden]

The fact she spent so much time describing the situation and nfl background rather than the symptoms/ impact suggests either the impact was minimal or she hasn't recognised the full extent yet.

Any awareness is good but articles that tie it up nicely in a pretty "better now!" bow, don't help when you're explaining to a family member for the 423rd time that "just try harder" doesn't get you there!

[Hidden]

Every brain injury is very different so any article trying to describe it will miss out stuff compared to anyone who has experienced one. She was fully unconscious for less than an hour so the damage and length of recovery is probably much less than many users of this forum will have suffered. But I think it's a good reflection of the issues she had and trauma she suffered much of it speaking to me.

[Lizum]

I've written to complain to the Guardian that they should have spoken to British sufferers and not buy in a US article as the patient experience here is so different. For instance - concussion specialists don't exist here and neurologists are far too over stretched to be interested in concussions. I also think the view of post concussion syndrome here is probably out of date i.e. that the ongoing symptoms are a mental illness and not due to damage from the injury.

[Hidden]

What's weird is they have turned comments off for that article so you can't give your own additions. Normally they do that for controversial stuff like should Trump bomb random countries or should the Spanish beat up people voting but I don't know why they would here.

[spider555 in reply to Hidden]

Brain injury probably is controversial.

The trolls would have a field day.

[Hidden in reply to spider555]

What's controversial?

[spider555 in reply to Hidden]

Brain injury or mental illness

[sca2013 in reply to Hidden]

To protect the future financial interests of the NFL. I certainly don't agree with the NFL's insanity and I used to love playing and watching football. Since sustaining my brain injury I've lost most of my love for football, because of the brain injury issues.