Just a weird situation. Had my head accident in October 2017. Just had a conversation today with a colleague about a patient who I had called from the ward about 10/minutes before she asked me..Is patient so and so coming up for an Ultrasound?
I couldn't remember a THING about what she was talking about. I felt so humiliated as she kept repeating to me who she was talking about. Completely blank.
My CT scan Yesterday though showed my brain is back to normal. Although I have these horrible short-term amnesia moments after my accident I wonder if anything can be done about it. It is the least to say VERY annoying working in a hospital not remembering patients...😳. Makes me feel low
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Putzii2018
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no if anything they get worse. ive got to the stage where i can be in the middle of a conversation and bang its gone, or i cant think of a word and my wife and i plat 20 questions or give us a clue.
you my friend are the fortunate one, working where you do.
Does it get better? It is different for everyone. Some get better some worse and some stay the same. Keep focused on what you are able to do. If you can make it ok if you don't get better, it will make it easier to deal with. For me, I had my own Accounting and Tax Firm before the brain injury. I eventually had to sell it as I could no longer keep up with it all. Just know its not like a broken bone or recovery from a surgery. Creating your new life after a brain injury moves at its own speed, which to me has been way too slow. Some parts of life are just gone. You may want to get a neuropsych test done to see what areas of your brain function have been impacted and what chance they have of recovering. At least it will help you understand why some things seem so much harder or don't work like they used to. You can, in some things, develop compensating strategies to make up for some of brain functioning that has been lost. I'm sorry this has happened to you and wish you well in your new life.
Thank you very much for this uplifting reply. sca2013. I will definitely see a neuropsych as it is starting to bother me, the after effects. I am sorry to hear you had to sell your firm. Although you sound very strong in your reply it must have hurt you but it is very positive to hear you have found a way to deal with your new way of living. I'd like to think positivity and maybe some brain training and hard work will get me back to my old self so I am going to follow your advice about seeing a neuropsych! That is definitely next on the list when I see the GP. Thank you very much for this information!
Thank you for your compassion. Yes, it really hit me hard and has taken me some time to come to a level of acceptance of the new me. I'm a little over 4 years past the event. I made my life way too stressful before this event. I've had plenty of thinking - oh yeah I can do that - and then when it comes down to actually doing it, there is no way I can pull it off. I have to laugh sometimes about it. Today I was going to go to a yoga class hosted by the local Brain Injury Alliance, but today is one of my off days where I just don't feel good enough to be able to do it. One of my new sayings is "rest and rest often -when in doubt rest".
When you say’brain back to normal ‘ your aware it’s changed your brain for life!??And you have to work with and understand your new brain....which is annoying at times but fun too! I’m 2 years after my recovery still noticing slight differences in my feelings and decisions and still getting those blank moments- never experienced them at work, probably hence to why I shouldn’t work and carry on reviewing generous benefits! My whole life has turned around.... I think this is common with a TBI.
Didn’t wanna sound patronising and state the obvious... but it took me a while to understand it all!
Neuropsych is Page 1, and the fact your hospital didn't arrange a review for you already is in itself somewhat remiss of them IMO.
Most will find improvement over time, though the less efficient brain function is likely to result in longer-lasting Neuro Fatigue issues. That needs to be looked out for, as hopefully your neuro dept will highlight and suggest strategies if necessary.
The hospital really should be looking out for you as an employee, quite apart from as a patient - this shouldn't need pointing out to them, however stretched they are at present.
The general advice following a TBI is it take 12 months before someone should return to work.
This is due to the brain continually rewiring itself forming new connections as it tries to reach the most ergonomic route. This plasticity can take 3-4 years before optimum repair has been achieved, after that you'll probably have some some loss of function although to what degree only time will tell.
Before my TBI I was supervising a team of solicitors and because I'd received no guidance I returned to work after 6 months and really struggled with the stress of trying to perform to the required standards. It was only at my 1 year checkup when the consultant told me he would have expected 1-2 years before returning to the type of job I was doing.
I think trying to do your work before you're ready will not only be incredibly stressful it may convince you that the work is now beyond your capabilities.
I eventually found that whilst I'm able to run my own client cases trying to have intimate knowledge of other solicitors casework as well, was too demanding.
If it is any help mine has gotten a lot better. For the first year I forgot whole conversations, names, what I was in the middle of doing and I ALWAYS forgot to turn the taps off. 2 years later and I still leave taps on but only sometimes and I forget bits of conversations but I usually remember that it actually happened for one. Try and be patient, your accident is still in early stages of recovery and what I thought at that stage was that I should be better by now 100% myself but doctors told me how wrong I was. You will see so many improvements over time and what I have found is that it does get better in many different ways and in others it doesn't. I hope you see improvements over time and start to feel better about it!
Does it get better? Changed probably better describes it for me at least. A long time since I had my TBI and thought when got back to work after settling in fully recovered.
Many years later, as professionals had said, or words similar, to my parents if he makes a seemingly quick recovery perhaps in later years change. Something always in the back of my mind. Not to say that happens to everyone. We all may or may not have similar problems we may discover on our journey through life.
Fatigue, forgetfulness, memory loss, confidence, coordination, speech, smell, and taste or Maybe Absent seizure can name just a few factors. You may not notice some of them but others do.
Apologise, the picture looks dark but looking back You can laugh at for some events. What I could tell you that I laugh at now. Accepting your own outcome makes it easier, we have to live with it.
All the best,
Jem
Hi,
This isn't a direct answer to your question but I would recommend tot start keeping a diary of what you can and can't do, plus any emotional spikes.
You may have a long recovery period in front of you it's useful to look back and see the difference.
Good luck.
4 years ago, it was black out for me and 4 months in a coma followed by transferring to rehabilitation where I re-learned to speak again, walk again, feed myself among other things. My partner was told by specialists that I will very probably never ever achieve recovery.
That was 4 years ago now and I am now pretty okay. I speak the same 3 languages fluently again and without stutter or pause (I learned to speak all 3 at the exact same time because my parents came from Germany and Spain, but I was born and raised in Miami, FL so no I'm not some stuck up wannabe) and I can walk normally etc so the point in all my manure is that I too get days where I get super down and convince myself that I'm a futureless bag of sh*t, but then I wake up the next day and think "I'm going to be me again at some point".
Memory. Long-term memory is faultless & doesn't skip a beat, but short-term and immediate leave a heck of a lot to be desired. I will say that in the past few months, my memory has been miles better and not because of some special meeting with Jesus - I attribute the significant improvements to natural supplements I take daily and a very sought after, popular multiple-vitamin. There are chemicals our brains produce or require to function properly and dependant on your type of Brain Injury, your brain could be lacking that chemical and that imbalance leads to things like memory deficits or blank spots.
Omega 3 supplements (part of my super-vitamin) and Vitamin B-12 (purchased from Boots) seem to be must-haves for my brain and memory.
People may tell you that 'Ginkgo-Balboa' works and perhaps it does, but I tried it for 6-7 months and I did not see any real difference.
In life - Cancers, Disabilities, Heartbreak, Loss are the inevitabilities we all will face at some point in our human lives and nothing you say or do will stop it, but staying positive, finding something to smile about everyday will propel you forward.
Good luck with everything & I genuinely wish you a smooth recovery. - Markus
After 32 years and 3 BIs I reached a near normality (if I can say that), but the last few years has seen me slip backwards,Maybe caused by age. I suppose everyone can expect that to a point though, it's just that TBIs give you a head start. As with you, I have a fairly decent long term memory being able to remember things from my time in the forces in the 1970s but rubbish a few days ago. I get things mixed up all the time, turning up at appointments a day early etc. I've got to put my mind to remembering my appointment for the PIP tribunal tomorrow. However, never feel humiliated. Make your mistakes, and if people don't like it, they can always take walk. Dave
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- Markus
Hang on in there… life can get better… 
Will it get better ……. 
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