I know I have quite a niche iQ TBI where pain shuts down my brain that I am unaware of, where I’m only aware with other chronic pains.
But I know for a fact that I have short term memory, No new past memory recall (so reliant on before the RTA injury), Attention span of a 7 year old, Very Slow processing speed, Partial long term amnesia, Very easily confused, No concept of time, Lack of Initiation and Motivation that bad and everything bores me.
Has anyone anything like this with a high iQ because no one will take me seriously that all is easy to prove. But no one will assist to prove it.. ?
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I'm NOT quite, the same, as you.... High IQ yes.... my Problem is the 'Speed' that I Problem Solve. A man named Semus, who is based- I believe at the Gaisborough Centre at Colchester Hospital- performed a Very Detailed 'Brain Function Assessment'. This produced some, very interesting results.
My 'overal' score was, fairly average- or even a bit Below Par- but..... The Low Score was because of the Time, it took me to perform the Tasks, ALL of which were absolutely Correct. Semus explained, my results thus... Imagine a Computer where the CPU is Damaged, however ALL the Individual Processors- within the Mother Board- work perfectly. The Problem, with my Brain, is NOT the actual Functionality it is more the 'Linkage'/ wiring if you like. I think that perhaps, just maybe, you could have a Similar-ISH Condition.
Please don't think, that I'm, 'Telling You What To Do' - I'm only making a suggestion, based on my own experiences. I do however 'think' that a Similar Session might be Helpful, to you. Heck it might even 'Show Up' a Problem, that Can be fixed..... Perhaps worth a try?
Hi AndrewT, I understand, I was tested early by the DWP to help me get back to work and the test showed I have a very slow processing speed etc.
If I just stay on the same subject I can last much longer in conversation, but general chat changes subjects every minute, so gave up on that. A friend said my brain like a two stroke engine, it takes forever to get going, but once started it potters on easily, that’s until the subject changes and I’ve got to start that two stroke engine again.
What I tried that helped a little improve my brain was Cinnarizine tablets. I took them originally for dizziness but found my head would work a little better.
Turns out it reduces the calcium in your brain, so opening up all the circulation in the brain.
Make sure it’s good for you first, I’ve told doctors but one of the reasons I survived my injuries was even though great surgeons, my heart just wouldn’t stop and the Chief surgeon asked me that he has only seen hearts that strong in Europe. Turns out I eat tons of garlic since a child. That I’ve only seen in the news papers over the last 2 years saying it’s good for your heart, so recommendations take forever.
I couldn’t of added or replied to this years ago, so it has helped.
Thanks for the details of the chap, every little helps, I’ll see what he says if I can find him.
After I found out my hi iQ I wanted to see how good it was and looked online all the free tests for iQ, but the time would always run out at 30% completed. So I did screen shot of the tests and did it in my own time. I got the same result cool.
I’ve also thought of my head as a round library with reception in the middle and all names taken of the books, so I ask at reception and they say over there, where it takes me forever to find the right book with the info I’m after inside.
I am also quite high functioning now and pre injury.
The car analogy is quite common, for me it is like the difference between a ferrari and a tractor. If the engine in the ferrari goes out of tune, the drop in performance is very dramatic but can still chug along at normal speeds. If a tractor goes out of tune, yes the performance will drop but it won't be so dramatic.
I used to describe it like someone has placed kryptonite near superman for the first time and he is experiencing "normal". I could never understand why people couldn't do mental arithmetic. e.g. 15% of £250, But soon as I got injured there was nothing there. Other things that I could do easily pre injury were now difficult or impossible. Even now, typing this, the number of spelling mistake are unbelievable.
The pain for me was a defence mechanism, when I used to try and do something and it was too difficult the pain would increase in my head, making me stop. You will also find that one major pain episode will make you ignore pain elsewhere in your body.
Time is the best healer, it is taking me 8 years and I still struggle - some days more than others.
Hi Sospan, I replied to AndrewT above with how I’ve had to explain my TBI to people.
I know what you mean by your head hurting and making you stop, I’m trying to reply to everyone now and it’s ready for exploding.
Have you explained this to anyone ?
For any assistance or help in moving forwards ?
I’ve had the head pain for years and everyone ignored till I saw a nice Neurologist who understood and told me my memory would get worse than it already is with pain, and it’s the thinking that causes the pain to become overwhelming, where now my eyes are going blurred as well so I’d better go. It’s good getting help if everyone here because my severity of injuries everyone’s clueless where I’m trying to put the jigssaw together that’s all black with no box to see what it is. I hate jigsaws to.
What helps me (and it is really odd) is that without explanation I will shut down - go to sleep without warning, yawning etc. for a few minutes. When I come to, it is almost like I have had a "reboot" and feel fine !
One of my friends couldn't understand the issue until I was talking to him one day, I mentioned a persons name in one sentence, then the following sentence couldn't remember the name.
One of my worst moments was unable to work out how to pay using small change in a shop - having studied high level maths and worked in an Astro Physics company !
That’s crazy and your very lucky, I’ve got insomnia from hell that keep me awake for 2 days if I don’t take anything.
I know what you mean by going to sleep, it’s as if your brains over heating and needs cooling and resetting.
After years, I found out I can do a partly as a normal person 6 hours in a day where all time after I am in a dark room.
Also if I think to much, it strangely overflows like a glass of water where nothing will stay in for my 36 hour short term memory that I have, before it all goes completely. That’s annoying so I try now not to soak up to much info, so I can try and remember my patents where my RTA Injury stuff is stuck there that I can’t delete. I wish.
Having a rest from this my eyesight has come back but not for to long.
I understand the money and maths, I used to do all the wages in my head before my RTA and now can’t do simple maths that I got a grade 1 in. Not astrophysicist maths but still numbers you can’t get wrong.
My reset is different, if I leave the house and go out either with friends or commute to and from a place the driving or not me driving soaks up so much of the world through the windscreen from sky to grids and walls to kids that I have to stay in a dark room from 1 to 4 days until it resets, I forget, pain goes and all restarts again.
All my memory now is before my RTA so everything I look at and want to buy I look at and go How Much. That’s double the price.
Maybe we have a virus or need fans fitting to our heads.
Look up on here if you haven’t already “TBI High iQ” by NightBird. Many replied on here but didn’t to me because I have a funny feeling she needs to sell her book that’s now published on amazon.
But how can I read a book thats meant to help if I forget what I’ve just read before the end of the page.
I have to rest for a day or 3 for my eyes and head, I’m wearing glasses that I shouldn’t. So I don’t want you to think I’m being ignorant.
When a assessment is made of your functionality you will not be given a IQ test as it's not relevant, therefore don't be mislead by this well know indicator.
I was inappropriately given a IQ test by a psychologist, who had no specialist neuro-psycholgy knowledge, and declared to be fine.
There is a set of stanadised test, which are used to identify dysfunction and these should be conducted by a Neuropsychologist.
Prior to my BI I had a high IQ, that didn't necessarily make me super intelligent, if anything I was fairly average. But I think some of that was my attitude.
I have sat a number of cognitive tests over the years. I can't remember the areas they test. There are about four areas. They talk of achieving a range, or a percentile. These loosely relate to IQ, but they are averages of the population.
Some areas I achieved average, some slightly higher, and some very much lower. It was explained what all this meant. But they are somewhat artificial as they are carried out in sterile condition, so distractibility isn't a problem, unlike in the real world.
What is it that you are hoping to show? IQ in its self doesn't mean that you are necessarily super intelligent. It is based on an average, either you are averages, above average, or below average, given certain set of circumstances.
I know that executive function is a problem for me, sequencing is another, and I have blind spots sometimes.
I am still me, ok, I am a mark ll version of me, I'm not stupid (well some may disagree), but I do have problems, I don't like to admit them, but sometimes I have to hold my hand up, and even if I don't admit to others, I have to be honest to myself. I would be daft to try to bluff may way through in other circumstances, because it can be obvious I am having difficulty.
So, as I asked above, what is it you are trying prove?
The issue of real world and being distracted isn't a issue, as each test is intended to isolate a particular function, how the function interact with the 'real world' can be the difficult part to interpret.
How useful it is to know I have 'abnormal' attention is debatable.
But how can a psych test be conducted and used as proof in legal surroundings if the main thing that’s the problem is causing false accuracies in the tests.
Psych testing is not real world, it’s a complete false environment with minimal test subjects to prove an unprovable point due to inconsistencies and the variations of brain damage, that will get worse seeing people live much more crazy injuries due to advances in surgery.
Oh yes. That the different way a high iQ person thinks and processes things, (that I know is different) combined with pain shutting down your brain that it’s proven in Migraines to do, that with that and other problems makes Psychology reports pretty pointless. Like you said the sterile environment as well makes the tests one sided with many people because any normal noise will send everything out of the window.
Many psych tests are just conducted on just over or just under 100 people. Many people wont by mascara if it’s not tested on more people than that.
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