head injury years ago. Seems silly

[LeilaNikita]

Hi. I had a mild head injury 40 years ago, it totally destroyed my life. I have memory concentrating hearing cognitive issues.

[Cyclegirl70]

I had mine 2.5 years ago and still struggle with fatigue and memory, I also have horrible tinnitus which rules my life and really gets me down. Life is much more tricky these days but I keep trying every day to be better. X

[Leaf100]

Hi LN,

'Mild' just basically means you didn't crack your skull or have some other very physically obvious injury - it is not a measure of the impact of the injury. Some people have a cracked skull, go into a coma , and walk out of the hospital 6 weeks later with very minor fallout - and some people have something like a minor fall, and are severely limited years later.

It doesn't seem to compute, and I think part if the reason the public struggle as concussions etc are always happening in the soaps and the movies and the next day the person is bouncing around knocking over bad guys.

It is a strange thing, it's hard to come to terms with - and looking back it can be puzzling as to 'how come?' And yes it may indeed feel silly. Only, it isn't. It's very real.

Leaf x

[Nafnaf87]

Good morning LeilaNikita and everybody else here as well

The years go past, we never get our old lives back and some of us have far worse experiences and outcomes than others.

Hey mine is not too wonderful - wife and business lost - picked up by Dad, dusted down and helped back to feet only for him to pass (as elderly people with cancer do) 2015 whereupon my brother set about removing our business, my now elderly mother and the home I'd lived in for 20 years with her and Dad from me (I got taken to court on the phone for trespass during Covid lockdown!) - emergency accommodation during Covid lockdown followed by 3 years trying to work out how to get on my feet again which tbh I've only partially achieved.

Right, that's the boring bit out of the way (which a few here are already aware of) and now I can forget it again 😊

Is my life destroyed? Is it hell! Sure there are difficulties, sure the headaches are a bloody nuisance, sure things go wrong quite a lot but I try very hard not to give a damn and get on with it. It's not all bad.

I've just persuaded the Neurologist chap to try to do something about the headaches so this morning I've started a prescription of 12 × 5 mg Prednisolone and 1 × 100 mg Nortriptyline (building gradually to 4 daily whatever that means). Going to rattle for a bit but after 25 years I may get rid of the headache .... it's a possibility 🤯

All ways look on the bright side of life ....

Best wishes

Michael

[skydivesurvivor]

welcome to our world!! We give what support we can to similar sufferers. Somewhere to drop in & share experiences. People in the real world have little understanding, empathy. We all vent our frustrations here, get support fro

[Writeronstack]

You and many more here. You have just found us? Welcome.

Its the cognitive stuff I find the most difficult.

If you have always learned something new fast, and then this happens, it takes a while to get used to the fact that you are a different person now... I can't recall a password I have just put in, and write it again, to confirm it a few seconds later.

I take the opportunity to share this as many times as I can, because I have to convince myself, really - everyone here knows. My injury was just over a year ago. It takes time to adjust, I guess. Still doing it.

As I said, welcome. Please write on this platform, and read what you find. This did help me enormously. I hope it will help you too.

40 years - goodness.

[Seamus1967]

Hi Leila,

I had a head injury 40 years ago. I was unconscious for several hours but came round and all seemed OK.

The symptoms didn't become apparent until I was around 45 years old. Memory loss, concentration, cognitive problems etc..

I was told by the neurophychiatrist that our brains start shrinking at 45 years old, any underlying damage is likely to show up then.

I used to love learning new things, skills or academic. Now I can't read a book.

I used to enjoy playing my guitar but these past few years it's just been hanging on the wall gathering dust.

There is a big list of things I can't do anymore. I hate it.

But there are ways you can adapt, I find you've just got to keep going. Some things will click and if you're lucky you'll come across stuff that works. If you're very lucky you might be able to create a habit (but it might not last).

Do you have any support? I'm on my own but have a support worker to help me organise important stuff. My neighbours and my local community are great. Family although far away are great too.

Jim