Today its the first year anniversary of my multiple brain injuries. Part of me is grateful I survived the ordeal and I’m able to resume most of my activities. However, I am apprehensive about seeing another neurologist/neurosurgeon regarding future care for my shunt. I’ve spent the last year with double vision and on Monday, March 9, I will meet with the eye surgeon to go over details of my eye surgery, the date and time.
I’ve been pre-occupied with having surgery to correct my vision from what happened to me 12 months ago. I have extreme trust issues regarding hospitals and my shunt being revised.
I’ve had people say fairly insensitive, rude comments to me regarding how I’m suppose to be recovering and what I should be feeling. I don’t talk to these people anymore. A family friend had made the following a few months ago:
“What happened to you wasn’t that big of a deal and you need to get over it. There are people who are worse off than you.”
Me thinking: Would you like me to crack your head open with a golf club and demonstrate what I mean by brain injuries?
My response: “I was in rehab for three months, I saw people who had lost both their legs and had to walk using prosthetic legs, people who had strokes in their foreheads and could no longer speak, or people who were paralyzed from the neck down and could no longer move any part of their body at all. So I get I am very fortunate and grateful. However, I didn’t just bump my head. My brain was bleeding in three places and I had a traumatic brain injury. I had to re learn how to walk, speak, stand, swallow, interact with people/environments and breathe.
And then there was silence.
I’ve been feeling a lot better (Physically, neurologically) these last few months. I think because my body is continuing to heal itself. My hand writing is close to what it was a year ago. My hand moves almost as it did. The hand writing isn’t exactly as it was before, but it’s close enough. Others may not notice a difference, but I do.
I think some people are quick to assume because I’m in school means my injuries were not too bad. I do have some brain damage – processing is slower. It takes me longer to get things done. I’m getting closer to where I was cognitively last year, but there are still some issues. I had a cognitive test done last week (three hours) and I’ll find out the full report of ” what it all means’ most likely during the week I am to have my vision corrected. 12 more days left to go until I have single vision again.
