What is Brain Injury?

WHAT IS BRAIN INJURY?

LIFE HAPPENS:

     We may be driving our children to day care, grabbing groceries on the way home from work or driving up to the lake for a much needed vacation when a collision occurs or someone simply rear ends our vehicle.  Your preteen might be racing on his bicycle trying to make it to a science class before the bell rings when he swerves to miss an animal scurrying across his path.  The crash that results sends him to hospital.

      Or possibly, you have head x-rays to determine why head aches persist, only to find there are numerous tumours that must be removed.  Surgery is invasive and the brain is delicate ground.

BRAIN INJURY HAPPENS:

There are hundreds of ways injury happens and they happen in an instant.  No two ABI survivors will be affected in the same way as there are so many areas of the brain that control different parts of the human body and its functions.  Symptoms are more consistent among those with MS, cancer or diabetes for example.  Maybe one day, science will name brain injury specifically for the part of the brain which is affected but there are dozens of areas so we will be looking at many different names when that does happen.

 There are 6 lobes in the brain.  Notice how many functions each lobe covers.  Think of throwing a dart at a map of the world to determine your next destination.  Doing the same to a map of the brain is not much different.

WHAT  DO WE SEE?

Brain injury is often called the 'invisible' illness.  Not being able to remember a face 15 minutes later,  process thoughts or organize an event are not visible signs of illness.   Often, folks will brush such things off as 'not being interested or focused' and demand that they see physical signs of disability.   I've always thought I might have to use a rollator walker when I became elderly but I was 44 when it became necessary to use one to keep my balance.  I still feel too young to be hunched over one but I do accept it now.  It at least lets people know that something is wrong but my survivor friends who can drive a vehicle or walk without aids face much more unfair judgement from the public. 

     The effects of brain injury are like a fingerprint.  Each survivor is different, which makes it difficult for others to understand.  "Why doesn't David hold down a job?  He is so lazy!"  "Why do Mary's children receive so much more care from their father?  What kind of mother would slack on parenting tasks?  No wonder kids nowadays have so many problems!"  

     Brain injury may or may not make drastic changes to mobility or coordination but if it does, it is quite plain to the eye.  When it affects our personality, memory or cognitive thinking, the human race is not so understanding.  The brain is one of the great puzzles of our time and we see negative reactions to its illness time and time again.  Those with schizophrenia, phobias or depression, for example, have long experienced the stigmas associated with mental illness and some of the time, brain injury may cause similar symptoms.

     Most survivors will tell you that what they miss most is the person they 'used to be'.  You may have been a high school teacher who had the uncanny ability to make teenagers laugh (challenging at times!)  After a brain injury, it would be unlikely that you could teach more than a couple hours at a time as brain fatigue is very common.  You also may have lost that wicked sense of humour, taking on a more grumpy persona.

     When speaking of emotional changes we often think of increased crying, angry outbursts or withdrawals into depression but often the opposite may occur.  For many years, I lost the ability to cry.  In fact, I was almost unusually optimistic and cheerful.  

     A perfect example was my first daughter's wedding 4 1/2 years ago.  As much as I loved that day, and the preparations leading up to it, I simply didn't feel the emotion that brings us to tears on such special occasions.  I had always been a soft, doting mom and I am actually disappointed that I shed not a tear as she walked down the aisle.

     Fatigue!  Oh fatigue!  You know how a job such as mowing the lawn and spending a couple hours weeding and hauling away bags of leaves leaves you tired.  This feeling is how I would describe the brain fatigue of a thoughtful 2 hour discussion.  Talking on the phone can force me to lie down and rest for an hour afterward.  Having a two hour meeting in the morning dictates the need for a lie down in a darkened room immediately afterward.  I try not to book more than one two hour visit or appointment in a day as my cognitive functioning shuts down quite quickly.  If I rest long enough, I can continue to do other things but it is so important to pace myself.  

     I often answer the phone and draw a blank if a question is asked.  If the caller is a friend, I am quite often okay to talk but if it is a business I can be at a loss for words.   Sometime I know that I do not have the energy required to carry on even a simple conversation and at those times I allow the answering machine to take a message for me.  

     It takes time and patience to find the pacing and routine that is right for you.  When you do, though, it does make life much easier.  More will get done and fatigue can often be avoided.  

     Writing this blog must be broken up into hour long sessions with long rests in between.  I am feeling myself shutting down now, so I must call it a night!