A Nurse's Experiences with a Traumatic Brain Injury

April 29, 2016 Today is my 8th-month post-concussion anniversary.  Each month I like to reflect on what progress I've made from the previous month and share any new information I've come across.  First, I'd like to share a scripture that has truly blessed me. You see, the mind of a person suffering from a concussion goes through many challenges.  We first have to navigate our normal world with an abnormally functioning brain.  Our brains are healing and making new pathways and sometimes they don't always match up quite right.  For instance, as I'm typing Grammarly is a huge help.  I used to be a terrific speller and now I misspell words and even type them backwards.  What the fudge?  LOL!!!   Meditating on the Word of God is a huge help for me.  I don't know what other people rely on to pull them through, but my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is everything to me.  When I ask for his help, guidance, wisdom, peace,...

I shared with you in my first blog that I didn't know much about concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries with my 10 years nursing experience.  This is because nurses and doctors focus on major injuries when learning about traumatic brain injuries in school.  I have worked in the emergency room before and if you're not bleeding, have limbs falling off, or unconscious, your injuries are not serious to the medical staff.  Yes, I'm just putting it out there.  We have a process that we follow in how we prioritize those needing care.   Concussions are the trickiest of injuries because it can take days and sometimes weeks for serious symptoms to form.  This is due to the ongoing neuronal injury or shearing of important cell pathways in the brain.  What cannot be seen on cat scans and MRIs shouldn't dictate to the treating provider if you have sustained a brain injury.  However, in my case, my symptoms were a dead give away that something was terri...

I never suffered debilitating headaches before I was in my car accident August 29, 2015.  Headaches have been a regular nuance for me ever since I was diagnosed with a concussion.  I experience them sometimes 3-4 times  a week.  I've even figured out the patterns, what triggers them, and what helps to get rid of them.  A dear friend of mine posted this migraine article with a simulated video by the Huffington Post.  I had to place this on my blog. Until I experienced a migraine, I had no idea the misery sufferers were going through.  When I get them, I feel like my whole body just wants to shut down.  I run to my cave (bedroom) where my blackout curtains shield me from any glimmer of sunlight. I cannot wait for the day I can report I am no longer experiencing such debilitating headaches.  I trust God is hearing my prayers.  I know he is fully able to do more than I could ever ask or think. Emotional Video Shows People Experiencing ...

Hello, everyone.  I'm back with a post, but this time, it's a poem.  It came to me as I reflected how our concussed brains can impact our thoughts.  I hope you enjoy this poem. "When Thoughts Betray You" Thoughts are powerful.  They are things, so I've been told. You can control them, mold them, and even reject them. They are inside of you, so they come from you. Well, this is what I thought until my thoughts betrayed me. I thought I would never sustain such a life altering injury. I thought I would never be sick this long. I thought my strong will and determination was all I needed to conquer the world. I thought people would understand why I am behaving and speaking differently. I thought I would never be so "needy" and feel so afraid. I thought I could just snap out of this fog and get on with things like people expect of me. I thought I could sustain my relationship with my boyfriend after my injury. I thought I could get...

Hello everyone.  Today has been a tad bit rough.  Why?  I have only had about 2 hours of sleep. Before my concussion, it seemed as if I couldn't get enough sleep.  This is the most aggravating aspect of my brain injury.  The brain needs a lot of rest to heal.  So, when sleep doesn't happen, this is what actually does happen to me: As funny as these memes are, I don't play around with my sleep.  I'm trying to figure out the reasons why I am so off track with my sleeping patterns.  Could it be from something I ate, or the neck injury that has resurfaced?  I had a good two months free of tightened neck muscles and nerve pain but that has returned and I am finding myself waking up all kinds of times of the night with pain and stiffness.   I am so over this traumatic brain injury.  I know I am blessed to be well informed due to my profession, but with matters of the brain, nothing is exactly textbook.  My doctors have ...

They say nurses are the worst patients.  I try not to be, LOL!!!!  I apologize up front for the long post.  I need to give a quick synopsis of what took place.  So here we go.  On August 29th 2015, I was enjoying a lovely ride with a friend after a date when suddenly my entire world changed.  From behind, a distracted driver hit us going at least 35 mph as we had initiated a stop to make a right turn.  Bang!!! It felt like lightning was surging through my head from the back to the front.  I mean it felt like a serious brain freeze but ten times worse.  Dazed and stunned, I managed to gather myself and I thought I was ok.  Well, if you can imagine, 7 months later, I'm still trying to get this brain of mine together.  What scared the living daylights out of me was a day I will never forget:  September 9th 2015.  This was the day I woke up from a nap with severely slurred speech, difficulty walking, and dizziness wor...