Comments for Life After Traumatic Brain Injury http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com My true-life story about my struggle two decades after my head injury Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:38:59 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on 5 Things to Watch for In Head Injury Survivors by glen http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/5-things-to-watch-for-in-head-injury-survivors/#comment-54 glen Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:38:59 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=82#comment-54 how true this is how true this is

]]> Comment on 5 Things to Watch for In Head Injury Survivors by glen http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/5-things-to-watch-for-in-head-injury-survivors/#comment-53 glen Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:36:19 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=82#comment-53 how true ............. how true ………….

]]> Comment on About the Author by Lon JonLuke http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/about-the-author/#comment-52 Lon JonLuke Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:56:31 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?page_id=11#comment-52 Greetings. You people seem fresh out of the isolation of disability. It is good to find you now that some glimmer of brain science is starting to show that your brain is not an impossible machine to understand. I have never been much of a reader but I have read a few books on neurology. I started with Eric Kandel's "In Search Of Memory" which I thought was a the best, most readable brain book around. He gave human feeling to it with his stories of being a Jew in the war but his biggest discovery was that you use proteins to connect neurons that make long term memories. Then I went back to Julian Jaynes's "The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind" which I tried to read in high school. I know it now as a great romp through ancient history but quite naive and to a large part neurologicly wrong. Then I read Joseph LeDoux's "Synaptic Self". Half of his book was a list of what books and research reports he has read. In the end he comes to the blindingly obvious conclusion: your brain is what it is. He left out the chemistry of how it gets there. Like I said I don't read a lot of books. I got a degree in chemical engineering without reading the books - I listened well to the lectures. We are so close to knowing how the whole brain system works. From what I have read it seems obvious that your brain is a coincidence machine. Things have to come together at the same time to have an effect on your brain. But there is all the details. How short a time is the "same time"? How big a thing is a "thing"? And how big is an "effect"? There is an electrical wave that travels across your brain. Does that push a few things coming together to enough to cause a reaction? And how big is the reaction? Big enough to move a muscle (or two) to make you talk or run or blink? This is more than I would usually take time to read so I will stop my two-finger typing with the thought of my mugging and the lymphatic system. Greetings. You people seem fresh out of the isolation of disability. It is good to find you now that some glimmer of brain science is starting to show that your brain is not an impossible machine to understand. I have never been much of a reader but I have read a few books on neurology. I started with Eric Kandel’s “In Search Of Memory” which I thought was a the best, most readable brain book around. He gave human feeling to it with his stories of being a Jew in the war but his biggest discovery was that you use proteins to connect neurons that make long term memories. Then I went back to Julian Jaynes’s “The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind” which I tried to read in high school. I know it now as a great romp through ancient history but quite naive and to a large part neurologicly wrong. Then I read Joseph LeDoux’s “Synaptic Self”. Half of his book was a list of what books and research reports he has read. In the end he comes to the blindingly obvious conclusion: your brain is what it is. He left out the chemistry of how it gets there.
Like I said I don’t read a lot of books. I got a degree in chemical engineering without reading the books – I listened well to the lectures. We are so close to knowing how the whole brain system works. From what I have read it seems obvious that your brain is a coincidence machine. Things have to come together at the same time to have an effect on your brain. But there is all the details. How short a time is the “same time”? How big a thing is a “thing”? And how big is an “effect”? There is an electrical wave that travels across your brain. Does that push a few things coming together to enough to cause a reaction? And how big is the reaction? Big enough to move a muscle (or two) to make you talk or run or blink?
This is more than I would usually take time to read so I will stop my two-finger typing with the thought of my mugging and the lymphatic system.

]]> Comment on Learn how to treat people with TBI by Twitter Trackbacks for Learn how to treat people with TBI « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury [lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com] on Topsy.com http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/learn-how-to-treat-people-with-tbi/#comment-45 Twitter Trackbacks for Learn how to treat people with TBI « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury [lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com] on Topsy.com Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:10:54 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=197#comment-45 [...] Learn how to treat people with TBI « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/learn-how-to-treat-people-with-tbi – view page – cached This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm and is filed under Being in a coma, God's Plan, Isolation from friends, Life with a TBI, Survival Techniques, Web 2.0, recovery,... (Read more)This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm and is filed under Being in a coma, God's Plan, Isolation from friends, Life with a TBI, Survival Techniques, Web 2.0, recovery, struggle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. (Read less) — From the page [...] [...] Learn how to treat people with TBI « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/learn-how-to-treat-people-with-tbi – view page – cached This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm and is filed under Being in a coma, God's Plan, Isolation from friends, Life with a TBI, Survival Techniques, Web 2.0, recovery,… (Read more)This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm and is filed under Being in a coma, God's Plan, Isolation from friends, Life with a TBI, Survival Techniques, Web 2.0, recovery, struggle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. (Read less) — From the page [...]

]]> Comment on Don’t Write Off People With Acquired Brain Damage! by onthemarkwriting http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/dont-write-off-people-with-acquired-brain-damage/#comment-43 onthemarkwriting Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:23:13 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=127#comment-43 Bob - As you may know, I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I've seen my fair share of them! If you truly have no family and no friends (You may be surprised that you have more than you know!), you should do whatever you can to get out of your current environment. Reach out to a local church, become active in a charity like Habitat for Humanity or a soup kitchen. Or take up a hobby. Flyfishing is a great challenge at all levels! I actually started flyfishing AFTER I began tying my own flies--which adds another aspect to the whole experience. And, of course, there are other options such as anti-depressants, which have worked well for me for years. However, you do have to spend time with a licensed psychiatrist to get the prescription. Is your isolation the result of a head-trauma? As flyfishers say, Tight Lines! Mark Bob – As you may know, I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I’ve seen my fair share of them!

If you truly have no family and no friends (You may be surprised that you have more than you know!), you should do whatever you can to get out of your current environment. Reach out to a local church, become active in a charity like Habitat for Humanity or a soup kitchen.

Or take up a hobby. Flyfishing is a great challenge at all levels! I actually started flyfishing AFTER I began tying my own flies–which adds another aspect to the whole experience.

And, of course, there are other options such as anti-depressants, which have worked well for me for years. However, you do have to spend time with a licensed psychiatrist to get the prescription.

Is your isolation the result of a head-trauma?

As flyfishers say, Tight Lines!

Mark

]]> Comment on Don’t Write Off People With Acquired Brain Damage! by Bob Larson http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/dont-write-off-people-with-acquired-brain-damage/#comment-42 Bob Larson Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:33:24 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=127#comment-42 What do you do when you have no friends and family anymore and you live all by yourself, and are very depressed? What do you do when you have no friends and family anymore and you live all by yourself, and are very depressed?

]]> Comment on That Fateful Night by Head Injured Does NOT Mean Idiot « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/that-fateful-night/#comment-41 Head Injured Does NOT Mean Idiot « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:23:47 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=18#comment-41 [...] is accustomed to, often they are written off as being below average or stupid. For some time after my brain trauma, I was unable to care for myself, and I grew accustomed to having everything done for me by my [...] [...] is accustomed to, often they are written off as being below average or stupid. For some time after my brain trauma, I was unable to care for myself, and I grew accustomed to having everything done for me by my [...]

]]> Comment on About the Author by onthemarkwriting http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/about-the-author/#comment-40 onthemarkwriting Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:41:12 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?page_id=11#comment-40 Jim - I'm glad that you can relate to the struggles I experience since my head injury. (Well, I didn't mean it the way it sounds.) I'm sorry that you and your wife have sustained brain trauma -- and that's exactly what it is -- You both are dealing with the injury. One reason I started writing this blog was to provide encouragement to other people who, like your wife, have sustained brain injury AND their families. I relate the stories, many of which I'm not proud, to let people know that their "survivor" is not the only person in the world who takes inappropriate actions. How is your wife doing? Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about her recovery or if you just need someone to talk to. Thanks for your comment, Mark Jim – I’m glad that you can relate to the struggles I experience since my head injury. (Well, I didn’t mean it the way it sounds.) I’m sorry that you and your wife have sustained brain trauma — and that’s exactly what it is — You both are dealing with the injury.

One reason I started writing this blog was to provide encouragement to other people who, like your wife, have sustained brain injury AND their families.

I relate the stories, many of which I’m not proud, to let people know that their “survivor” is not the only person in the world who takes inappropriate actions.

How is your wife doing? Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about her recovery or if you just need someone to talk to.

Thanks for your comment,

Mark

]]> Comment on About the Author by jim http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/about-the-author/#comment-39 jim Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:07:40 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?page_id=11#comment-39 Mark, Great site. My wife is recover from a brain injury received two years. We can relate to the struggles. Keep up the good work. Mark,

Great site. My wife is recover from a brain injury received two years. We can relate to the struggles. Keep up the good work.

]]> Comment on My Qualifications for Speaking with You by Why Brain Injury Makes Survivors Like Toddlers « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/my-qualifications-for-speaking-with-you/#comment-38 Why Brain Injury Makes Survivors Like Toddlers « Life After Traumatic Brain Injury Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:55:24 +0000 http://lifewithheadinjury.wordpress.com/?p=3#comment-38 [...] } I don’t remember anything about my “accident” or the four weeks of April 1989 that I spent in a coma. This, researchers say, is Posttraumatic Amnesia (PTA). PTA makes the head [...] [...] } I don’t remember anything about my “accident” or the four weeks of April 1989 that I spent in a coma. This, researchers say, is Posttraumatic Amnesia (PTA). PTA makes the head [...]

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