Articles
TBI Survivor's Story #36
Category: TBI Survivor's Stories Written by Survivor
Summary - the cause - the injury - today's quality of life?
Me and a couple of my boys didn't have anything better to do so we decided to steal two cars and go joy riding in the neighborhood. I lost control of the wheel and ran smack dead into a utility pole. At least this is what I've been told. I really can't remember anything that happened that day at all.
Please share your experience at the time you became aware of the injury?
I woke up in the hospital a few moths later. Everyone kept telling me that I had been in a terrible accident. I couldn't understand what they were saying because my brain wasn't allowing me to register what had actually happened to me.
Tell about the experience immediately after the injury. Surgery? Coma?
From what I was told I had to be medivacced to the hospital. I was having multiple seizures. I ended up going into a coma shortly thereafter
Tell us about the hospital stay after the survivor was no longer in a coma
I was in a coma for about two months. I was in vegetated state for about another month. I wsn't able to talk, walk, or move any my body parts except my right arm ( slightly).
Tell us about the time in rehabilitation?
I was in rehab at the children's hospital for inpatient and out patient services after I was discharged.
Tell us about coming home!
when I got home I was very hard to deal with. I cussed everyone all the time. I got into fights with everyone. I didn't know how to be sociable. I was easily annoyed.
"Please type some single words that describe how TBI has touched your life. For example: Frightened, confused, sad, etc. Enter as many or as few words as you like. Separate each word with a comma"
angry, denial, sad, bitter, hostile, confused, resentful, frightened, violent, and paranoid.
Tell us about life today?
my family says I'm a lot better. I don't fight as much. I move around a lot more. I don't use a wheel chair any more but I do still lose my balance sometimes. I still don't have much of a social life but I hope to get well enough to meet people that are tolerant of my disability.
What do you want to tell others going through the same process? Treatments, understandings and actions that made a difference?
it's a very long process but you can't give up. try not to chase away the people that are in your life that want to help. living with a brain injury is hard for people on both sides of the fence, the survivor and the survivor's loved ones. get as much help as you. my life isn't the same but it could be much worse. I have to remind myself of that everyday. as a matter of fact; my mother reminds me of that everyday. she has been a good support system.
