TBI Voices

Recovery From Brain Injury: The ‘Not Quites” of Miracles and

Posted on February 10th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Recovery From Brain Injury: Zach Part One   This is the story of Zach Gauvin, author of the autobiographical book, the Miracle Kid.  But recovery from brain injury is not about “miracles” – it is about medicine, it is about rehabilitation, it is about the “not quites.” When I say “not quites”..
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Retrograde Amnesia from TBI: Confused Whereabouts

Posted on February 12th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Retrograde Amnesia from TBI: Zach Part Two  As there is almost always a period of retrograde amnesia from TBI that precedes a coma brain injury, one would by definition, expect someone who emerges from a coma, to be confused as to his or her whereabouts. But of course the confusion is..
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Amnesia After Severe Brain Injury Ends On Transfer To Rehab

Posted on February 13th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Amnesia After Severe Brain Injury: Zach Part Three  Zach believes that his amnesia after severe brain injury ends and he remembers the moment he awoke from his coma.  For a coma that is not drug induced, this would be highly unusual. However, to the degree his coma was induced, it is..
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Pre-Severe Brain Injury and Coma: A Baseball Star

Posted on February 14th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Pre-Severe Brain Injury: Zach Part Four  One of the things that makes Zach’s story compelling is the portrait of such a young and dynamic man pre-severe brain injury – baseball star, homecoming queen, party animal.  He had much to lose and came close to losing it all.  While I enjoyed the..
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Pre-brain Injury Teen: Social and Happy Teen

Posted on February 14th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Pre-brain Injury Teen: Zach Part Five   In part five we talked about what kind of life Zach had as a pre-brain injury teenager and the kind of activities he was involved with. We talked about sports in high school.  You were a good student in your pre-brain injury teen years?..
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Severe Weight Loss after TBI and Muscle Atrophy

Posted on February 18th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Severe Weight Loss after TBI : Zach Part Six In part six I discussed the physical problems that occurred such as severe weight loss after TBI along with muscle atrophy. From what you’ve told me, you had a brain pressure problem, probably a hematoma where you said the blood accumulation was...
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Brain Injury Rehab Different Type of Recovery for Star Athlete

Posted on February 19th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Brain Injury Rehab: Zach Part Seven All right, let’s talk about your period of brain injury rehab when you were at Spaulding.  What do you remember? Well I remember being confined to a wheelchair for almost a month. So I had no means of transportation beside the wheelchair.   That was, it..
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Physical Injury in Addition to Severe Brain Injury

Posted on February 20th, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Physical Injury in Addition to Severe Brain Injury: Zach Part Eight In addition to the brain injury, you had some physical injury?  A broken jaw? I had like I shattered my foot.   So when I was learning how to walk again, they didn’t want me to have to stay off..
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OT After TBI: Right Sided Focus on Left Hand

Posted on February 21st, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

 OT After TBI: Zach Part Nine  Zach also needed significant OT after TBI.  While the distinction between OT and PT can be blurred, the essential difference is that the occupational therapist takes the recovering muscles and body systems and focuses therapies on doing specific tasks, the occupation or application of those..
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Speech Pathology Included Therapy for Vocal Cord

Posted on February 22nd, 2013 · Posted in TBI Voices

Speech Pathology: Zach Part Ten Speech pathologists are some of the true trench warriors of brain injury recovery.  They not only deal with the language challenges that come after brain injury, but they must also address physical deficits that can come both from the primary brain injury, but also from other..
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