Posted on January 2, 2012 · Posted in TBI Voices
This entry is part 14 of 24 in the series TJ

Daily Routine after Brain Injury: TJ Part Fourteen

In part fourteen I discussed with TJ some of the issues he has with daily routine after brain injury. His sleeping issues can interfere with his daily routine after brain injury and we talk about the troubles he has with this and some of the solutions.

Do you have problems with sleeping?

Yeah, very much so.  I can’t seem to sleep from the crash.

So tell me about a typical 24-hour cycle (his daily routine after brain injury) .  What time do you go to bed?

About, because my doctor killed my insomnia I go to bed early now.  I used to be up to about 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning and get up like 8:00 and now I’m going to bed at about 12:00 and getting up at about like 6:00.

So you’re only in bed six hours?

Yes.

Do you get up and down and up and down during the night?

No.

TJ explained that he has been tested for 24 hours and he doesn’t get deep sleep.

When it’s 6:00 in the morning and you wake up, what do you do then?

I get breakfast, take my  medication and lay back down for a little bit.

Do you make your own breakfast?

Yes

What do you make for breakfast?

Protein and oatmeal.

And you say you take a nap?

Not a nap, I just lay back down.  For a half hour.

So it is about 8:00 in the morning when you get back up again?

Around like that, yeah.

And then what do you do with yourself?

Go for a bike ride and go hang out with a friend of mine, Matt, that lives around the corner.

Make your own lunch?

Yes.

What do you typically have for lunch?

Tuna.

What do you do in the afternoons?

Basically my time involves riding a bike a lot.  I ride it a lot.

And then you have dinner with your family?

No, I make my own dinner.

What do you do after dinner before you go to bed?

Go to the gym.

How long are you at the gym?

At least two hours.

Come home, watch a little television?

Come home, shower, and get ready for bed. Watch a little TV and then just …

Next in Part  Fifteen  – Biking Exercise Focus of Life After TBI

By Attorney Gordon Johnson

800-992-9447

About the Author

Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.
Past Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447