After Severe TBI: Kevin Part Ten
To help assess his current functioning after severe TBI, Kevin was asked about his normal day. Each week-day includes attendance at Paragon Industries, a program designed to serve people with disabilities. See http://paragoncommunity.com/
A Typical Day for Kevin After Severe TBI
Do you get fatigued?
Sometimes.
Do you sleep well after severe TBI?
Oh yeah, I think I do. I go to bed, I got to turn in.
Let’s talk about your normal day for you after severe TBI. This isn’t a normal day because you came here.
Mm hmm.
But if it had been, what time of day do you get up in the morning?
About 6:30.
And what do you do in a typical day after severe TBI?
Take a shower, take a shower and all that, get dressed, wash my teeth and all that and then go to, go to wait for my ride to go up to Paragon and Fort Atkinson.
What time does your ride pick you up?
8:00 o’clock, between 8:00 o’clock and ten after 8:00.
You are at Paragon for how long?
Until 3:00 o’clock. Be there by, get there about quarter to 9:00 to, 8:30, quarter to 9:00 we get there.
What do you do when you’re at Paragon?
Put my gloves on, and then I take the trash out, the trash that each area I take the trash out for them. Then put, take the recycles out and put them in the bin, and I don’t know, it’s called obsession but sometimes if I see something in the garbage, if I see something that belongs in the recycling in the garbage I (put it where it belongs.)
So you’re a little OCD about making sure that the recyclables aren’t in the garbage?
Right. I mean I learned that since I was a kid I guess.
Is that OCD worse after severe TBI than it was before you got hurt?
I think so.
What else, what other things do you OCD on?
Got to make sure the area’s clean, or mopped and swept. It’s got to be perfect, perfect as it can be you know.
Is your role at Paragon partially work-related or are you just doing these things to help out, the chores?
Chores and kind of work-related, both of them. Like I call them chores, taking the garbage out and all that
All right, so you’re at Paragon until 3:00. What else do you do besides chores.
I brought in a 1,000-piece puzzle I like to put together, and this one I’m doing the James Dean one. And I, and I’m working on the computer and I listen to the news, like Leah Ford or Miranda Lambert or Taylor Swift, you know. John Mellencamp. Skid Row. While I’m doing that I put the puzzle together, try to put the puzzle together you know.
Then at 11:00 o’clock I turn on the Ed Shultz show on the radio then while I’m listening I do the puzzle and then I do my chores and all that at the same time but like 1:00 o’clock until 2:30 I do my afternoon chores, like I do the garbage, check every area, take the trash out for them and then the recycling stuff you know and then put the recyclables in one huge bag and put it in the recycling bin you know and then clean up the area, sweep it up along the wall you know and make sure it’s neat you know and all that.
What do you do on weekends now after severe TBI?
Kind of relax or pick up the apartment a little bit you know. Maybe go see a movie. Or since I moved back, or moved to Janesville I’m going to start working out again. Because I used to work out at a health club in Fort Atkinson. And actually after I got back from Paragon I’m going to work out.
What types of things do you do when you work out?
Like bench pressing, like curls. Work on upper body and then one day it’d the lower body and, and work on the absolutely.
Do you do any cardio?
Maybe on the cycle machine, but I want to start walking again now. Because I want to keep the heart strong.
Next in Part Eleven – Mood and Insight
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“Normal day” since my brain injury doesn’t exist. My massive sub arachnoid hemorrhage brain injury has left me with horrible sleep patterns. Even with the Rozerum at night, last night I could not fall asleep till well into 4am. I woke up at 7am this morning and won’t likely make it past noon without my first nap of the day. My social security attorney sees where I never volunteered more than four hours in a row. I told him that was a very long day. In retrospect, I worked 81 hours on a boat out on a river doing bridge column construction and loved every minute of it. Things have definitely changed since I hit my head….