All posts in 'TBI Voices'

Recovery from Severe Brain Injury Is Ongoing : TJ Part Nineteen The textbooks say – the doctors are taught – brain injury recovery happens primarily in the first year and is largely over by the end of the second.  Our stories paint a much brighter picture of continuing recovery with..
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Few Words After TBI: TJ Part Eighteen While talking with Michelle, TJ’s step-mom, we delved into the issue of TJ being a man of few words after TBI. She states he is very direct with answers and doesn’t use a lot of words. I probed further on the literacy issue in my..
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Brain Injury Communication: TJ Part Seventeen For TJ’s parents, it is the neurobehavioral extremes that have been the biggest challenge.  TJ doesn’t share that insight.  For him it is a concrete problem of frustration stemming from brain injury communication failures. Do you have problems with depression?  No. So you never get sad?..
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Higher Functioning After Severe Brain Injury: TJ Part Sixteen TJ has been fortunate to be in an environment, in a family, a community, a support group that gives him not just support, but challenges that give him a focus, motivation,higher functioning after severe brain injury and out of the house. His medical..
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Biking after Brain Injury: TJ Part Fifteen One of the activities that TJ does on an almost daily basis is ride his bike. Biking after brain injury along with going to the gym is an his exercise and his way of staying in shape. Tell me more about your normal day?..
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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..
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Neurobehavioral Extremes: TJ Part Thirteen I this part we start out talking to TJ’s step-mom about his neurobehavioral extremes.  Michelle, TJ’s step-mom, explained that screaming fits, an example of a  neurobehavioral extremes, can be set off by something as innocuous as a “good morning.” Talk to me more about the neurobehavioral extremes problem. Well,..
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Recollections of Severe Brain Injury Therapy: TJ Part Twelve In part twelve I talked to TJ about his therapy that he received at Spalding (the outpatient/inpatient rehabilitation center he was a patient at.  This part is mostly just about his recollections of severe brain injury therapy.  He received physical therapy, occupational therapy..
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Memory of Time In TBI Rehab: TJ Part Eleven TJ and I talked about his memory of time in TBI Rehab in which he says he has very little of. His memory returns toward the end of his time there. He does have some memory of coming home but not a clear..
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Severe Behavioral Problems In TBI Rehab: TJ Part Ten As Michelle said earlier, they were unprepared for how challenging TJ’s neurobehavior was going to be. TJ had severe behavioral problems in TBI Rehab. When he was at Spaulding did he have any insight as to why he was there? Oh, he had..
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