Seeming Normal After TBI: Jeremiah Part Fifteen
Most people without first hand experience with survivors of brain injury expect them to appear profoundly impaired. Thus, when such people are around TBI survivors who appear seeming normal after TBI, they often think there has been a complete recovery. There is some benefit to not appearing disabled and seeming normal after TBI, but there are some problems with it as well. I asked Jeremiah to talk to me about seeming normal after TBI:
Oh yes there is the plus of, is just what I just said, people say, you know, and my doctor stresses this. Here is a person, we’ll give him a contract because he looks okay and we’ll tell him you don’t have nothing wrong with you, so here’s a contract, you meet these goals and we’ll, we’ll give you these benefits or .
But on the downside of seeming normal after TBI:
General instances are for a disabled person in general. Somebody doesn’t open the door for you. You’re expected to walk out to the car and get something out of it because you forgot it out there and, you know, I mean anybody can tell you, so you can’t really hold against people because they don’t know. And even if they know, like see, my wife will tell me to do many things that push me, and even still very difficult things she’ll have me, want me to do.
What’s a very difficult thing about seeming normal after TBI ?
Well like, well last night, for instance, can you get this bag of mine that I just got at the, at the store, out of the car for me, because I’d like to have it to look at, whatever. You don’t need it necessarily, but can you go get it?
I had the most difficult day already, because we’re doing remodeling, having our house remodeled, so I have to go to the store and gets parts for these people and I have to do physical activity myself which is very difficult, because when I need to do anything it is not natural anymore and takes, but so it tires me out, so I’m very tired and then she asks me to go get this out of the car for her, and I’m like, you know, well don’t roll your eyes.
But I roll my eyes anyway, and so then I go out and get it. I get out there and she’s got the darn car locked up. So then I had to come all the way back in the house again and, and go back out to the car again and get the stuff. So like that’s, that’s very minimal thing, so I’m not sure if I should even have brought that up.
It is a good example though, the, the frustration of having gone through all that effort and then having the car locked.
Yeah but see, that’s my own frustration, and it’s my own frustration because I do have difficulty walking and, and such. But like I say, for one you love so much you do.
Next in Part Sixteen – the Neural Exercise of Music
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