Amol -- Congratulations on your progress! My husband had unexpected emergency brain surgery 8+ years ago. He was struggling with his short-term memory and like you, had issues with screens, reading.
I was talking to a close friend of ours at the time as how I was scared for him bc he knew what was going on but couldn't articulate things as well as normal. Like you, his mental health suffered.
Our friend said, "Maybe this is Hubs v2.0 and you have to rethink what that means."
That one comment helped reshape everything because he became much more empathetic (as did I) during his rehab.
It was horrible what he went through (had to relearn walking, talking, eating, etc as well) and we have annual brain scans.
But now we celebrate his "surgiversarry" annually as a testament to his recovery and perseverance.
Good on you for acknowledging the objective and subjective parts of your updated self!
PS - What helped my husband get over the cognitive hump he had was to listen to 15-20 minute podcasts on subjects he enjoyed. Then we discussed them. As an introvert, him going on screens at that time would have been awful.
Thanks so much Jill, appreciate the kind words! Sorry to hear about what your husband went through, but glad that he's doing better now and totally resonate with the 2.0 comment - need to accept the new normal and live accordingly.
Who knows what I had because doctors couldn't find anything wrong after running many tests but I was in what I thought to be a minor car accident and 2 days later everything I knew about my inner world started crumbling. I worked out everyday, read and practiced grueling multitasking activities and I couldn't do a thing but sit in a dark/quite room after that. I got headaches, stomach issues and my emotions were completely out of control. I couldn't exert myself physically with just about anything with being his with dizziness and nausea.
I hope this post finds all the people who need it because it basically what I came to after over a year of searching for answers. Constantly trying to go back to my old ways too quickly would always lead to extreme frustration and a terrible feeling that I would never heal. Your steps for outlining that gradual approach to stepping up activities is what worked for me. It just takes time and patience but you will get there if you have one of these approaches that encompass so much of your daily life. The stationary bike was a real breakthrough for slowly ramping up my heart rate again...
I never felt for people that had TBIs that weren't obvious and people suffering through depression. Going through this experience for over a year opened up my world to the reality so many face everyday. I always do my best to look out for people that are dealing with these issues now and encourage people to take their troubles seriously.
Man I totally resonate with this! It's so hard to know what's going on, and it's really difficult for friends and family to understand. The "inner world started crumbling" feeling is too real...
Glad to hear that a similar approach also worked for you, and agree people need to take it very seriously.
Yes, Khudos indeed !! The world needs more of these open heart stories.. Looking back on my long and often wild life, I have experienced quite a lot of physical and mental trauma. Horrible at the time, yet leading to self enlightenment in the long run.......
My philosophy for coping is "Every bad time is just another positive anecdote in the making"
I went through a traumatic event which changed my life , got PTSD 2 years ago. Still working through the impacts one by one
Sleep and circadian rhythm management was highest on my life
Vitamins helped
I would also suggest somatic therapy to handle headaches
Unfortunately despite all of these things above I continue to experience physical and mental trauma manifestations including short and long term retention and forming memories as well as cognitive abilities
Hi Mrinal, thanks for sharing, and sorry to hear about what you've gone through. This sort of stuff is really tough, and can really become all encompassing / make other things pale in comparison.
Hang in there, and remember - we can only take it one day at a time.
The post brought back memories of my TBI due to a blackout and fall in my kitchen during my first trimester of pregnancy. It healed in a few weeks but took with it my sense of smell, and left me with random bouts of vertigo. I couldn’t smell my baby’s head like I wanted to , the baby that I struggled to have for 12 years. But the TBI taught me to look at the positive silver linings of everything that happens in life and be eternally thankful for my daughter being safe. The ENT doctor I consulted at that time told me he has only seen this kind of a damage with really bad car accidents, so my daughter being safe is a miracle I recount everyday thankfully. Why did I fall ? The doctors couldn’t tell - no arythmia, no blood clots, no blood pressure irregularities. I will never know that and I will constantly be left wondering if I could have avoided it!
Kudos for sharing Amol and thank you for the great programme of supporting mechanisms. First few paragraphs of your post were spookily reminiscent of a stroke I had a few years ago after tearing an artery in my neck at the gym. Trauma like this can be a sign post to new opportunities and outlooks. Once I let go of the idea of getting back to where I was before, I found my way to a new and better normal, where I'm way more mindful and creative.
Amol, I'm so sorry to hear of what you went through. Glad to hear that you're now better, a new father and back to PMing! I myself suffered a bad enough bicycle crash in April that my helmet cracked. Fortunately (and knock on wood), I didn't have the level of TBI that you have altho' I had to go in for an emergency burr hole... In any case, your tips are invaluable, and I'll be following them.
Thank you very much for this post. It applies as well to chronic illness. It’s been less than a year that I got my MS diagnosis and it’s been a struggle. But as you have, I’ve also found breathing exercises, meditation and anti inflammatory diet has help a great deal! Now I need to create my meditation space at home!
Amol -- Congratulations on your progress! My husband had unexpected emergency brain surgery 8+ years ago. He was struggling with his short-term memory and like you, had issues with screens, reading.
I was talking to a close friend of ours at the time as how I was scared for him bc he knew what was going on but couldn't articulate things as well as normal. Like you, his mental health suffered.
Our friend said, "Maybe this is Hubs v2.0 and you have to rethink what that means."
That one comment helped reshape everything because he became much more empathetic (as did I) during his rehab.
It was horrible what he went through (had to relearn walking, talking, eating, etc as well) and we have annual brain scans.
But now we celebrate his "surgiversarry" annually as a testament to his recovery and perseverance.
Good on you for acknowledging the objective and subjective parts of your updated self!
PS - What helped my husband get over the cognitive hump he had was to listen to 15-20 minute podcasts on subjects he enjoyed. Then we discussed them. As an introvert, him going on screens at that time would have been awful.
Again, all the best!
Thanks so much Jill, appreciate the kind words! Sorry to hear about what your husband went through, but glad that he's doing better now and totally resonate with the 2.0 comment - need to accept the new normal and live accordingly.
Hubs is doing well (fortunately). Keep up taking care of yourself and asking for help. And congratulations on your engagement!
Outstanding article! Thank you for sharing Amol!
Thanks Tom!
Who knows what I had because doctors couldn't find anything wrong after running many tests but I was in what I thought to be a minor car accident and 2 days later everything I knew about my inner world started crumbling. I worked out everyday, read and practiced grueling multitasking activities and I couldn't do a thing but sit in a dark/quite room after that. I got headaches, stomach issues and my emotions were completely out of control. I couldn't exert myself physically with just about anything with being his with dizziness and nausea.
I hope this post finds all the people who need it because it basically what I came to after over a year of searching for answers. Constantly trying to go back to my old ways too quickly would always lead to extreme frustration and a terrible feeling that I would never heal. Your steps for outlining that gradual approach to stepping up activities is what worked for me. It just takes time and patience but you will get there if you have one of these approaches that encompass so much of your daily life. The stationary bike was a real breakthrough for slowly ramping up my heart rate again...
I never felt for people that had TBIs that weren't obvious and people suffering through depression. Going through this experience for over a year opened up my world to the reality so many face everyday. I always do my best to look out for people that are dealing with these issues now and encourage people to take their troubles seriously.
Thank you very much for the post and take care.
Man I totally resonate with this! It's so hard to know what's going on, and it's really difficult for friends and family to understand. The "inner world started crumbling" feeling is too real...
Glad to hear that a similar approach also worked for you, and agree people need to take it very seriously.
Yes, Khudos indeed !! The world needs more of these open heart stories.. Looking back on my long and often wild life, I have experienced quite a lot of physical and mental trauma. Horrible at the time, yet leading to self enlightenment in the long run.......
My philosophy for coping is "Every bad time is just another positive anecdote in the making"
Peace, Maurice's Substack.
PS, thanks Lenny and congrats to you and yours
Thanks so much Maurice!
Thanks for the detailed information
I went through a traumatic event which changed my life , got PTSD 2 years ago. Still working through the impacts one by one
Sleep and circadian rhythm management was highest on my life
Vitamins helped
I would also suggest somatic therapy to handle headaches
Unfortunately despite all of these things above I continue to experience physical and mental trauma manifestations including short and long term retention and forming memories as well as cognitive abilities
Hormonal cycles complicate it more for women
But kudos for forging ahead
More power to you
Regards
Mrinal
Hi Mrinal, thanks for sharing, and sorry to hear about what you've gone through. This sort of stuff is really tough, and can really become all encompassing / make other things pale in comparison.
Hang in there, and remember - we can only take it one day at a time.
Incredible article. Thanks for sharing and congrats on the recovery!
Thanks Gary!
This is excellent and incredibly useful to everyone. Thanks Amol and Lenny!
The post brought back memories of my TBI due to a blackout and fall in my kitchen during my first trimester of pregnancy. It healed in a few weeks but took with it my sense of smell, and left me with random bouts of vertigo. I couldn’t smell my baby’s head like I wanted to , the baby that I struggled to have for 12 years. But the TBI taught me to look at the positive silver linings of everything that happens in life and be eternally thankful for my daughter being safe. The ENT doctor I consulted at that time told me he has only seen this kind of a damage with really bad car accidents, so my daughter being safe is a miracle I recount everyday thankfully. Why did I fall ? The doctors couldn’t tell - no arythmia, no blood clots, no blood pressure irregularities. I will never know that and I will constantly be left wondering if I could have avoided it!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/life-after-my-tbi-janani-vasudevan?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via
Ouch sorry to hear, and glad that it didn't end up worse. I know that vertigo too well... Glad to hear about your perspective re silver lining!
Thanks for sharing Amol and reminding us what is important in life.
There were two TLAs (Three Letter Acroymns) I'm not familiar with:
"DNS" in "DNS–Break"
and
XFN
Could you clarify? Thanks
Thanks James!
DNS = Do not schedule
XFN = Cross functional
Kudos for sharing Amol and thank you for the great programme of supporting mechanisms. First few paragraphs of your post were spookily reminiscent of a stroke I had a few years ago after tearing an artery in my neck at the gym. Trauma like this can be a sign post to new opportunities and outlooks. Once I let go of the idea of getting back to where I was before, I found my way to a new and better normal, where I'm way more mindful and creative.
Damn that's wild.... Yeah agree - need to accept where you're at as the new normal, and slowly work up from there (versus fighting against reality).
Thanks Amol, great piece of read. I respect Peter Attia and a fan except sleep is probably more potent than exercise for me
Great article Amol, thanks for taking the time to share your story. Wishing you continued good health and positive vibes!
Amol, I'm so sorry to hear of what you went through. Glad to hear that you're now better, a new father and back to PMing! I myself suffered a bad enough bicycle crash in April that my helmet cracked. Fortunately (and knock on wood), I didn't have the level of TBI that you have altho' I had to go in for an emergency burr hole... In any case, your tips are invaluable, and I'll be following them.
Good on you and thanks for helping raise brain injury awareness as well. We need more people telling the stories.
Fantastic to read! I had a serious back injury and went through a lot of the same challenges.
It was clearly the lesson I needed to learn at the time and although each day is a challenge I wouldn't be without the clarity it brought.
Thank you very much for this post. It applies as well to chronic illness. It’s been less than a year that I got my MS diagnosis and it’s been a struggle. But as you have, I’ve also found breathing exercises, meditation and anti inflammatory diet has help a great deal! Now I need to create my meditation space at home!