I’ve worked with brain-damaged kids in a summer camp environment, but I never knew the cause of the damage. I think a neighbor can be said to have TBI, though. He experienced a work-related accident that resulted in permanent damage to his brain and body. I didn’t know him before his accident, so I’m not aware of the differences, but I see some of the effects. His recovery has been great, and he leads a relatively normal life, but it’s not the life he had before.
Dang it! I wish I had thought to have him read the book and join this discussion. I hate ideas that show up late to the game.
Categories: Reading
Hi, remember me? I haven’t read the book and don’t imagine that I will manage to do so in the next few weeks. But it sounds great, and I do plan to follow the discussion. As a hospital-based occupational therapist, I had lots of experience with TBI. I currently have a student on my caseload who sustained a TBI while we were in the middle of testing for his three year re-evaluation! Seriously interesting before and after experience. The interesting thing with him, was that he initially seemed to have gotten off without any significant effects. His real manifestion of head injury symptoms began to evolve over a few months time. His memory and verbal processing are especially impacted.
The son of my best friend did have an operation in the most critical part of the brain when he was 13 3/4 years old. I was at the hospital with my friend every day. We had a lot to learn about all the techincal equipment surronded him, cooling suit like a spceman, tubs inside his brain an a lot of scary stuff. We had to understand the talk and the words, and how to deal with all the emotions. He died.
My father in law got a stroke at the age of 84. He was never ill or away from work ever. Because of his strenght he survived. We worked a lot together to teach him to see the right side of himself and his plate, and a lot of other things. He lived to be 88 years old. A few of close relatives did say goodby to him the evening he died.
It was a bit hard to read the book because of all I was able to recognise, accnowledge and remember. I think this book should be on a table in the rooms for the ones in waiting (us, not the patients)
In this time with training a person with brain damage I recognized my talent for communicating without a language, and I am glad for it, not happy, just glad.
I’ve recently become friends with a man (approx 40 years old) who suffered TBI. It was a simple fall for him–walking down the street he stumbled and fell, with the impact being on his head. He suffered a fractured skull and subdural hematoma and is quite lucky to be alive. That was in the spring. He’s doing quite well and is expecting the return to work soon. I’m also friends with his sister and her family, so I’ve gotten to hear stories about his recovery and his behaviors along the way. Fascinating.
Holy kangaroos! Clearly, TBI is more common than I knew. It makes sense, on one hand, since it can happen, as Shelly points out, while strolling down the street. On the other hand, as the author points out, it’s often not something we can SEE, so we’re not especially aware of it.
It turns out I know a couple more people who have had TBIs. If I think about it, I bet I’ll come up with more.
Yowzer!