For everything you ever wanted to know about Traumatic Brain Injury, check out www.Brainline.org
I love this website! Why? Because it's sooo well done.
Professional. Informative. Newsworthy.
It has four sections:
1. TBI Basics
2. For People with TBI
3. For Family and Friends
4. For Professionals
It includes links to personal stories (where you will find a link to "The Smile on My Forehead: Memoir of My Life With a Brain Injury". How cool is that?)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
My life is pretty sweet
I haven't blogged in a while. This is partially because I haven't had any "brain injury woes" on my mind lately, and partially because I have Facebook and email and my website and text and cellphone and blah blah blah technical overload. Who reads my blog anyway? I forget to check my friend's blogs, but I am ever so happy when I do because I love to keep updated on the latest excitement in everyone's life.
So, now what exciting thing can I blog about my own life. Well, let me tell you. You want exciting? Just wait. . .
Three weeks ago I had Deviated Septum Surgery (my nose was forever stuffed and I honestly haven't been able to breath well, like, EVER). Now don't go get all excited. That's not the exciting part. Dr. Tagge (best ENT in SLC) put me on a Penicillin antibiotic after the surgery to prevent infection.
"Are you allergic to any medication?" multiple nurses and doc asked me and of course I said no because I'm not. UNTIL NOW! Yes, that's right everyone. I had an allergic reaction and I broke out into a miserable case of Hives as a reaction to the Penicillin.
Raise your hand if you've ever experienced Hives. If your hand is in the air, then you understand me when I say that Hives are by far the WORST thing that has ever happened to me (since my 1994 car accident of course). It was as if my entire body broke out in pimples. My lips were scaly and swollen. I itched e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e (written like that for emphasis). I tried Benadryl but it didn't help one single bit. I called my ENT and he prescribed me Prednisone (a Steroid), and after nearly one week of misery, the hives were gone.
And then I got a serious, but plain old COLD after that. I'm blaming it 95% on the smog and inversion that hangs over the air in Salt Lake City (worst air quality in the country right now) and 5% on the fact that my newly cleared sinus didn't know what to do with the dirty air. But now I'm better. Completely. No sniffles. No Hives. No sore throat.
Which is why I titled this post "My life is pretty sweet." Sometimes it's not until you hit rock bottom that you realize how good things are. I'm healthy. Strong. Happy. And fresh air is only a 20 minute drive up the canyon from me.
So, now what exciting thing can I blog about my own life. Well, let me tell you. You want exciting? Just wait. . .
Three weeks ago I had Deviated Septum Surgery (my nose was forever stuffed and I honestly haven't been able to breath well, like, EVER). Now don't go get all excited. That's not the exciting part. Dr. Tagge (best ENT in SLC) put me on a Penicillin antibiotic after the surgery to prevent infection.
"Are you allergic to any medication?" multiple nurses and doc asked me and of course I said no because I'm not. UNTIL NOW! Yes, that's right everyone. I had an allergic reaction and I broke out into a miserable case of Hives as a reaction to the Penicillin.
Raise your hand if you've ever experienced Hives. If your hand is in the air, then you understand me when I say that Hives are by far the WORST thing that has ever happened to me (since my 1994 car accident of course). It was as if my entire body broke out in pimples. My lips were scaly and swollen. I itched e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e (written like that for emphasis). I tried Benadryl but it didn't help one single bit. I called my ENT and he prescribed me Prednisone (a Steroid), and after nearly one week of misery, the hives were gone.
And then I got a serious, but plain old COLD after that. I'm blaming it 95% on the smog and inversion that hangs over the air in Salt Lake City (worst air quality in the country right now) and 5% on the fact that my newly cleared sinus didn't know what to do with the dirty air. But now I'm better. Completely. No sniffles. No Hives. No sore throat.
Which is why I titled this post "My life is pretty sweet." Sometimes it's not until you hit rock bottom that you realize how good things are. I'm healthy. Strong. Happy. And fresh air is only a 20 minute drive up the canyon from me.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Dear Universe:
My thoughts and prayers are with Olympic hopeful and top-ranked snowboarding pro Kevin Pearce who sustained a severe Traumatic Brain Injury while completing a twisting back flip. He landed on his head. Ouch. Well, he probably didn't feel it anyway. He is still in critical yet stable condition. The whole twisting back flip thing on a board baffles me (as I refuse to even try snowboarding because just landing on my bum can trigger brain injury flashback, but then landing on your head?) Oh Lord. This man has a long road of recovery ahead of him. I feel his pain for the next decade. Oh Kevin.
I'd never even heard the term "Traumatic Brain Injury" before I got one myself. Now, it seems every place I turn, someone is affected by TBI.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A parable that improved my perspective
Shake It Off and Step Up!
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The water wasn't very deep, so the mule could stand on the bottom. The farmer heard the mule "braying" - or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened . . . and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up!
This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up. . . shake it off and step up . . shake it off and step up," the old mule repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up. It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well .
What seemed like it would bury him, actually helped him all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
That's life.
If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity . . . the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the very real potential to benefit and bless us.
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The water wasn't very deep, so the mule could stand on the bottom. The farmer heard the mule "braying" - or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened . . . and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up!
This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up. . . shake it off and step up . . shake it off and step up," the old mule repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up. It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of the well .
What seemed like it would bury him, actually helped him all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
That's life.
If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity . . . the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the very real potential to benefit and bless us.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Did you know?
Every 15 seconds someone in the United States suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Of the 1,000,000 people treated in hospital emergency rooms each year, 50,000 die and 80,000 become permanently disabled because of TBI.
When I hear statistics like this, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I was not one of those 50,000 who died from TBI, and wonder why people aren't required to wear helmets in ALL sports and when driving more than 10 miles at one time.
Of the 1,000,000 people treated in hospital emergency rooms each year, 50,000 die and 80,000 become permanently disabled because of TBI.
When I hear statistics like this, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I was not one of those 50,000 who died from TBI, and wonder why people aren't required to wear helmets in ALL sports and when driving more than 10 miles at one time.
Friday, November 20, 2009
I'm on a marketing rage
Marketing my book is more fun to me than was writing it. Maybe I should have picked marketing or PR as my college major?
I'm up really late tonight, I mean late since I already took a sleeping pill and I'm fighting my "need" to crawl in my bed, because I just sent my press release to two different people. One may have a connection with the Minneapolis Star Tribune Newspaper, and next week I have to call the AP office to find out who specifically I should send my information to at the Associated Press. This publishing thing is an entirely new world.
I learned, however, that most newspapers or magazine have a policy against writing a book review about a self-published book. Understandable but still dumb. So You have to find someone to write a feature story about you, and then mention your book at the end. I think this is how it works, but I'm learning as I go.
Anyone have any connections at any paper? Hey, I wonder if I should send my press release to a newspaper in Nebraska!
I'm up really late tonight, I mean late since I already took a sleeping pill and I'm fighting my "need" to crawl in my bed, because I just sent my press release to two different people. One may have a connection with the Minneapolis Star Tribune Newspaper, and next week I have to call the AP office to find out who specifically I should send my information to at the Associated Press. This publishing thing is an entirely new world.
I learned, however, that most newspapers or magazine have a policy against writing a book review about a self-published book. Understandable but still dumb. So You have to find someone to write a feature story about you, and then mention your book at the end. I think this is how it works, but I'm learning as I go.
Anyone have any connections at any paper? Hey, I wonder if I should send my press release to a newspaper in Nebraska!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Bad Brain Bleed
The other day I got a silly paper cut on my finger. It oozed blood a little, and just for a second, because I grabbed a paper towel to wipe the blood away. This got me thinking. My poor brain bled after my injury with no place to go, so it just swelled. The most damage happened from this swelling. I feel so lucky that I got medical attention quickly because if the swelling went on any longer...well, we won't go there.
(I hope I explained this correctly. It makes sense in my mind). Read the below link for a better explanation:
http://brainline.org/content/2009/11/ask-the-expert-what-happens-when-a-brain-bleeds.html
(I hope I explained this correctly. It makes sense in my mind). Read the below link for a better explanation:
http://brainline.org/content/2009/11/ask-the-expert-what-happens-when-a-brain-bleeds.html
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