My latest TBI (traumatic brain injury) was the result of a truck failing to yield on my bicycle commute to work on October 2021 morning, ironically upon a quiet suburban street. I remember nothing of the collision, only gaining consciousness in the ER five hours afterwards. Six weeks later I was back in the ER suffering from a large subdural hematoma for life saving neurosurgery. The small bleed the scan identified the day of the accident either continued to slow bleed or something caused it to rebleed?
It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back after a lifetime of (serious) head injuries (requiring hospitalization). One as a child, one as a teenager and three as a cycling adult (struck twice by vehicles and one crash upon train tracks).
Cycling is now over for me upon advice from my neurosurgeon and family. At sixty one years of age I fear for my cognitive future as I age so avoiding any further brain injury is paramount to my wellbeing.
What are some things that have helped you throughout your recovery journey?
Educate yourself. Lifestyle changes. Dietary choices. Accept your boundaries. And reading. It took me two years after the 2021 accident to comfortably and confidently read multiple pages of text but I believe it repaired and retrained my damaged brain. Now I am a voracious reader. Exercise the body and brain.
If you could go back to when you first acquired your brain injury and tell yourself one thing, what would that be?
Bike helmets work. Do they prevent injury…no. Do they prevent more serious injury….yes. I confidently know that had I not worn helmets in 2005, 2011 and 2021 that I doubt I would be posting this commentary.
What would you like people who don’t have a brain injury to know?
Patience. Be patient with TBI survivors. We forget things, simple things like names, places and numbers. We get frustrated, sometimes cranky and irritable. We have good days and bad days.
