The past 5 years of my life before my brain injury had been amazing – I met “my people”, I travelled extensively with my husband and loved my job. I ran marathons and hiked daily, and lived a really active lifestyle.
Since I was so active, the story of how I acquired my brain injury is not one that you would expect. In October 2019, I was cleaning my house and hit the top of my head on a built-in safe in my wall. In fact, my head narrowly missed a nail that was jutting out from it’s base, so I’m grateful to be alive.
I immediately knew that something was wrong, but since I had a concussion in the past, I thought that I would feel better in a few days. I was used to pushing myself to accomplish the things in my life that I wanted to, so I thought I could push myself through this too. I was wrong. Although I took a leave from work and other activities, the symptoms just kept getting worse with time – I couldn’t sleep, I had awful migraines, no appetite, high anxiety and started to feel really dizzy, like my head was disconnected from my body. It got to the point that I couldn’t walk without stability or for more than a few minutes without feeling completely exhausted. That is when I decided to seek help from a concussion specialist.
The concussion specialist I saw was really patient and knowledgeable. He referred me to many other specialists – a vestibular therapist, a sports psychologist, acupuncture, osteopathy, and a naturopath who all greatly aided in my recovery. I went to appointments almost daily and did rehabilitative vestibular therapy multiple times a day. 5 months into my rehabilitation, the world shut down due to Covid-19, and I was unable to continue many of my treatments for the time being. I remember being so scared that I would never recover, and get back to my life again at that point.
All in all, it took me almost a year to start to function like I used to prior to the brain injury. A few months after I returned to my daily life I got pregnant and had my child in June of the following year. Six months after giving birth, my symptoms all came back and with a vengeance. So, I had to do the journey all over again, with a six month old child. Thank God I have the most amazing partner who took on almost all of the duties of being a new mother for me since I couldn’t. Honestly, I felt robbed of many firsts with my child due to PCS – his first words, his first steps and just enjoying his first year of life. The second time, It took 8 months of daily treatment to recover. I’m still not as quick witted as I once was, and carry the trauma of the injury and recovery within myself. However, every day, I let a little of the trauma go by showing myself that I am just as capable as I was before, and that the experience shaped me to be more grateful for the life and people in my life. I’ve become a more compassionate, kind and caring human being to those with invisible disabilities as a result of having one myself.
The main things that have helped me throughout my recovery are the support of my family and friends who never gave up even when things became difficult. The ones that stood by me meant the world to me and still do. Friends who stopped by for short visits to give me a little brightness in my day, friends who dropped meals off and friends who called frequently to check in helped me to get through it all. Also, there are so many healthcare professionals who went out of their way to help me and encourage me when I couldn’t see the end of the tunnel. My family doctor was so patient with me, and every time we tried a new antidepressant, and I convulsed (we found out that I was allergic to them) she did her due diligence to give me the best treatments available. My naturopath gave me infusions of extra vitamins and glutathione, and got me the best meal replacement shakes that I could keep down. My functional chiropractor took lots of time with me and assessed me frequently to ensure that the vestibular treatments were targeting the proper areas of my brain and vestibular system to maximize recovery. My acupuncturist did her best to help calm my nerves and my body when my brain couldn’t. Also, other people who had sustained brain injuries helped me out by encouraging me, sharing their stories with me and checking in on me frequently to see how I was doing. That made a world of difference.
The things that I would tell myself after I got my brain injury are:
- Trust the professionals
- You’re in good hands who want to help.
- Ask for help when you need it. Don’t be afraid
- People need other people.
- Have faith that everything happens for a purpose.
- Rest! It’s hard to shut off your brain, but it’s so necessary!
People who have sustained a brain injury are going through a very different set of circumstances than you. They are constantly comparing themselves to who they used to be, and trying their best to get back to normal, whatever that will be for them. Be so patient and careful with them. Listen to what they have to say, and don’t discredit their experience or their emotions related to it. Try not to judge what they are going though. The best thing you can do is offer a helping hand, and grab their hand even when they’re too weak to ask for it.
A takeaway that I would like anyone reading this story to have is that although your life may look different after having a brain injury, you can rebuild your life to be something amazing again. It’s going to take work, but you’ll be so grateful for it once you’ve gotten there. Have hope and push through your fears. You’ll never know how strong you are until you try. Having strength is essential to your survival. You will get there in your own way and in your own time. And one day, you’ll look back at all of this and be grateful for it and the things it showed you about yourself, your capabilities and about the relentless love of the people in your corner.
