Sign in

or Register now

ChronicPainConnection.com

See all of our health sites at www.HealthCentral.com
Thursday, November, 26, 2009
  • Font size

Reply to an Answer

In response to:
I'm sorry to hear of your son's brain injury. Please know that many people with brain injuries, due to various reasons such as tumors, bleeds, impacts, car accidents, etc., are often times chronically fatigued, and usually have various complications after healing.  All depends on how bad and where and what brain connections were altered.   I personally had a beniegn (sp?) brain tumor removed several years ago in the temporal region of the brain.  So I have some immediate memory problems; such as multi-tasking, slight aphasia, insomia, fatigue, anxiety, emotional lability and prone to depressive episodes.  However, I'm lucky to have a supportive family.  This was not an easy process. I was initially very irritable, short tempered, prone to a few rages now and then and basically not a very pleasant person to live with for a couple of years after my surgery.  But, with some medications and counseling for anxiety, depression, learning life changes and slowing down some and an on-going thyroid condition, I got better.  I do have to admit however, that I had to work very hard with my psychiatrist on my medications.  It is a very slow process, as they do not make med changes but one at a time to eliminate nasty side-effects that can occur or which drug is ineffective.  Everyone is different.   I do know for sure that you're both probably driving each other nuts, because both sides of this fence is just as difficult for each of you in different ways.  Life isn't always fair and we sometimes become resentful, unappreciative and angry, to name a few familiar feelings.  Best thing to do is support each other thru your doctors, group meetings, reading about the injury and seeking outside support/help when needed thru friends, family, clergy, social services, etc.   By educating yourselves (patient and caretaker) about what part of the brain was affected and thus learning how to cope or manage/understand a task/behavior in a different way that is more successful can be very helpful (read about DBT classes, everyone could benefit!).  Your lives have changed.  Grieving and accepting your life changes will take time and lots of work, but it's well worth it!  The patient and the caretaker are both key to this process.    Awareness on the patients part of their undesireable behaviors (hopefully pointed out gently or perhaps by a professional) will help enable them to better control themselves appropriately if they still have the mental capability thru classes or counceling.  Contact social workers or councelors specializing in Tramatic Brain Injuries (TBI's), which includes all types of injuries to the brain.   Sorry if some of this was redundant, but it took me long enough to get this far this good, so hope it helped you a little.  Good luck and be sure to take care of yourself too!
Subject:
Comment:
Note: This Display Name will be publicly visible on your SharePosts, your profile on this site, and the rest of the Internet. To maintain your anonymity do not include personally identifiable information (such as your name or email address) in your Display Name, SharePosts, or any other public postings on our site.