Hello everyone. I was stunned to see the similarities in other survivor's symptoms to my own. I had emergency brain surgery in 2006 at 34 years old. 3 days of headaches, and 1 whopper of a 'migraine' (for the 1st time) landed my in the ER. Last thing I remember is kicking the walls yelling "someone help me!". I woke up with a bandage on my head and a nurse asking me if I knew my name and where I was. I remember responding very slowly. Like I knew the answers, but couldn't get them out fast enough. Like everything had slowed down. I recognized my wife and others, but everything was 'compressed'. When I left the hospital a week and a half later, my wife drove me home. When I got out of the car beside our house, I couldn't see or find the house. I had lost all sense of direction, and I had tunnel vision. This was so frustrating. My employer and friend (I was a carpenter) actually got me back to work in a month. He started me off slow doing some odd jobs. I remember driving (it's in the country) 4 miles down the road to a place I should've know how to get to, and having to pull over and phone him for directions. I was so messed up. And I was working alone mostly, which was not a good place for me. I would phone my wife at break almost weeping. I didn't even know what was wrong. I just felt like crap. In hindsight, it's probably good that I was pushed to do something, because the 1 year-return to work policy for a brain injury may not have been good in my case. Anyhow, time went on, and I got used to my tunnel vision, and shoulder-checking a whole lot. I most definitely should not have been driving, and deferred to my wife whenever the option came up. I stabilized eventually emotionally and physically.
12 years later, I've taken a 2 year massage therapy course to change my career path. I've been exposed to some amazing teaching about neurology, and was able to look at and understand the surgeon's report. It blows my mind to think of what they had to do to save my life. I recently registered as a case-subject for a functional neurology course at a local osteopathic college. The doctor assessed me, and turned to me with empathy at the end and said to the class "Does anyone know what it's like to go through life with tunnel vision? To not be able to have the security of knowing when something is coming at you from the side?" He validated me. It blew me away. He had done a lateral vision test on me, which I performed dismally on. I realized how crippled I've been for 12 years. But I have managed to develop new neural pathways and function well. And this neurologist I mentioned said that there is hope for me getting some more function back. I wish I'd known about this sooner! Anyhow, just thought I'd put this out there, and see if there's anyone else struggling through with similar issues.
12 years later, I've taken a 2 year massage therapy course to change my career path. I've been exposed to some amazing teaching about neurology, and was able to look at and understand the surgeon's report. It blows my mind to think of what they had to do to save my life. I recently registered as a case-subject for a functional neurology course at a local osteopathic college. The doctor assessed me, and turned to me with empathy at the end and said to the class "Does anyone know what it's like to go through life with tunnel vision? To not be able to have the security of knowing when something is coming at you from the side?" He validated me. It blew me away. He had done a lateral vision test on me, which I performed dismally on. I realized how crippled I've been for 12 years. But I have managed to develop new neural pathways and function well. And this neurologist I mentioned said that there is hope for me getting some more function back. I wish I'd known about this sooner! Anyhow, just thought I'd put this out there, and see if there's anyone else struggling through with similar issues.
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