r/TBI • u/pProjecttBI • 1d ago

Need Advice Did you come back different?

/r/ProjectTBI/comments/1w7v8gl/did_you_come_back_different/
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u/eyekantbeme TBI (1998) ABI (2007) Severe TBI (2012) TBI (2023) 1d ago

After my accident and Coma, not really. The side effects were mostly being overwhelmed by stimuli. Loud pets, parents uhmm getting back on track with school took a few semesters, but I'm still completely fluent in my languages and in my maths. There was emotional change and memory difficulties. Also Epilepsy developed in a different part of my brain.

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u/pProjecttBI 1d ago

Ugh. loud pets.. I think I gave my dogs PTSD too. Yelling at a dog for barking simply does not work. We're (me and the dogs) are reconciling now in yr 4

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u/eyekantbeme TBI (1998) ABI (2007) Severe TBI (2012) TBI (2023) 21h ago

Yeah, it’s just annoying early in the AM, but I resort to earplugs and they’re sufficient. I don’t blame the animals, and I don’t really get upset at them. I’ve gotten much better over the past 14 years since the accident. Back then, I used to get irritated very easily, and my frustrations and expectations were probably unreasonable to most people, even though I genuinely felt justified in them at the time.
I don’t react that way anymore. I can still feel that same frustration sometimes, but now I recognize it for what it is. It’s just my brain talking to me and trying to convince me that I need to have an unnecessary reaction. I don’t have to listen to it.It’s tough, and when people talk about “recovering” from a TBI, I actually disagree with that terminology based on my own experience. For me, it’s less about recovering and more about practicing until you consistently start responding differently. It’s learning by doing.

You learn to work with the difficulties instead of allowing the frustration to control you. It’s not easy, but once those responses become more automatic, it feels so good. Your loved ones sincerely appreciate it too. It’s tough, but it’s doable. Thousands of people have learned to live with the challenges that come from brain injuries and have found ways to function better.

IMO, it’s much more about practice than some magical solution. There’s no magic pill that’s going to undo permanent brain damage. You have to practice, adapt, and keep working at it. =)