The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Workbook

[FireflyR7]

:D Hi everyone!! I highly recommend this book!! It was very helpful to myself and my family to fully understand all of this!! My sister found it for me at a book store for $20, it helped us so much!!
Over and over we have had new people ask for good literature and I feel that is a good one!! Has things to do in it... I have had several people ask this week. That is why I am posting it again. Many people who use to be on here a long time ago got one gave me all positive feedback. Even caretakers have read it to understand.
I just read the "new Brain anuerysm book" also. It was informational, but I was not impressed. I thought it could have been presented in a better way? That is just my opinion. I have done a lot of research and reading. Sometimes too much info. at once can be overwhelming!! That is why I recommend the work book, put in terms we can understand. ;) It also has things to do in it and all kinds of stuff.

:confused: Has anyone else got any other good books they have read????

I am very interested now in learninig about the brian. I am not afraid and it doesn't bother me. I have had to deal with just about everything being a firefighter!!!! I have had to study a lot about the whole body, I find it very interesting how our body works. It can go through some amazing things and come back strong!! Our natural will to live is amazingly strong!! :D We all have to keep our faith!! We are all survivors!!!

I hope you will think about getting this book!! It helps the family and freinds understand in Leymans terms!! (this is just my opinion, it helped us a lot!!)

Ask your Dr. if he can recommend one??? Always ask your Dr. any medical advice, we are not Dr.'s!

Thank you for listening to my opinion.

God bless you all!! I keep every one on this site in my prayers!! Love Tricia ;)

[mamakat]

Thxs Tricia,
I got on the internet and had 4 books sent to my house which arrived today. I am a nurse who works in a rehab hospital and we see alot of head injured patients and their family memebers. Even though I have been through coiling and stent placement for an unruptured giant annie, it's difficult for me to try and explain to the familes of the long haul it will take. I even down loaded the book TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SURVIVAL GUIDE, by Dr Glen Johnson, a Neuropsychologists. I'm planning on making copies to give to the family members so they can get more of an idea of what to expect.

It's so discouraging, when you explain these things and I don't think they're ready to grasp or even ready to understand these things. They want "Mom or Dad" to be able to leave the hospital and return to their pre-state injury. And we all know that's not going to happen. Then they take their anger out on us, because it's not happening as fast as they anticipated. It's understandable but its frustrating for us as well. So now, I'm becoming more active with getting information gathered so they can take it home and study it. I have given them "THE LETTER FROM YOUR BRAIN" at first. Something that just touches on what's in store. That letter was posted on this site and it helped me out tremendously!!! But some people are in denial and are not hearing whats being said. They do go thru the greiving process of "death and dying", because they just don't understand yet, that they've lost a part of their family member that they'll never get back, thus the anger, denial, fear, depression with the patient and so on.

So thank you very much and I know it will help, hopefully sooner than later so they can help the patient. Kat

[Nancy D]

Thanks for reminding me about the book. I had ordered it and it arrived in time for my discharge from the hospital. I started reading the book and worked one of the puzzles 4 days after surgery. All I could do was cry at how stupid I was! For the first two weeks after surgery I can honestly say I was the stupidest person I knew. This whole experience put me into a deep depression.

Maybe now would be a good time ( 5 months post-op) for me to get the book out again and see the improvements I made. I would not recommend this book immediately following surgery. I wish I had given myself time to heal before I gave it a try. I still get teary-eyed thinking about how I felt when I tried the first puzzle.

Nancy D.

[FireflyR7]

:p Thanks for your responces!! I didn't get the book for a while after my surgeries. Since I had a rupture, I had a difficult time getting started!! :p I felt stupid too!! But, the book is designed to get you through the obsticales and really helps regain your memory. I had days when I cried too and then as I realized I was doing better, it really help! ;) It use to take me days to finish a word circle puzzle right after my surgery, couldn't find words, would get upset, throw the book... :p But, my Dr. told me to do things to stimulate your brain right away. Word circle books, scrabble, typing... I also write poetry, "try" to draw & paint. I also play the "Nentindo Brain Memeory games...

I though the book was very helpful for the caretakers to read so they understand what we are really going through. It helps do it together sometimes!! My husband would do it with me a lot. I think it helped me deal with my emotions as I went along. :) That is just my experiance and opinion. But, like I said being a firefighter help me to be more prepared and less scared. I have always look at things this way: If we have a problem in life we have to face it and deal with it. We have to be prepared, knowledgable and strong to deal with whatever it is!! We have to face it head on and do what we have to do to get through it!! I look at this the same way!! It is mine and I have to deal with that!!! :eek: I would rather know everything than nothing! I hold on to my faith in God and pray that he takes care of us all!!

:cool: I know it is scary sometimes and esp. to the new people!!
I agree that it is prob. best for the family to read it first if the person is like me who had a rupture!! I don't even remember the first 6 months ??? :cool:

Each person & "Annie" is different!! Some are ready right away, some are not until they decide they are ready! ;) I think everyone should ask their Dr. if they have any suggestions for the starting off. Mine didn't have any suggestions at the time?? This is all still a new and amazing process that they are able to do the surgeries to save our lives!! They are still learning new and amazing things all the time!! :D I like to learn!! Even though I forget half of what I read still???

Kat, I am so sorry you got so depressed!! I know that many of us here have!! Some right away and others not until later?? I think it is "post traumatic stress"!!! I am still on Paxil after almost 2 years. We all go through so many emotions with this!! As well as our family & friends!! I have a long recovery from my rupture. I miss my old life but, I am getting use to my new one and go where God guides me!! I know that I need to do these things as part of my therapy & recovery, no matter how hard they are! I know I have to push myself to do things sometimes!! I have a good support group at home and that is so helpful!! This site has been so helpful over the last 2 years!! I will have to check out the survival guide out!! The letter from your brain is awesome!! I have so much stuff printed out, research... I have written so many Aneurysm poems... There does not seem to be much literature on long term survivors and outcomes... ??? Let me know if you find anything good about that.

Take care guys, thanks for your input and as always you are all in my prayers!! We are all survivors!! I know I am so happy to be here to share my experiances!!! I am so lucky to have my husband and my sister, God bless them!! Love Tricia

[tink]

Hi Tricia! Thanks for the info on that book. I am going to see if I can find it. It must have been very tough to be a firefighter??? I don't think I could do that. Are you back to work yet? I'm not, but I sure wish I were! If I hear of any other books on the brain, I will let you know. Take care.

Love,

Lori

[mamakat]

Tricia,

I think you misunderstood or I didn't make myself very clear, while I did go through a mild depression, what I was talking about was my patients and their family members, where I work. And while I was uncertain why I lived, I now believe, in my profession, I can get more involved with educating them on the recovery process. Case in point, with the help of your info about the book and downloading another book, I got more personal with the family and patient. I even gave them my own testimonial of my own experiences and what I had to live through, which is uncommon for me. Being a nurse, an unfortunate development with most of us is to become "numb" to the patient's circumstances, so I could do my job, to best of my ability and not get emotional, get close, get concern about the emotions of that patient. "Give me a patient with a hip replacement, knee replacement," something that doesn't involve the brain, because it was so very difficult for me to discuss with them and try and help, because of their circumstances they were unable to understand. Going through the different stages of healing. And now going through it myself, it's put a whole different spin on things. Brain trauma was so scary to me prior to my incident! But it made me more aware, much more aware!!!!! I remember, after my surgeries, I couldn't speak for a couple of days and I knew I couldn't speak, except to say, "Oh S**T ! My sons were so transparent, at my bedside with their fake smiles, and worry in their eyes. Then I found out afterwards that my youngest,Tim was scurying around the hospital, looking for Dr. Abruzzo, wanting to punch his lights out cause he wasn't told, I may not speak after the sugery. I knew it, because of the surgical permit. He had put so many things in there that could happen, he went down the side of the paper when he ran out of room. I remember starting to read it and it started with, infection and ended with death. I signed it quickly cause I really didn't want to know the rest of it and I was in so much pain, I didn't share it with my family members either. they weren't there at the time.

So at anyrate, thanks so much for the info. If I can help just 1 person, it's all worth it. I've got my answer why I had this happen to me and now I think I can help, especially with everyones help and support from this forum! Thanks too ALL!! Kat