4yrs; Day 1662 – PT/OT
Hi Everyone,
The spring season is testing Corey’s new migraine medication. She’s been a trooper but if anyone would like a true Accu-weather forecast, feel free to call and speak with her; she’s spot on!
PT/OT therapies are Monday and Thursday’s. As we drove up to the rehab, Corey asked “I wonder what I can do today to impress Natalie”? I had to laugh out loud. Is this the same woman that used to scream and throw her sneaker at me while driving in order to NOT go to therapy? Well, she accomplished her task. We are using a Patella stabilizer on her left knee. Corey balanced her weight on her right leg as she stepped forward, back and to the side with her left foot. Why is this impressive? She was not holding onto the grab bar…another first.
Today was her day off, (technically), we stretched, lifted weights, rode her bike for 15 minutes and wanted to finish her workout with AB work and squats. For those of you wondering, Corey is a tough trainer. She’s keeping me in shape as she regains her strength. I still can’t figure out when our coaching roles switched?
We’re looking forward to the next several days without rain. The weather plays a big part in her headaches and affects her sleep cycles. Thank goodness the sun will be back, xoxo
4yrs; 6 months – Corey update
Hi Everyone,
We did not mean to go into hibernation the last 3 weeks nor have we been sitting around eating bonbon’s.
On a personal note; I was very sick with what I thought was the flu. Turns out it was a severe kidney infection and dehydration. I had a fever for 8 days and it took me another week to get my strength and stamina back. Thank goodness for Caitlin and her availability since graduation. She drove Corey to/from doctor appointments, therapies and managed the household duties including nursing me. I also want to thank Jackie and my local girlfriends for helping out too. It took a village to take care of me!
Corey’s update: We have many positives to report.
1. Headache specialist – We waited 6 months but finally met a Headache specialist in Virginia. Dr. Jessica gave her a thorough exam. Corey’s headaches are a result of her injury however, they are also coupled with the fluctuation in barometric pressure sensed by the VP shunt. There is not much we can do to help her. The switch in one of her medications has helped alleviate the frequency of the severe migraines because it’s a broad spectrum formula that is also used for chronic pain. Corey’s daily headaches have remained at her baseline of 4 out of 10. We will be weaning one of her nightly meds and adding an ‘as needed’ migraine medication for the extreme headaches that still occur with the change in weather. As usual, we need to monitor her for seizures as we make the changes. The cocktail mix continues to be a delicate and critical balance.
2. Orthopedic specialist – Dr. R was pleased to see Corey walk into his office with her forearm cane but is not thrilled her left foot is not advancing as he hoped it would in the last year. He added orthotics to her left brace and right sneaker. The insert is not typically put in a brace but ‘typical Corey’, she’s surprised the therapists and doctors that it can in fact improve foot pain when inserted in the brace. Her therapists are now suggesting it to other patients with similar issues. The relief she feels along with a recent round of botox shots has helped lessen her foot and knee pain causing increased participation in several new therapy exercises.
3 & 4. Rehab & her Neuro-Behavioral Psychologist – I last reported we were approved for therapy and came to find out, coverage will continue until June 30th.
One of the therapists greatest concerns in helping Corey advance physically has been her emotional/behavioral limitations. Her anxiety/fear of getting better and being independent, stranger anxiety and separation anxiety from me has driven the ‘scaled back’ exercise regimen the team has been able to push because of Corey’s limited cooperation to try new exercises. They have been unable to ‘push’ her. Corey’s weekly work with Dr. A has improved her participation tremendously. Corey has become an exercise-aholic; the athlete is back.
There have been several days Natalie and Anne were either on vacation or committed to other sessions. Corey was assigned to substitute therapists she had never met before. She made each transition very well and worked a full session without one outburst. This is a tremendous improvement. She has increased her standing and stretching at the parallel bars, walking longer distances pushing and steering a shopping cart (instead of a walker), she is using weights for strength training, and last week another first. Sitting on the matte, she placed a small beach ball between her knees, reached forward with her arms extended as she stood upright and then lowered herself back down…her first attempt at doing squats; She did 10!
Dr. A also achieved a first. Last week Corey agreed to work with her alone for their full session as Caitlin and I waited in the waiting room. The ladies played ‘brain games’. Dr. A was testing Corey’s concentration levels. She was happy to report Corey was “on fire” for 15 minutes before she fatigued. They took a little break and then Dr. A tried a new exercise – Mazes. She wanted to see what Corey would do with the maze without instruction or guidance. She actually expected her to get frustrated and give up. At first, Corey started and hit the maze wall, paused and rerouted her direction. Dr. A glanced away looking at the next activity not focusing direct attention to Corey’s activity. When she looked back she expected Corey had given up because she was quietly waiting. Looking at the page, she discovered Corey completed the puzzle and was waiting patiently for the next assignment.
5. Retail therapy – we have noticed a marked improvement in Corey’s attention, reading and analytical decoding skills. Many of you remember our introduction to her reading using clothing magazines; we call it ‘retail therapy’. Corey would look at the pictures and turn down the corners of the page marking that there was an item she liked on that page. She graduated to using a pen to circle the item she liked. In the last 3 weeks, she is now locating the letter associated to the item, finds the written description, item number, price and page number and transposes the information to a notebook to remind her of her favorite selections.
6. Sleep – Corey will be participating in a sleep study at the end of the month. It will monitor her sleep patterns and seizure activity. Corey has improved overall on the length of sleep cycles, however, she is still waking several times a night calling out and is always agitated and sometimes disoriented. Her days have been better and she’s been more cooperative but the nights are still a challenge.
Corey has been more alert, is becoming much more aware and we’ve seen an increase in short term memory; but she still has a very long way to go for true memory function. Just this morning she asked me why her left arm doesn’t work right; “what even happened to me”? When those questions are asked, it is a clear reminder we’re still on this very long road of rediscovery. Our reality check reminds us to look at the highlights, the little improvements we see that are truly the biggest daily achievements. Those singular moments keep us moving forward, working harder and fuel our mantra “Never Give Up and Never Give In…It’s a Matter of Time”. xoxo
4yrs; Day 1641 – what we’ve learned
Hi Everyone,
Today is the last day of Brain Injury Awareness month. It’s hard to believe we never heard of Traumatic Brain injury 4 1/2 years ago. What have we learned? First and foremost, brain injury lasts longer then a month!
How have we helped to educate others? Trying to live what we’ve learned.
The clinical facts and Insurance negotiations have certainly dominated our learning curve but the greatest lessons we’ve learned have come from within. They were not written in any medical journals nor broadcasted in the media. They came quietly from the prayers, support, love, friendship, encouragement and guidance from all of you.
-Never give up and never give in
-The difficult is easy, the impossible just takes a little longer
-Don’t take NO from someone that can’t say YES
-No matter how hard the day is, we can find one positive experience in every day
-Laughter is the best therapy
-You can look back but don’t stare
-Dreams don’t change even if the ability to achieve them changes direction
-Everything is possible, It’s a Matter of Time
Traumatic Brain Injury – our definition…’To Be Inspired’
Thank you for helping us become aware of our inner strength, xoxo
4yrs; Day 1640 – Insurance hurdle
APPROVED!!!!! We’ve got some more time and I’m so grateful.
Corey showed why she deserves to continue with a few new firsts. We’ve been working on her standing independently, rolling to a sitting position in bed as well as dressing and undressing. Today, we set up 2 chairs. One faced a wall and the second was placed on the right of the first chair, facing left. The purpose of the exercise was to simulate the steps Corey takes to get out of bed and transfer to the bedside commode.
Corey began seated in the chair facing the wall (the start position after she rolls over and sits up in bed). She reached across to hold the grab bar, pulled herself to a standing position, stepped forward to gain balance and position, rotated her body turning to the right as she side stepped, then backed up to the chair located to her right but now positioned behind her (representing the commode). She managed this transfer without Anne’s physical assistance. Next test, simulate the reverse to “get back in bed”. The only part that made us nervous was Corey didn’t use her left arm for security or balance on the reverse trial. God forbid she loses her balance, her right side may not be strong enough to maintain the grip she needs to save herself from a fall…but we quickly reminded ourselves it was the very first try and Corey made it look so natural. Her second achievement; balancing and side stepping using the parallel bars in the gym. Side stepping is an exercise that is not as easy as it sounds. Once her balance was established, she released her hand to volley a beach ball tossed from different heights and directions without losing her balance. Her transfer and balance exercises validated our victory.
This past month/half has been one of the longest, toughest months we’ve had in a very long time. It has been so difficult I’ve struggled to write or find the energy to look for our inspiration. Tonight I want to share a personal experience with you which had a profound affect on me as I continue to learn acceptance and find coping strategies to ignite the spark we need to keep fighting.
I don’t typically sleep well (as many of you notice by the time stamp of my entries) but last week I happen to fall asleep and managed 4 straight hours. I woke suddenly, not because I heard Corey calling out, but from a dream. I was in a desert, it was hot, I was hungry, I wasn’t scared but I was very tired. My heart was heavy processing many of the worries I’ve been working on; such as our therapy appeal, finances, nursing approval/coverage, alternative solutions for therapy, research studies, personal pain from my shoulder and emotional fatigue from the day to day demands of caregiving and of life in general.
I was walking aimlessly and felt very alone. I stopped near a large jagged rock and looked up. Sitting silently, looking forward, was Christ. The image in my dream resembled the photo’s I remembered from my childhood. He didn’t look at me or speak to me but I felt His presence. I stood and stared at Him for a long time and thought of the story I was told as a child about His 40 day journey and His temptations during that time. As I stood and looked at Him, I thought about how lost I felt, my worries were my temptations. Each concern taunting me, distracting me and redirecting my ability to focus on the positive.
My dream was so real I couldn’t shake the image pictured in my minds eye. It occurred to me, this wasn’t my first visit to the emotional desert in my dream. Haven’t we all felt like we were wandering without direction more than once in our lives? My next thought was the anonymous poem, “Footsteps in the Sand”. I wonder if the author of that poem walked through the same dream state.
Regardless, my message was to feel less alone, remember everyone wanders through the desert looking for direction and answers, and most importantly, try to recognize the source of my temptations; don’t allow my worries to camouflage or blind my ability to focus on the direction we’re headed, xoxo
4yrs; Day 1636 – Corey Beattie in her own words
Hi Everyone,
We need to call on our prayer warriors. We have tackled some very difficult days and continue to wait for answers. We haven’t written primarily because it’s been a very emotional month. There are some positive improvements to report but overall, this month has been hard work!
The following highlights are mixed with some difficult realities;
I installed a grab bar in Corey’s bathroom. She can now walk with her walker independently into her bathroom, manage her garments and sit/stand with minimum assistance.
In the morning, she can put on her shirt
In the evening, she can remove her shirt, shoes and pants from a sitting position.
She can roll onto her back, kick her feet off the side of the bed and pull against the bed/sheets to a sitting position. independently.
Corey has advanced in her ‘retail therapy’. Prior to this month, she could google what ever she was looking for. Pictures would dictate her choices. She now will look at a magazine, select the item she’s interested in, find the letter assigned to the garment, find it’s description, sku number, price and available color choices. She then transfers the information to her journal or index cards. This is a cognitive exercise to help her with identification, organization, categorization and transfer of information all necessary for simple tasks used with note taking and/or writing grocery lists.
The recumbent elliptical bike has been a God Send. Thank you to everyone on Team Care for Corey and their supporters. She is riding 1 1/2 miles four days a week. She has also advanced in her matte exercises as well.
Corey’s emotions have also improved. This actually has been the most difficult part of her growth and recent healing albeit an incredible achievement. She is now more embarrassed about her wheelchair, her brace, her cane and her walker. The awareness of this emotion is a huge step forward. She often asks if she brushed her teeth, if she’s wearing the appropriate clothes to go out, does she need makeup and can she braid or style her hair a special way. Her personal awareness is advancing.
Along with this awareness comes sadness, frustration, depression, insecurity and anger. Her memory loss compounds these emotions. Corey asks me questions such as;
C – what are the chances my children will get what’s wrong with my brain?
C – why do people talk to me like I’m deaf?
C – what happened to me that I’m like this?
C – when will I get my driver’s license?
C – I’m super sad this happened to me.
C – I hate being the youngest because Caitlin and JohnPaul can go out anytime they want and I’m stuck in my life.
Corey does not know what year it is, month, season, day/date. In some ways she’s like Rip Van Winkle. She went to sleep and when she woke up the world was different. She’s lost many years and yet sometimes she can recall long term memories. Often it’s because she remembers hearing the story not necessarily the actual event. Yet, in the same day she can recite a conversation that happened within the past 24-48 hours. When you ask her who the President is, her answer is Bush. The year 2026. She looks at us with those big blue eyes, palm up with a cautious shrug wondering if her guess was accurate? When the correct answer is revealed she retreats feeling the inadequacy of ‘her stupid brain’. Reassurance is not always comforting. Reviewing her achievements is not helpful either because she doesn’t remember what she did, where she started or how long it’s taken to this point. When she views her videos, she does not recognize herself therefore can not relate to the ‘girl in that movie’.
Meeting with Dr. A has been a great help. Corey has been communicating at a much better. Dr. A wants to begin working with her on some cognitive memory strategies too.
This month she’s also met with a new seizure specialist. We have been concerned there has been an slight increase in focal seizures. Not uncommon as it coincides with healing and cognitive growth. Seizures sometimes are sparked by the regeneration of new connections.
She has also started a new sleep medication which is helping somewhat but she will also be participating in a sleep study next month to monitor not only sleep pattern but possibly nocturnal seizures.
Insurance has been rearing it’s ugly head again. Our Bryn Mawr team is submitted clinical information today to be reviewed tomorrow. This is where your prayers need to be focused. Corey is down to 4 hours/week for professional therapy. If we lose this, it’s up to us 100%. Quite frankly, I’m not sure how we’re going to do it. My shoulder is getting stronger but I’m very nervous about my lack of training to manage her therapy full-time. I know I’ve felt like this before and always pulled it off but this time I’m concerned we might not pull this one off and if we do it’s going to be scrutinized and a tenuous approval.
Please pray for Corey’s left side, her memory, her emotional acceptance and temperament balance, her growth towards independence, her self confidence, her willingness, her motivation and determination.
We do have a prayer of thanks and gratitude to add. Tomorrow Caitlin is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Photography. She took a year and half off after the accident but re-enrolled, worked year round and completed her course of study with honors. We are very proud of her tenacity, courage and fortitude. In case you have not seen her senior project, the following link will demonstrate her talent and dedication to her sister.
Thank you all for your continued love and friendship. We truly could not be where we are today without your support, xoxo
Corey Beattie in her own words
4yrs; Day 1620 – from Corey
Hello everybody this is corey beattie
I do realize it has been quite some time since I have reached out, however, i am still reading your daily posts.
And reading posts daily gives me motivation to go on with the rest of my day whatever is in store for me.
I went down to Washington, D.C. to visit Congressman Bill Pascrell last week.
He asked about how i am continuing to get better and if I am still cooking. He said that he liked pasta and I was said, “that is easy”! So then he gave me a challenge to make tomato sauce and prove it. He asked me, What do you think of the challenge? Ohhh I was taken aback and said, “sure game on”! I told him he does not know me very well. if he gives me a challenge, my goal is to meet it ten times over; so it was like the ultimate goal for me to reach. He said that is why I am getting better and an inspiration to other people.
Even though I have been having trouble with my knee we are trying to figure out if i need a brace to make me feel better however i do not like that because adding more parts to my body makes me feel asthough I am going backwards
I hope that you all have been well. thats all for now. have a good night, xoxo
4yrs; 5 months – Where’s the Magic 8 Ball?
Hi Everyone,
Today, Corey and I both had PT. I’ve begun therapy as well for my left shoulder. It’s become unstable due to overuse. I call it ‘caregivers shoulder’…it’s a technical term.
Corey came with me this morning. It was a real test for her because she could not stay with me. She sat in her chair about 60’ from me. It was a busy gym with many patients and therapists milling about. She could see me but not talk to me. I was probably more nervous than she was as I kept glancing over to make sure Corinne wasn’t keeping her company.
What I noticed was her looking down at her hands. I looked closer and realized she was rolling her thumbs back and forth and practicing her finger exercises. After a few minutes I noticed she softened her arms to rest them on the arm rest of her chair so she could practice her ‘piano scales’ (alternating each finger as if she was pressing piano keys). After an hour, I joined Corey as I iced my shoulder. I asked her what she was doing with all the hand movements.
C-I saw you exercising so I thought I would exercise while I was waiting for you.
Good thing I was sitting down because I would have collapsed from shock. Who was this woman and how did she get rid of Corinne?
We left my PT gym to travel up to Bryn Mawr for Corey’s PT/OT. As we drove, we discussed her usual frustrations with her limited mobility and constant appointments ‘to get better’. But then she changed the subject.
I’m happy to say Corey remembered her experience at Avenue Kitchen. She doesn’t remember the details nor Chef Greg’s name, but she does remember “that man said good things about my skills and he understands my path”.
Corey’s memory of the experience gave us the opportunity to talk through her daily frustrations and make her thoughts of the future more tangible. We spent the better part of the ride and her day discussing how she can harness her vision to help her get through her daily exercise.
M-when Natalie asks you to stand and balance, think of standing with Chef Greg as you made fresh mozzarella.
M-when Anne asks you to lift weights on the dowel, imagine reaching up to take a pot or spatula off the rack above you as the line chef did.
M-Corey, what you want to achieve in the future begins with everything you do today. Every time you pull yourself to a standing position, take steps, balance, reach, bend or lift, every time you read a recipe, write a grocery list, clip coupons or use your addition and subtraction flash cards you’re working on your independence.
C-I am going to have to practice my knife skills too. That man said I am no different than anyone else as long as I practice. He believes in my path.
M-when you were practicing her finger exercises, you were getting your hand stronger to pick up your knife and cut vegetables…you can do this Corey!
(after a long pause)
C-does anyone know how long it will take?
M-ugghh, where is my magic 8 ball when I need it?!?!
Today’s conversations were repetitive but encouraging. Corey was very present and initiated the diversity of our talks. Today I wasn’t a caregiver, I was the parent of an adult woman that was working to understand life’s choices. Today was validation of our mantra; never give up and never give in…matter of time. (…don’t tell Corey but I want to know how long it will take too…I also want to know who hid that darn 8 ball!) xoxo
4yrs; Day 1611 – Brain Injury Awareness
Hi Everyone,
March is Brain Injury Awareness month. A brain injury can happen to you, your sibling, parent, child, friend or neighbor. A brain injury is not an event, it is a life altering injury requiring long term rehab and financial support for PT, OT, cognitive, emotional/behavioral, aqua, music and art therapies. Survivors and their families need social and community integration programs specialized in working with brain injury survivors.
When you share Corey’s story with your circle of family and friends, your conversations spread awareness for this silent epidemic.
Why is it called the silent epidemic? 2.4 million people survive brain injury annually; that’s risen from 1.6. The green ribbon represents brain injury. I attended a conference when one attendee asked, “why does everyone know the pink ribbon and not the green ribbon”? The answer given was succinct, “a person can participate in their daily life living with most forms of cancer. They can go to the grocery store, live independently, maintain their employment as well as their social and interpersonal relationships. A moderate to severe injury not only traumatizes the survivor but their families too. The survivors often cannot advocate for themselves and their families are not only caring for them but balancing their own jobs and the needs of additional family members.” “How many survivors or their family members can attend a 3 day walk to raise awareness or funding for research”? The daily struggle to survive is why their voices have been silenced. They are too tired to “get out and spread the word”. There are currently 5.3 million people living with a moderate to severe injury.
Funding is critical but for more than research. Our legislators need to be educated on why survivors and their families need funding not only for medicaid but for state waivers as well. Waivers provide funding for home health care; including nursing coverage, rehab services and community integration resources to name a few. There are only 16 states that have waivers for brain injury; many of them have wait lists due to underfunding. PA has 4 waivers; 1 is open with a two year wait list for new applicants.
As you all know, we fight for continued coverage for rehab for Corey. She has made miraculous strides as she regains physical function. We are in year 4 of this journey. There are days it seems as if she’s not making any progress at all and then there are moments that give us hope. This weekend was one of those moments.
A friend of mine called at Christmas wanting to give Corey a gift. She wanted it to be related to her culinary dream. I shared how much she enjoyed her cooking lessons.
This weekend, Corey received a belated Christmas Gift from my friend Jen. We traveled to Villanova to meet Chef Greg Smith. He and his sister own Avenue Kitchen. Chef Greg attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia (Caitlin’s college) and is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in NY.
When we arrived, Chef Greg invited Corey into the kitchen. After a full tour of the ‘back of the house’, he presented Corey with a chef’s jacket and asked her if she’d like to help prep a few things for that evenings dinner. Corey’s face beamed when she saw the jacket. Corey stood next to Chef Greg as he taught her how to make fresh mozzarella. The two worked side by side as they prepared the curd, soaked, seasoned and rolled the cheese.
There was an onion and fresh spices on the cutting board. Chef Greg asked to see Corey’s knife skills. She used her right hand to stab the onion with a fork, transferred her grasp of the fork to her left hand. Holding the onion steady with the left, she chopped the onion with her right. Her slices were steady and her cuts were consistent in size. Note; up to this point, Corey has stood without assistance for 11 minutes without her knees weakening. As she worked beside Chef Greg, she stood straight for nearly 40 minutes.
Caitlin captured many beautiful pictures of Corey (see one portrait in the gallery) but the picture I captured was looking at Corey standing tall, confident and completely as ease as I also watched Caitlin working at her craft as a photographer. Caitlin commented, “when watching Corey in the kitchen she becomes the person she was meant to be”. This is a true statement for both these young woman!
Every update posted leading up to this weekends gift is evidence of why we need to spread awareness for brain injury support. If every survivor had an opportunity to have their voice heard, can you imagine the stories that could be told? xoxo
4yrs; Day 1605 – Rx and therapy update
Hi Everyone,
Things have been rather challenging since last week. We’ve got another insurance hurdle to jump in about 3 weeks. Corey has to push harder now than she has in months. In addition to the functional improvements Insurance is looking for, everyone is working to help her with her emotional and behavioral growth. It is a concern that Corey’s anxiety is limiting her willingness to participate in more advanced exercises therefore limiting her potential to accelerate her progress.
As you all know, we have been working with Corey’s medications. She’s off the Keppra, as well as 3 other medications. We’ve added Gabapentin (a broad spectrum seizure drug) and Aricept. Aricept is a drug used for dementia patients. Corey began taking the medication about two months ago. We are beginning to see consistent sparks of memory recall. Although Corey still is unaware of the year, month, day/date, time or season and she does not recall today’s events, she is referring to details from conversations we had last week. We’ve started with weekly visits to a NeuroBehavioral Psychologist that specializes in TBI (a rare find actually). During our sessions with Dr. A, she is expressing memories and emotions from her childhood I had never heard and her timing is accurate. The depth of conversation and realizations have been very encouraging. Corey does not retain the conversations but is beginning to recall the concepts several days later. She is beginning to initiate questions based on what we discussed the week prior.
I use the word sparks deliberately because I don’t want to mislead anyone. Corey’s “light switch” hasn’t turned on and this is not a Hollywood produced movie where the heroine suddenly ‘wakes up’ and the world is back to ‘normal’. Hollywood aside, her questions and conversation recall is very, very encouraging.
Physically we are working on her balance daily. She can not take independent steps if she can not balance her body weight. Corey is most frustrated with not caring for herself independently. She still requires help dressing, showering as well as attending to her personal bathroom needs. Balance and strengthening her left arm will aide in that accomplishment.
Today, Corey used her forearm cane to walk into the bathroom with me. Holding her left hand in my right hand, she stood, undressed manipulating her pants with her right arm, used the facility, tended to herself, then pulled herself to a standing position, redressed balancing grasping her left hand in my right, and once dressed reached for her cane and walked to the sink to wash her hands.
The success of this very intimate moment was another first! To me, this was one of the most significant accomplishments she has achieved to date. Prior to today she has had to accept, albeit with grace and humility, the assistance of family and strangers to help her with all her most personal needs.
This afternoon we arrived at Bryn Mawr for our usual PT/OT. When Natalie approached Corey and asked her if she had any special requests for todays session, Corey replied, “I just want to workout”. Natalie took a double take and wondered who this young woman was and what did she do with the Corey that always wants to “work on leaving”?
Corey told Anne about her dressing achievement so the ladies tied elastic exercise bands around her waist. Corey had to stand, balance and shimmy the band down to her knees then back up to her waist. After several repetitions, she removed the band, sat down and tried to put it back on starting at her feet. This simulates the motion needed to put on her socks and pants from a seated position.
Want to challenge yourself? Try using only one arm with every task you undertake throughout your day. If you choose your non-dominant arm, add a level of difficulty by placing a 20lb weight on the ankle of the same non-dominant side. Now perform all your normal activities of daily living. One more critical component…you will be scored on your functional performance.
Never give up, never give in, xoxo
4yrs; Day 1601 – from Corey; hardest part of TBI
hi everyone, this is corey,
if i could put a pencil to it, the hardest thing about living with a brain injury would be 1. acceptance (which is the biggest of all of my emotions) and also talking about and feeling my scary thoughts, both at the same time.
acceptance is so difficult for me because i do not want to accept that i can’t do things yet and i need helpers. i try to listen to what people say that it will happen someday but hate that i do not know when someday is coming.
i have realized that it will help me to write things out so i can get everything i i feel out in a way where i do not have to talk to anyone because talking to people is just scary; no if’s and’s or butts about it! (or that’s how i feel about it anywho)
so i guess if you’re scared and you do not know what to do, find somebody to talk to or put the pencil to it, xoxo