Are you aware of how incredible your brain is … or do you take it for granted? We are informed by our life experiences: childhood, country of origin, traumas, schools, sports, politics, economics, studies, people and places. You can only know what you know and it is impossible to know what you don’t. So, I now know how amazing my mind is because of my life experience and I’d like to share with you what I now know, so you can appreciate your incredible brain.
When I was growing up I remember being intrigued by the statement: ”we only use 5% of our brain”. At that time the prevalent view was “what you’re born with you die with less”. Basically, that the capacity of your brain shrinks over time. The “discovery” of neuroplasticity and increasing technology which measure brain activity has changed the knowledge base and perception of the brain in recent years. That topic is incredible in itself and there are now many fascinating books written by experts in the field of brain study. I was drawn to read many of them because of my experience with trauma. “Discovery” is in quotes because it was there all along – we simply didn’t know or see that neuroplasticity existed.
I had a bike accident 3 years ago, Yes, I was wearing a helmet.No, I didn’t see it coming so I landed, with my full weight, on my chin and right side of my face. My brain got rattled. It kind of pin-balled off one side of my skull and reverberated back to hit the other side…. My face seemed a bit of a mess but I counted my blessings: no broken teeth, no broken jaw, my body was intact so I rode my bike home. Yes, I was in shock. I walked in the back door and my husband said “what happened to you?!” Me: “I’m fine.” Him: “no, you’re not – have you seen yourself?”
This was, as I came to discover over the many many months it took to heal, an important statement. When a person has had a concussion, they can actually look fine – once the superficial wounds heal. However, the unknown and unseen effects can be multiple.
I’m pretty stubborn and have a tendency to power through adversity. So I tried that for a few weeks. My symptoms: headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, extreme mood swings, forgetfulness, switching words (in fact using some really bizarre words), overwhelm… increased. I did less and less work until I could do none. I couldn’t handle the light and sound of the TV, the light of the computer screen, the sound of more than one voice at a time. So I took to lying on the couch with a cloth over my eyes for a couple of hours a day. I eventually discovered podcasts and could tolerate listening to them for short periods of time. I was pretty much incapacitated, although I “looked fine”.
Why am I telling you this? Because you may not know how amazing your brain is… and sometimes you don’t know what you got until you lose it. Even the little things in life are huge when you can’t do them anymore. Like walking and looking from one side to the other without feeling nauseous. Like being able to turn in a circle and not fall over. Like being able to have a normal conversation with someone without crying or getting angry. The other reason I’m telling you this is because you may know someone who had a concussion and isn’t behaving “normally”. They might look normal and their accident may have been a year or even more ago but there are a myriad of ways brain function affects life.
It’s pretty easy to get depressed when things seem to just be getting worse all of the time. I was super lucky that my Doc referred me to “the Advanced Concussion Clinic” instead of treating me for depression. At the time, I didn’t know all of the ways my brain affected my life – the clinic gave me a list of symptoms to check off ( I’ve included their list at the bottom of this blog).
For three months, I worked biweekly with a physiotherapist, kinesiologist and neuropsychologist who all specialized in concussion. It was fascinating and an instant relief to have the validation of my symptoms and some easy ways to start to ease them and give my brain a chance to heal.
Some of the most outstanding?
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Instead of lying down for a couple of hours mid day and then later in the day… every hour lie down and close my eyes for 10 minutes in a quiet room – this is to reduce sensory stimulation and keep my brain from tipping over into shut-down mode.
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Not worry that I was forgetful and switched words up, this reduced stress
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Know that I’d go from neutral to full burn in a split second with very little aggravation and find the humour in that, instead of guilt or worry.
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Not to expect too much of myself because the improvements were so slight and incremental that frustration and despair were obstacles in healing
The support I received was phenomenal. The deep frustration when I felt that I wasn’t healing or improving at all was tempered by words of encouragement. “You can stand on one foot with your eyes closed for 5 seconds now, instead of just 1 second 3 weeks ago! You’re improving. That was the physio who had me doing different eye movement and balance exercises. “If you want to get on your bike, you can sit on it this week. No, you can’t ride it until next week, THEN you can ride to the house next door and back. If you do more you’ll go into overload and shut down.” That was the kinesiologist – after about 6 weeks. “Do you want your husband to come in next session so he knows it’s normal for mood swings?” That was the neuropsychologist.
I wanted to return to normal. I wanted normal for a couple of years. I kept working towards what I was. I don’t want to work backwards anymore, so I’ve accepted that I’m at a new normal. That’s all-right because I now know how awesome my brain is. I’m “a head” hah! Of where I was before my concussion. (such a bad pun – I love it)
The following list gives you an indication of how a “normal” brain operates if you don’t have any of these symptoms. You can appreciate what you do have – without having to experience the loss! One way or another we all have incredible minds.
Symptoms of Concussion (You may have symptoms in one or all of the following categories):
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