Hi My name is Mike and I had a brain tumor (cerebellar hemangioblastoma) removed in 1990 at Landstuhl. I had a few complications, a bleeding artery (subdural hematoma) and an irrigation system (shunt) had to be placed in the 3rd ventricle. After the surgeries I was in the hospital another two years taking 4 months to learn to walk. After six months in three hospsitals, I went to the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit spending 18 months there. I was released in 93 to go back home to Oregon and back to school. I dropped out after 30 credits. This is taking too long.
I moved to Missouri and tried school again. Finished a few classes but I had troubles in Math and social interactions. Met mec in 1997, moved to Texas, after many problems including buying a house, I moved back to Missouri with only my military pension. I moved to Seneca, Missouri in 05, got a house in 08, had mental problems, walked away from that house too. Now been living in a retirement home for almost 3 yearsā¦
Welcome, Mike
Thatās a really rough road that you have travelled. I think that you will find there are plenty of people here to completely get where you are coming from.
Join in our conversations, or even start one of your own! Weāre glad that youāre here, and we hope that you will be too.
Seenie from Moderator Support
Seenie, I wrote several letters to ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā trying to get
access to chat, can you help?
Hey Maltman, sorry we gave the impression that we were ignoring you. The real answer is that we donāt have chat that works worth a you-know-what at the moment. For a while we tried a chat function that was tacked onto the site, but it was confusing and, for lack of a better word, lame. (For instance, you couldnāt see who was online, so if you got on chat, youād have to holler into the dark to hope someone would āhearā you.)
All that being said, weāre still looking for a way to install chat that works. Of all our thirty communities, it is this one that needs it the most. Weāre working on it.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
Seenie
That would be great, as I was a regular at TBI Chat (which has been gone for years)ā¦It helped me through my darkest daysā¦And when I started to get a grasp of my life, I was able to return the faver!..
A easy working chat is a must for the TBI crowed! Thanks
ā¦thanksā¦
Still living in retirement home, but all good things come to an end. My mhicm team says I have 5 more years living here, but I think it is two or three. Want to get on waiting lists.
I donāt write much on here because it takes so long to get a response. Do you guys have a chat module yet?
Thanks for keeping the fires burning for ppl that have patienceā¦
Hey Mike,
Good to see you still around these parts 
Itās interesting that you should ask that question as weāve just gotten access to a chat platform, which I must admit I am yet to try out. The link is the black speech bubble on the right hand side of the top bar. Beside the search tool (magnifying glass).
Iām in Australia so timings can be a bit of an issue, but If you wanted to make a time (Iām fairly flexible with times) we could trial it together, see how the new chat works.
Send me a message
Merl
Hi Merl thanks for getting back to me. I looked at it both phone and computer and cannot find the black speech bubbleā¦
Hey Mike
Hmmm, well, thatās confusing. As this has only been newly setup, I might have to speak to someone with a bit more ātechy knowledgeā than me to workout why I can see it, but you canāt.
Letās see what they come back with.
Merl
Hey Mike,
As Iām also a member of the Modsupport Team Iām able to view your profile.
Upon doing so I saw the black āspeech bubbleā on the top banner, but hereās a link https://forum.traumaticbraininjurysupport.org/chat
Please try that and see if the page will open for you and let me know.
Thanks
Merl
I see it, I click on it, the link is loadingā¦
Well have field cut and i see chat bubble if I turn my head, but ignore the lower right quadrantā¦anyway have to wait for others to reply, not like tbichatā¦
No, unfortunately it is not like our former chat platform and as this platform has only just recently been set up, my knowledge of it is minimal. Iām not sure if it retains msgs or if the messages are only available whilst connected.
If you and I could setup a time together we could both send/receive messages via chat and test it out.
Merl
Iām available tues thru fri at 8, can go earlier tooā¦
Yea, Iām in Australia, so when you say 8, you mean 8pm? and 8pm where? if you can use GMT time, I can work it out. Itās just 8pm in Sydney is not 8pm in New York.
Thanks
Merl