I am new and wonder

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My name is AMy. I have a diffuse axonal brain injury. I want to chat with others who are dealing with things or have answers about what they experienced and about similar life situations.

I was a professor and in education forever. I was injured June 18, 2016. Freak accident but the trauma injuries just failed to get someone to order head scans.

A DAI can go downhill for up to 2 years as the axons continue to break and scar. First diagnosis was early onset Alzheimer’s and then someone who knew brain injuries said the atrophy and white scars were from a DAI. Let’s just say I was working towards an important part of my career and it all stopped. I was the bread winner. My husband stayed home. I finally was approved (first time through) for disability and slowly things have gotten financially better. I get nothing like I was paid, but my disability is good enough.

The hardest part of having a brain injury was being a mom. I was 45 with kids… son about to be a HS freshman and now a college freshman. My second son was about to be a 5th grade and now HS freshman. My daughter was about to be a 2nd grader and now sixth grade in middle school. We are on NTI days until January which is learning at home virtually.

I am proud of my kids and who they are as people. Their dad is top notch as a father. He handles making money along with my disability.

I grieved so badly. Acceptance is ongoing. I miss helping people. Making a difference and I miss knowing my purpose. I foster kittens. They are the highlight of my world. I get them from brand new to all bottle babies. I will get special needs or feral as well to accustom them to a home. It is a privilege to get these little 4 ounce creatures with umbilical cords attached and eyes closed and become what to them is their momma. It is fun and sometimes heartbreaking when we lose one. But the kids love it.
I really want to be able to chat about current life issues and how others handle it. I see a brain injury doctor and a therapist weekly. I didn’t get to go to rehab. Not possible with the kids. I want to get some help and get evaluated by a brain injury group near me.

The house. Cleaning and laundry are the death of me. We have land and a 2000 sq ft garage and another one and this house. We are selling because we put a lot of money down and the mortgage is high which it wasn’t at the time. We don’t miss a bill and it is our only debt. But it will be nice to have more left over. I will miss the memories but I am ready to go. I am going for minimalist next.

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Welcome Amy! I’m glad that you found us here. This is a wonderful group, and I expect you to find what you’re looking for.

I see that you foster kittens. I foster adult cats, often those with special needs as well. The only time that I ever take babies is when they have special medical or social needs. Everyone wants to foster the cute healthy kittens, lol. My family really loves the foster cats as well. It’s really rewarding, and I LOVE having new cats in the house all the time. The tiny kittens are a ton of work. It’s really time consuming, but when they make it, it’s worth it.

Sharon from ModSupport

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Adult cats are a challenge. I have two cats so I stick with the babies. Generally they are gone by 8 weeks or a few more if they have other needs.

8 weeks is when it gets annoying to have them everywhere.

I want to use the site but I don’t see anyone chatting.

I just wanted a place that was real chats. The FB ones are all over the place.

Amy Elizabeth Simpson

“We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived”

~Randy Pausch

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Hey Amy,
My name’s Merl and I too have a TBI.
I was involved in an MVA as a young child and at the time the scans available were minimal, so it was all put down to ‘a bump on the head’, told to ‘Go home an rest and all will be OK’, only it wasn’t. There were signs something was amiss but nobody aligned it all.
Fast forward 20+yrs, I’m driving down the road and the lights went out. I couldn’t see. Long story cut short, I had a scan they found ‘something’ and it required neurosurgery. Since then I’ve been on an awful rollercoaster of symptoms, multiple neurosurgeries and more doctors appointments than I dare to count. Not exactly were I had planned my life to be, but here we are.

Post surgery, things did improve, somewhat. But then I required another surgery and somethings just didn’t improve, so I went looking for answers. During all of my medical investigations a DAI was discussed. At the time of the MVA very little was known in regard to brain injuries, in very basic terms, people with disabilities were seldom seen back then, so the idea of a DAI would not have been known. But when the investigating neuro started rattling off common symptoms it was like a lightbulb moment.
Over the years I’d had a few head injuries and with those, the MVA and the neurosurgeries the compounding effect has been MASSIVE.

“Acceptance” (There’s that damn word again) This is something I too (and many others) have a HUGE battle with. I don’t want to accept ‘THIS’, I mean in all honesty, who would want to accept it. So I tried to ignore it. I had a previous life and I wanted that life back. I took the attitude “I could before, so I can now…” only I couldn’t. I got annoyed with myself and pushed myself too hard, too soon to achieve and something went POP, doing myself more harm then good. I ended up back in hospital requiring further neurosurgery. But still I don’t want to accept ‘THIS’. If you ever learn how to fully accept, please tell me how.

I too was a ‘helper’. I used to to teach people with disabilities, which is a little (A LOT) ironic considering that now I’m the one with the disability and I miss that helping role in a major way, hence I come here and try to assist others. I think it’s fantastic you have something else, your kittens, to focus on. I’ve found having another focus being a must, because rolling the same incessant thoughts over and over, with nothing to change the focus damn near drove me bonkers (OK, so more bonkers :upside_down_face:)

I can assure you, you are among friends here. Friends who understand, because we live it too.
So, don’t be a stranger, come talk to us.

Merl