My name is Stacie I had my brain injury when i was 18 on October 25th 2008. I was grocery shopping for my grandmother who was 84 at the time. I was going through a green light when a man hopped up on drugs ran a red light. The accident happened within a couple miles of my own home and my grandmothers home. I was airlifted out because i died on the scene along with two more times in the helicopter. I have no memory of anything that happened all i remember is waking up in a hospital a few weeks later wondering what happened. I got discharged from the trauma unit earlier than i should have. I had a bruised heart, lungs, but luckily no broken bones. From my bruised heart and from it stopping multiple times i began having heart problems about a week or so after i got discharged. My primary care doctor i have had since i was an infant and thanks to him he got me admitted into a local hospital then transferred to a rehab hospital. All was going well once i got into the rehab hospital i began getting all the help i needed. I did outpatient rehab for months as well and was on the road to recovery. I had lots of support from everyone around, but of course i lost people and got taken advantage of by people. This time last year i began developing seizure problems. I ended up getting one of the best neurologists in the state for epilepsy. He did lots of testing plus meds before taking a more serious route. In April of 2014 i ended up needing brain surgery for an electrode grid for him to finally figure out what was going on. It turns out i had damage deep within my brain from the original injury that the hospital missed and developed epilepsy along with stress seizures in that area. He would have removed the area if it was big enough, but luckily it is small enough to not cause long term problems. One medication he said will control the epilepsy, but the stress seizures will take some time to gain control over(medications won't work for stress seizures). It is very difficult to identify the difference between stress seizures and epileptic ones being the stress seizures mimic the epileptic ones down to every single detail. I really do not regret getting the procedure done because now i know what is wrong with me and what i need to tackle. It has been a hard five years going on six of medical problems after problems. Not many people understand the cognitive problems and the tiredness i feel all the time. I haven't been able to get back into college yet full time due to problems, but i am excited for my future.
God bless you, it sounds like you have really had a wild ride....Thank you for sharing with all of us....Life is crazy and can turn on or stop on a dime... I am very glad you made it!!!
You are amongst friends that all are traveling down the same path.....
Welcome :)
Hi Stacie!
I think the key line of everything you wrote above isn't in what happened to you, but rather the very last sentence of it all "but I am excited for my future."
Do you realize the power of those words?
We each have faced battles in this world that set us apart from the rest. 5 years following my bike accident, I actually feel lucky, LUCKY, for having endured these tests. And you know why? I was excited for the future.
Keep on keeping on, keep that chin up, and know that the future does provide healing, closure, and beautiful opportunities if we work hard for them!
Claire
Stacie, you sound like a very courageous person! Just as previous members have said, keep thinking about your future, and how each part of your recovery has made you stronger. Your positive outlook on life will keep you going, regardless of what comes your way!
thanks fellow members! It's been quite the journey to say the least as many of you know It's hard to find people who relate or just get it. My boyfriend also has epilepsy so he gets the seizures but he doesn't get any of the rest of what i've gone through or am going through from the brain injury. It's a life long journey we all have to learn about and all injuries are so different.