Hi,
I sustained my TBI 16 years ago, and have had multiple MVA and/or assaults causing me to be disabled since 2003. I was deemed permanently disabled. Unfortunately, today I am being reviewed to see if I am still disabled. I’m like what? Anyways, I’ve recently had and MRI on my brain after 16 years showing significant brain damage. The MRI illustrated that my injuries and TBI are consistent with the areas that were fractured. The MRI also showed my frontal lobe being dark. I was wondering what that was about, so I asked my Dr. She said the dark matter is dead. It’s damaged. I was very sad about that news for a few weeks. I went through a lot of emotions about my future. I was thinking to myself, could I get dementia or something similar? Gosh. I accept what I can’t change. I also try to see the good out of a bad situation. There’s always something to learn. One thing for sure…now that I have this updated evidence of confirming frontal lobe brain damage, so when SSI comes at me saying I may not be disabled…I can show them the MRI. Really, can you heal from being brain damaged…NO. It’s similar to Autism. You just don’t wake up one day and the brain is restored. Keep up the good fight TBI brothers and sisters. We are special in Gods Eyes. <3
I understand…This thing were you have to see one of there Dr.s to see if your still disabled? What a crock…I would love to go back to work and make real money again…But the odds of hurting myself or someone else would be very high!
Hope the test and or person is easy on you…So silly for us TBI’ers to see a Dr. every 3 to 7 years when we know its not changing…just silly
I have to agree 100% “What a crock”… This process makes us relive the reality of our injury, as if we don’t get enough of that thru daily life and then to have them question our reality…grrrr “a crock” is a very nice name to call it. For each and every one of us, to again have the life we had is a wish, NOBODY chooses to have a TBI, and they think this can be fixed/cured, now there’s a wish. Repeated testing??? Ditto…just silly.
I understand it is a requirement but still… I hope it all goes well for you and your examiner has some sort of understanding/comprehension of a TBI’s impact on life.
Right DavOD?! I wish I could go back to before the brain damage and work. I have 3 degrees, so yes…the real money I could have been making if only the TBI never happened. Living on $750.00 a month is nothing compared to the money I could have been making. Thanks
Hey Flowerchild,
Family can be difficult and ‘difficult’ ain’t the word I want to use. Mine judged prior to me obtaining a diagnosis and I left family, moving to another country altogether. Then I got a concrete diagnosis. Now I have a mother who is forever apologising, wanting me to return. I never will. I don’t need all the additional baggage. I have enough of my own. I live here, they all live there, it’s easier. Have you ever heard of the saying “Square peg, round hole”? That’s me and family.
Initially my first application for SSI was rejected. I had all of my scans going back 20yrs. I appealed it and the appeal was rejected. Luckily I had an insurance policy. The insurer sent me for a battery of tests and they approved my insurance claim. I applied for all of the test results from the insurer and once my waiting period had expired I again applied for SSI. This time it was accepted and approved. What I am saying here is do not rely solely on scans, different individual dr can ‘interpret’ an image in an individual way. In my opinion bomb them with as much supporting documentation as you can find to go along with the scans.
Wow. Meri, Thank you for sharing your story. I don’t feel so alone now that I found this panel. Most of all…you. For you encouraging words. You know what? I moved away from my family too. I live in another city. It’s better for my well being. And for the SSI evaluation, I will do just that. Paper trail all the way. May I ask how long ago was your TBI? You sound so together. 
You know it’s been so long since I’ve posted I’m not even sure I’m in the right place! The degrees thing was what got me going… I was a degreed Mechanical Engineer with 28 years service when I suffered my TBI. I was in a coma for 2 months followed by another 10 months of rehab in hospital. Then years of shrinks and groups and so forth. But one year to the day of my getting out of the hospital I completed my Master’s of Science degree in HRM with a 4.0GPA. Couple of months later started my doctorate. Started one for a while then switched to another and 7 years later I am now a Doctor of Business Administration! Completed that one with a 3.8GPA. That being said I’ve lived off my disability for 10 years now. They finally gave up doing the follow up exams on me by the time we got to the 5 year mark they decided I was to old to mess with anymore. I kid you not that is exactly what I was told, too close to retirement age hence your getting your retirement. Which in my case is not as bad as it could be, I had just worked a long time and they go by some formula of the last three years paid into medicare up to a maximum. Hence I maxed out but still sucks compared to what I should be making. So I’m a Doctor now, without a job or job prospects! My point being a TBI should not stop anyone from going to school it’s very doable. And they are required to give accommodation for time to get work in. The sad part that comes later is the discrimination you are faced with by employers once you disclose and in some cases you can’t help but to disclose.
Wow. Very Impressive with the exception of not being able to find work. I finished my 3rd degree after my TBI also with a 4.0. You’re right about TBI’s being able to finish school, and the school giving allowances for it, but as for the job field…I can not work in mine. I went to DVR last year to ask if I could go back to school, and they told me no. DVR said, I had to much schooling. I had to go work. So, I was hired by the state Senator, but when I went to voluntarily work I was put to clean his office full of dust and cat hair. I left that day and called DVR livid about my day. I didn’t go back. I wrote a short email to the Senator explaining I would not go back due to the extra duties. I was hired as an administrative assistant who did research not a cleaning lady. I don’t think it was fair that I was not allowed to go back to school as the degrees I held were not feasible anymore. I could of gone back to become an interpreter or something like that. Nevertheless, you also sound like you enjoyed school and learning. As well as being excellent at it. It’s shameful you can’t find work after you disclose your TBI. I just now started to talk about it because of similar reasons. People changed they way they talked to me or treated my differently after they knew about my TBI. I try to hide it from people. My mother also told me not to tell other people because they tend to treat me like I’m either crazy or dumb. It sucks for a lack of better words. The only reason I think I’m being reviewed is because of me going to DVR. After 6 years I was told I was permanently disabled, but last year DVR and SSI told me I was being reviewed. I was dumbfounded. It’s been a very long time since I’ve written, so I apologize for any mistakes. I will start to get better by using my noddle again by writing to all of you.
Hey Flowerchild, I’ve had a few TBI’s. My initial injury was 40 years ago as a result of a car accident, but since then I’ve had a couple as a teen and then 6 bouts of neurosurgery. Each one has had it’s own impact (no pun intended) and resulting symptoms.
Thank you, you’ve caught me on a good day. Back prior to my latest set of surgeries I worked with people with disabilities for 10+yrs, having to deal with every possible situation, with people with levels of understanding from zero all the way thru to university qualified. Dealing with intellectual disabilities, physical impairments, sensory impairments and of course, brain injuries. This has given me a fair knowledge level, but never thinking that I’d ever become a ‘client’. This knowledge has served me (and my clients) well, but by the same accord has caused some conflict with the medical professionals along the way. I have found that the medicos DO NOT like the fact that I do have practical, hands on, information. They would much rather treat me like a mushroom ie keep me in the dark and feed me up on bullsh–. But I never liked that attitude for my clients and I certainly won’t put up with that sort of attitude towards myself. So this is why I may sound “…so together.” I have days when I’m certainly not so together, on those days I’m lucky to string a sentence together. But that’s life, now. Not to say that I’m happy about it all, but many of the people I worked with were in a way worse situation than me, so as bad as things get for me, I know they could be a hell of a lot worse. So I may not be able to work, but if I can help just one person here on these boards, that also helps me too. The sharing of knowledge helps everybody and costs nothing.