Tell Your Story

Mary Tate

My nickname is Margie. I was in a car accident in October of 1998 in which a dump truck ran over my car. I had extensive bodily injuries, several surgeries then and since then. I appear to be fine and able to do everyday activities now. No real physical disablities. I was recently told after a long spell of depression by my head docter that I have a Closed Head Injury. I argued at first. The accident was 10 years ago. The docter\'s then said my head was fine. But he told me to do some research and I have found what I thought was a bad case of post tramtic stress syndrome is actually a brain injury. My depression and other things that I do are caused by it. Then alot made sense. My husband is always complaining that I open a canned drink and then another. It is because I did not remember having the last one. Just little things like that happen all the time. But in seriousness. I realize now that I have been in denial for 10 long hard years that my brain injury was there and I am just now starting to do research and exercises to regain maybe something. The doctor has my on medication for depression and anxiety. I feel better knowing what has made me feel so bad all these years, but admitting that I may never be what I thought was myself again is the hardest part. However i am determined to have the best life that I can and make the fact that now me and my family are aware to an advantage in our relationships. They can understand me better and things that I do and I can not get frustrated with the world. I am happy to be alive and that it is not any worst than it is.

Debra K Soyland

My older brother \"Chester\" had a motorcyle accident on 6/16/07. 80% of his injuries were to his face and frontal area of his head. He was wearing a full face helmet and the only visible damage to the helmet was the face area. Chester just turned \"54\" on 7/17/07, which he spent in the adult critical care unit. His doctors advised me on that date that my brother would probably never wake up from the coma he was in. However on 7/22/07 when I arrived at the hospital, I was elated to find that he had awoke from the coma, and he knew who I was and told his nurse that I was his sister. It is now 8/3/07 and Chester has been moved to a head trauma rehabilition and health care facility. When I went to visit with him today, I found that he was very emotional (crying) that he wanted to go home. I requested that the doctor that is in charge meet with me. This is not my first request to meet with the doctor, and I have yet been successful in doing so. However, today the director of nurses agreed to talk to me and proceeded to advise me that my brother was very combative, and on many occasions he has tried to hit various member of the staff, he uses very bad language, makes racial remarks etc. etc. The D.O.N. assured me that this is sometimes common with head trauma victims. I understand that he may never be as he was prior to the accident, but this behavior was not present prior to the accident. He was a very kind and gentle man prior to the accident. The D.O.N. also advised me that the P.T that they will be providing in the near future will give a better picture of what can expected in the future. At this time, there is still a trachautomy (?) and also a feeding tube in his navel. The D.O.N. has also explained to me that because Chester did not have any health care insurance in place at the time of the accident, and med-ical had to be put in place for his treatment, and that because there are certain guidelines that they must adhere to. 1.) He must have at least 2 skilled requirement\'s to allow them to keep him in their facility and that the trach and feeding tube will have to remain until some time in the future. Chester has been in the rehab facility for a periof of 5 days and when I arrived today, I found that he is still restrained (4 points) and they also have a diaper on him and request have been made directly to him in my presence that he can just soil his diaper because the CNA didn\'t want to help him out of bed to use the toilet or at least offer to provide him with a disposable urinal. Generally speaking, He is made to stay in bed like that for a period of 20 hours out of the day. I feel that this is the reason I found him to be in such an emotional state when I arrived for my visit today. I would very much like to know if this is a general course of treatment for someone that has suffered from head trauma. The facilities chart indicated that he had sustained a injury to his left arm as well as the head amd facial injuries. His left arm was not the arm that sustained injury but his right arm did sustain major injuries to the 3 main bones. While I was watching the CNA dress him during my visit today, I witnessed him pulling on Chester\'s right arm, and I informed him it was his injured arm. I also advised the D.O.N. that their chart was wrong, and she in turn assured me that it would be corrected. I\'m truly confused and would appreciate any response or encouragement that you might possibly have to offer.
Thank you,
Debra Soyland

latonja

on April 2006 I feel on a wet floor in the ladies bathroom at work and hit my head on the sink and suffered multiple injuries. My whole life has changed, i suffer from memory loss and had developed a very short attention spain for conversations, I am a very educated women however, at this point in my life i must start over, i have been in rehab for cognitive and speech for 1 year. I have place my recovery in the eyes of the lord.

Wanda Gadbury

When I was in middle school, 1965, I had an accident \"off\" my horse where I fell down a revine and hit my head on a rock. I had amnesia for several hours. I only suffered two times of memory loss since that time. Then, in March of 2006, I was walking at my lunch break, when I tripped over the sidewalk, falling, but not with my arms outstretched. Instead, I fell with my hands in my sternum and shoved my spine up into my head. I went to the ER which they did a CT scan and told me that I had extensive osteoarthritis and a compressed disc in my C-spine. That has been over a year ago. I feel like I need a neurologist, but I have no insurance. Some days I wonder if I will make it another day, some days are better, but everyday it is there and I will never be the same again. I sometimes feel dazed, sometimes get headaches if there is too much movement in the car or so on and so on. I would appreciate anyones prayers, for that is what has kept me this far and I appreciate the Lord for that.
Wanda Gadbury