Leuty Parker

Tag: #tbi

  • Seizure

    A common result of a traumatic brain injury is one form of epilepsy. In half of those with epilepsy post TBI, a seizure will present itself within a year after their TBI.

    Continuing enjoying the results of the TBI, it seems I’ve acquired epilepsy; discovered in me having a tonic-clonic seizure, previously known as a “grand mal”. This hat most people think of as a typical epileptic fit. The stages are

    1. tonic stage – you lose consciousness, your body goes stiff, and you may fall to the floor
    2. clonic stage – your limbs jerk about, you may lose control of your bladder or bowel, you may bite your tongue or the inside of your cheek, and you might have difficulty breathing

    There are several forms of epilepsy, each with different symptoms. In my case, in lost a tooth, bit my tongue in HALF (causing me not to eat without being excruciating), was covered in bruises and grazes. But mine is described above & resulted in:

    Tongue in half, lost tooth, front incisor browned by prescription mouth wash.
    Tooth back! Front tooth white again
    Tongue still freaky. ….TIRED

    A little happier…. Riding the results. Surprised how resting repairs nicely.

  • Future Directions

    If you’ve been following my blog (or even seen some posts) you might have understood that I HATE being out of work.

    Aside from lack of income, the main issue was lack of direction. Lack of objective. Most mornings, I’d wake, and think “there’s no reason for me to get out of bed”.

    So, both wishing to make others’ who are in my position’s life’s easier (grammar?), along with something to actually do, I started this blog.

    As well, it has clarified where my priorities are. What I find important. What makes me, me.

    The amount of tumult in spells of posting frequently, to nothing for weeks, helped me realise that this is perhaps, more of a recreation activity.

    BUT…..

  • Rebuilt

    A common symptom of a brain injury, is loss of memory. With this, you loose your identity. So, to find my baseline identity, I call it my “essence”, I have a method to alleviate this:

    If you (or I) were to choose ONE item to signify/resemble my identity, what would it be?

    This can be something you already own, or something you could buy.

    It does take some effort to know yourself that well…

    I’ll give you an example:

    Mine would be the high heel shooe

    Objectively, it oozes fermenting (whether a man or a woman wearing it). It looks good on any outfit.

    Subjectivity, it makes me feel more confident, sexy, powerful, committed to achieve this wanted skill, attention grabbing (sadly, I’m learning at present, so bad attention in fear I’ll fall).

    So after much training, I’m actually rather good at walking (gym treadmill = 1km L3) so now for the next “step”….

    The heels

  • Identity… product

    An issue of brain injury, is loss of identity in.

    It’s probably commonly known that a loss of memory occurs (as seen in the films#memento), but how is identity actually made? From memories…,

    So when you forget who you are, a way to cope with it, is to choose a 3D product (like something you already have or can buy) where you can look at it.

    Then, it’ll inspire attributes from your identity, which you can identify as something you chose.

    If you do, or don’t have a TBI, it’s a difficult one, give it a go….

    I know mine….

  • Motivational speach

    This picture can embellish “passion for fashion”.

    After going to the gym most days, ever overstepping the limits, not only did I learn to walk using @neurophysio work out route, I presented a lecture at @SHIF in my high heels (seen below).

  • All the Things I’ve Learned…

    The brain injury is like a second life… for me, Ii had to relearn how to: talk, remember, read, write, learn and walk.

    My writing near the beginning after it happened.

    A more tricky thing (which many people without brains injury) was managing my diabetes. With help of Freestyle Libre

    On my arm

    And both starting & completing my MBA.

    As redesigning my personality, heels have been a BIG part of my adult life, making me feel confident, sexy, feminine… so far my next trick…

    Every day

  • Routine

    I think I need a routine, everyone does, to get a normal life. I’ve layered out my own one. Week-to-week, it may vary, depending on special days (usually in my diary), but here’s just a basic day/week :

    Wake up (usually 8.30) have 5x medicine (don’t know exactly which, but they’re in a blister pack)

    Tidy room; make bed, brush teeth, maybe mop kitchen/ hoover bedroom

    Wait for nurse, check BGL, have insulin, weigh out breakfast (42g bran flakes =30g carbs = 30g carbs) & eat

    Sunday: meal prep; carb counted, what I have left in my kitchen.

    Recreational activity (usually gym, work out plan in other posts)

    Monday, go to supermarket, buying what I need for meal prep designed on Sunday

    Unpack & put away shopping

    Cook & eat lunch

    Uni work

    Dinner

    Recreation (podcasts/audiobooks/blog/calls)

    Shower (maybe)

    Podcasts/audiobooks in bed

    Obviously this is just a basic, it changes with I have things on though…. Still a routine is good for me preparing for normal life. Having it down is like a “written contract”.

  • 3: I’ve been in 3 comas

    I said in the 1st “numbers” post, about me dying, my 1st coma was a ketoacidotic coma. This was explained, in detail, in the first “numbers” post.

    It talks what ketoacidotis is, what ketones are & how all this relates to diabetes.

    This dying, 1st coma happened in Sri Lanka, in Colombo. I was comatose for a while when I was taken to a hospital there.

    The 2nd was when I had my TBI. I don’t know a lot of details for this other than; it was in Vietnam, I was holidaying there with a boyfriend & I got the brain injury front a motorcycle accident, where i crashed & I fell off the motorcycle. I’ve been to recovery mode since.

    The 3rd was, again, relatively recent. I had an epileptic fit which was ambulate serious. This coma was medically induce.

    Kind of damaged goods, am I. But so much potential, if I may say so myself.

  • Cut-throt

    They say that the fashion industry is very cut throat. Lucky for me, I had my throat cut twice.

    Following on from “meeting me, physically”, another physical thing about me is I have a scar on my neck, below my chin.

    It’s barely noticeable though, but has a cool story. When I was in hospital for the brain , I had a tracheostomy. This is when the trachea is sliced open, at the front, and a tube is inserted. Like an artificial lung, but it breathes for you. I only have the scar now, but I’m proud of it. It’s like a medal of honour, worn around my neck.

    By “twice” it wasn’t successful the first time.

  • Habit loop

    It is theorised that the way we act, in particular in habits, forms a loop. Where one action goes on to the next, the final has the end goal of the first action & it creates a loop. So the loop goes like this:

    Cue.

    Craving.

    Response.

    Reward.

    My version of this, subconsciously, is my reaction when my mum clears her throat (which I hate); she clears her throat > I click my fingers (I know it really annoys her) > she thinks I do it consciously. This is me just venting about her….

    This could be translated into a Pavlovian response. If you don’t know this, this is quite famous “ dogs”.

    Pavlov showed, in this experiment, that animals (including humans) could have a learned response. In this case, he used dogs, by starving them, so they’re really hungry, then filling a bowl with food that feed them, the association being the sound of his shoes, him walking to fill the bowl with food, would equal the desire to eat.

    I wonder if I can use this Pavlovian technique in my recovery; build a routine which becomes so regular that it becomes automatic. I do it without having to think.