I thought I would give you a little info on one of my medical conditions, which is an acquired brain injury, ABI. I was born 3 months early, and subsequently I had a brain haemorrhage in my right hemisphere, (side.) of the brain. I never really understood how much that would affect me, until I got older and things started happening.
It was 2018, when a neurologist who I was under for my epilepsy at the time, mentioned casually that I had suffered a brain haemorrhage. Wondering what he meant, I said “no.” “I think you’ve made a mistake there.” After going home and to a GP appointment, I asked him about it. It was indeed true. I had suffered a brain haemorrhage at a month old. The impact of this, would not be felt, until lockdown in 2020.
Lockdown and everyone was anxious because of Covid. A severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Its full name to give it its full title: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus Disease 2. Also known as SarsCoV2. Or as we know it now, covid-19. Isolation seemed good at first. A novelty. It was new. Things weren’t good with me and my mental health. For the benefit of people who have only started followingmy journey, I was struggling with severe rage. They were out of control. Afterwards, my memory of the events was impaired. I could remember little tiny details, but not all of it. My brain blanked it out. I struggled with empathy. Struggled to accept when I was wrong about something. I still do even now, but not as badly I don’t think. The rages, though, had started back in 2014, however before my first tonic-clonic seizure, it was noticed by a friend of mine. I’d begun to shout at him for very normal things and not like it when he was doing them. I would become agitated, frustrated.
Back in 2020, I’d had enough. So much abuse and judgemental comments by people. Who said I was making up my brain injury, making up my epilepsy and other medical conditions. I was very low indeed. Ringing my GP, I asked him what was going on. He explained, that my MRI scan that was done in 2018, was clear, however that did not mean my brain was not injured anymore. There could still be microscopic damage that the scans will not pick up. Thus causing my epilepsy which would have aggravated things even more. He also explained, I have a condition called organic psychosyndrome, a condition usually found in dementia patients. It means that you struggle cognitively. My condition is different though, in that it is not neurodegenerative. In other words, it does not kill my brain. After learning that, I immediately rang Headway, who after a few conversations, allowed me into their Wirrell zoom group, which I am still in now. It is a very good group. I really enjoy it.
The problems I have are lack of insight, impulsiveness, egocentricity, Some behavioural problems in that I can be outspoken or inappropriate sometimes. This is all explained in the online leaflet by headway. https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/individuals/effects-of-brain-injury/cognitive-effects/?fbclid=IwAR2kYFfSDwpj8C4LovJevtC5XIvve37yc00AFbQocOnMRkZYy9giS3zsoeQ#insightEmpathy
Please read this carefully and maybe think about how you can help me and others in similar situations.
life in the darkness 