My numerous successes, albeit minute, each not deserving of a post in-and-of themselves, deserve conglomerate acknowledgement. In past posts, I’ve routinely acknowledged my successes, alongside the challenges they remedy. Now, however, I’d like to acknowledge this class as a whole.
“In severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), recovery often follows a step-by-step path where functions gradually reappear and improve over time. This is not always a neat, linear process, and progress can fluctuate, but a sequential pattern of recovery is typical.
This process is driven by the brain’s neuroplasticity, its ability to repair itself by rewiring and creating new neural pathways to work around damaged areas.”
My reclamation has followed a step-by-step process in general, although not always (as is identified above, to be a possibility). This makes external acknowledgement of my progression difficult. Physical, mental & emotional capacities are at play within the more advanced skillsets I’m presently regaining. In my case, all capabilities within each subset, do not progress simultaneously and I’m only now beginning my emotional stage of reclamation. I’m Just now bettering this skillset. The emotional aspect related to each reclaimed skill, is therefore often lagging, yet reclamation of this skillset remains advanced, comparatively certainly, attests professionals. Despite my reimplementation of emotionality being much quicker than the vast majority of survivors, this symptom too transpires o-so slowly.
I’ve noticed that when people witness the progression of 1 skill, they expect similar progression of other skills of mine. This expectation is unfounded, with this particular disability, as the above quote illustrates, although I do understand that usually this correlation would be entirely sensible. The accurate rationality for this reality is, in part, due to each part of the brain & associated skillset being damaged by my diffuse (every part of brain was damaged) critical Traumatic Brain Injury. Bettering each skill demands initial acknowledgement of the present lacking & need for betterment, alternative implementation (utilizing unique neural pathways) & then an abundance of practice traversing the newly identified pathways.
I‘ve redundantly noticed that the immense amount of practice = TIME needed prior to correct implementation, offers some people the impression that the skillset at hand, has not bettered at all. Emotionality tends to influence human’s beliefs more than most else, particularly those I’m close to. Emotionality was an advanced skillset of mine pre-TBI, as well as that of many of my close friends. We exemplify the truth inherent in the saying: “birds of a feather, flock together”. Lacking emotional int llegence, is the symptom I’m presently bettering.
Being a Survivor of this injury is sorrowful, for many different reasons, but this is symptom, I’m now experiencing, and have been redundantly (hence the repetition) experienced, is particularly taxing. People continually leave my side (spokenly or unspokenly) which is a tremendous loss, as it hits close to home. The difference between my pre-TBI and post-TBI reality & actions are blatant. The individuals uneducated about my particular dumbfounding injury > disability (which is the vast majority) are oblivious to the reality that each TBI & consequential recovery, is entirely unique and some, alike mine, are continually bettering. At times, others think that “this is who I am now”. This is not at the case, as my case worker & psychologist, as well as well as non-specialty, albeit educated, doctors (new & old) continue to reaffirm. My recovery is still active and my person is resultantly in flux presently.
Extreme patience is needed when witnessing & evaluating my recovery. It’s supremely unfortunate that patience has become a present anomaly in our world. Instead it’s all about how quickly & resultantly how much we accomplish. This is true for things, relationships, resolution…