Social Life Changes and EEG Scan

November 1, 2013

My lifestyle had completely changed from before the incident. I had always been a party animal before the injury. Now, I was either at the gym, swimming or on my bike. I would never have imagined I would ever be like that. If it had not been for exercise I don’t know how I would have coped. I believe it saved my life!

November 3, 2013

A consequence of your social lifestyle changing will be that the strength of some friendships will weaken. You may not see friends as often as you did and when you do, they may not understand your challenges or what you’re going through. This can be really tough at first. You may feel upset that you’re missing out or that friends are not there for you. It’s a common challenge after brain injury.

P.A.U.L For Brain Recovery has a fantastic community of inspiring people who understand and support each other. Here is the link for the service provision booklet if you’re interested:

Service Provision Booklet

November 5, 2013

I noticed that I was having absences whilst I was awake. I stared into space with nothing going on in my head. It was like I was asleep, but my eyes were open. I knew when they were happening. I just sat through them until I came around. My brother noticed them happening and was concerned. I went to the doctors and was referred to a specialist in Neuro.

November 7, 2013

Something I was realising was that I wasn’t really 100% sure of anything. I wasn’t confident with my choices or judgements and would give myself a hard time.

November 16, 2013

I went to hospital about the absences whilst being awake. I was told that because I was halfway through recovery it was hard to say. The consultant had a few ideas, one being a type of epilepsy. Another being the effects of stress and low mood with my brain being overloaded. Another was due to not having enough breaks throughout the day.

I was put on epilepsy medication as a precaution. He was going to book me in to undergo some epilepsy tests. I needed an EEG. This would show any form of epilepsy.

November 20, 2013

I went for the EEG scan. It felt a bit weird at first. They attached pads to my head. I felt like I was wired up for some mad science project. They flashed lights in my eyes whilst I tried to relax. I ended up falling asleep!

November 27, 2013

I was having counselling with Lisa. It was really good to talk to someone impartial about how I was feeling. Lisa helped to make sense of the way I was feeling. I really needed that support. Lisa’s advice and understanding were great medicine for my fragile mind.

November 29, 2013

I was spending lots of time alone. It felt easier to be on my own. I needed space and time to come to terms with what had happened to me. I could think better when I was alone in silence. This was a huge step towards acceptance.