I thought I'd add my 2 bits worth.

My brain injury was in Sept. 2003.

I wanted to say that sometimes anti-depressants are very necessary. At least
they are for me. I am grateful no one told me not to take them.

6 months after my injury I became suicidal. Even to the point of planning how to
do it. After less than 2 weeks on the anti depressant, I could not imagine how
I ever could have felt that way.

Then again, a few months ago, my anti-depressent stopped working as well as it
should have. The depression came back, along with suicidal thoughts again. My
neurologist changed my med to a different anti-depressant and once again I am
ok.

Our injuries physically damaged our brains. Sometimes medications are
necessary, sometimes they are not. Sometimes they do more harm than good,
sometimes the good outweights the bad.

It is an individual decision whether or not to take medications for an injury.
The decision should be made along with a trained medical doctor, and lots of
personal research. And of course, pay attention to your body. Each of us is
different. Each injury is different.

It is also a good idea to educate yourself and family about brain injury. A good
place to get information is www.tbiguide.com The information is clear and easy
to understand.

Hang in there and don't give up on yourself.
Some days are easier than others, some are harder.

Kerin



--- On Wed 07/05, spunbondwarrior < spunbondwarrior@... > wrote:
From: spunbondwarrior [mailto: spunbondwarrior@...]
To: Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wed, 05 Jul 2006 17:20:11 -0000
Subject: [Traumatic_Brain_Injury] Re: Hello Everyone!! My name is Megan


















--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, "mmb1280"
<mmb1280@...>
wrote:

> I was in a car accident almost 2 years ago it'll be 2 years Nov.
12th.
I have TBI.
My friends have been great to me but i would like to talk with
someone that's going through what i've been through! <

OK. I am now going to ramble on just a bit about me and TBI

"It" can be a pretty strange life sometimes, can't "it"? It's my
belief that everyone who is a "survivor" finds themselves living with
a very different set of circumstances perceptions beliefs and
realities when they at last find themselves awake and aware once again.

"Things" will never be the same again you know.....
You gotta be tough, TBI is most assuredly not for the weak of will nor
for anyone lacking a seriously overactive need to always be in some
sort of a scuffle with one thing or another. And having a very high
tolerance for great amounts of self imposed discomfort helps alot too.
"Things" will never be easy again
"Things" will never be a matter of "simply" ever again
Time it is to toughen up.

There is not, for some folks anyway... not much more than be amazed
that the medical folks can do for some folks with TBI. Most doctors
don't listen worth a damn, (I personally don't blame them, IMHO most
people are at the doctors to whine about something new that's wrong
and or get a new or re-fill for a script) but, if you want to get them
to talk with you like a real live and capable person... YOU, yes
that's right... YOU simply will have learn to talk with them at their
level about things neurological. Get online and learn!!!!

Don't take anti- depressants/anxiety/psyschotics or sleep meds or
anything other than anti-siezure drugs (and then only if you have been
proven to have seizures).

If you get terrifyingly sudden onset and blindingly furious headaches
that just make you puke sweat and want to die, then don't be stupid,
by all means get something for them

Avoid neuro-psychologists and their hoey bull-shit psuedo-scientific
babble. The tests they use are all highly manipulatable and pretty
subjective as to their interpretation. If you happen to be with one, I
personally would leave. Pretty damn close to quackery if you ask me...
not the science of it, but the practice of it as a medical "art" sure
is. If one were to confuse an issue with say... aphasia and an
ability to verbally articulate well at times or perhaps have a memory
issue or any other type of neuro problem with a lack of intelligence,
don't fret about it... just tell them that they are obviously not your
at your intelectectual level nor equal to your abilities and
expectaions and LEAVE! Don't see the neurologists who see everyone
with everything wrong from nothing to advanced parkinsons. And AVOID
RUN FROM GET AWAY REAL QUICKLY from the doctors who always want to try
something new pharmeceutical everytime time you have an appointment.
"Have we tried..."

If at all possible see doctors affiliated with a university
teaching/research hospital. And remember that it's nothing personal,
but, there probably isn't (IN THE REAL WORLD anyway) anything that
"they"are gonna be able to fix for you anyway. Seriously active drugs
of any kind do not cure a thing and don't make anything better but
lots of folks make lots of money on/off of/from your them.

And if you're at a doctors office, and as many pharmecuetical industry
reps are there as there are clients/patients (and being seen on a more
timely basis too) ... LEAVE RIGHT AWAY!

Read read read and learn how to use the internet as the great search
and research tool that it is. Do things you have no business even
trying to do. Challenge yourself every day

Never avoid trying anything... what the hell, how else are you ever
gonna learn something new and move the bar just a little bit further
if you avoid the possibility of abject failure?

Learn how to fall well, both physically and emotionally, and even more
importantly, learn how to land well.

Keep a sense of humor about and around you at all times, you're gonna
need it. Learn to laugh at yourself

Do crosswords and anagrams and cryptograms every day.

AND Remember what Don Juan told Carlos Casteneda:
Live your live as a warrior

not "like " a warrior, rather "as" a warrior.... there is a big difference

LOL, you did ask for this..... >>>> " i would like to talk with
someone that's going through what i've been through! " <<<<



















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