returning from a traumatic brain injury

[loopybunny]

I think it's safe to say that last Friday was the worst day of my life. I crashed my bike while on a group ride going between 25-30 mph when, according to witnesses, another cyclist pulled in front of me. I was out cold for 15-20 min and in and out of consciousness for a couple of hours.

After a couple of CT scans, an MRI, and some x-rays, doctors determined that I had a grade 3 concussion with a some minor bleeding on the brain. No broken bones and skin completely in tact (seriously, no road rash, just bruising). My Giro Ionos saved my life.

I spent a couple of days in two different hospitals and saw about 15 different doctors. I was told that it could take me 3 weeks to a year before I feel back to normal.

Only one nurse had any personal experience recovering from a severe head injury. I'm looking for stories from other cyclists regarding how long it took them before they were back on the bike.

Of course, this may all be moot if I find out my bike is totaled. Still waiting for the verdict regarding a dent in the top tube.

I also want to point out how awesome the cycling community has been during my ordeal. I've gotten get well wishes from people all over the world including a few pro cyclists and ex pros. I've even had offers for bike parts and replacement clothing!

(Please note that this is being typed on my iPhone because I can't sit up long enough at the computer. I apologize for any typing errors.)

[Biciclista]

goodness, I am sorry to hear this. A friend of ours had a head injury and saw double for over a year. She's out riding normally now, but for a while she could only ride on the back of a tandem.

[NbyNW]

Wow, I'm glad you're well enough to let us know how you are doing!

I don't have experience with this type of injury, but I wish you a smooth recovery. Be good to yourself.

[maillotpois]

Wow - what an ordeal. I am so glad you are ok enough to write this post. Please take care of yourself. Don't expect too much too soon. Heal. Big hug to you.

[jobob]

Hi loopybunny -

I was in a crash similar to yours, on the last Saturday in March two years ago - hey, that's right, I have an anniversary coming up! I was training for the Markleeville Death Ride at the time, with melissam, dachshund, and our esteemed coach maillotpois.

Here's a thread that described the crash & its immediate aftermath, according to MP, Mel, and Amy-- to this day I remember nothing about it! -- and assorted silliness mixed in with updates on my condition during that first month.
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=30027

I had a vertebra compression fracture, so I had to wear a back brace for a few months, and I had a bit of nerve damage which gave me double vision for a few weeks. And I had some cognitive problems for a short time.

Here's my helmet, I still keep it out on our sideboard, with Emmaline nestled in it. It served me well!
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showpost.php?p=526497&postcount=14

I also wrote a lot in my blog about my recovery:
http://callmepokey.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-bike-i-are-doing-well.html

I started riding a trainer again at the end of May:
http://callmepokey.blogspot.com/2009/05/back-on-bike-um-sort-of.html

I was finally able to ditch my back brace in early July. So I went out for a short ride to celebrate!
http://callmepokey.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-on-my-bike-for-real.html

This was my 6 month update:
http://callmepokey.blogspot.com/2009/09/6-months-ago-today.html

So, it took a while, but I'm happy to tell you I completely recovered. Well, I still have the bump on my back, but it doesn't affect me in the least. The only lingering symptom I have is that my speech tends to slur easily when I'm tired, or after 1 beer. Oh well.

And, I rode the Death Ride this past summer. I wasn't as into it this time around, in large part because I was going through oodles of crap at work at the time, so I only rode half of it. Eh, it's better than the alternative. :cool:

I hope this helps.

The only advice I can give you is, try to be patient (easier said, I know!), and be kind to yourself.

{hugs}, - Jo.

[Kiwi Stoker]

Sorry to hear about your crash. Be gentle with yourself, expect up and downs on how you are feeling and do rest and keep on TE for support. I had a major crash (shoulder destroyed, thankfully not my head) almost 3 years ago and still working through things now.

A member of my cycle club had a major head injury. He was going down a steep descent and his jacket stuffed in his pocket came out and lodged in his back wheel. He fell off backwards on his bike (bike OK) and hit his head. Of course helmets are not really designed for backwards falls.

He spent 3 weeks in a head trauma clinic as he had short term memory loss (couldn't remmebr what happened during the day). However I must say- he was back riding after 4 months. He recovered for his head injury in 2 months. Considering he also broke ribs etc in this fall I think that was pretty amazing.

Another member fell while riding and we found him out cold in the ditch. His head injury affected one of his eyes- it refused to focus and gave him double vision. He started riding again after 6 months with an eye patch over that eye, but did lots of riding with a small group of people he knew because he couldn't see on his blind side and didn't want to crash again.

+1 for stoking on a tandem- that's what I have done. You can close your eyes and don't worry about things while your legs turn over. Also spin classes kept me sane while I was off the road.

And yes, the best people who know what you are going through are other riders. I would go out to my club on Sundays just to have a coffee and lunch with my friends and other riders because they understood and gave me all the love and support I needed. including answering my emails I typed at 2am in the morning when I couldn't sleep because of the pain, telling me to go to the doctor when I got very down and blue and lending me magazines, DVDs, telephone calls and taking me out for coffee. It's wonderful what the cycling community does to support the injured!

[crazycanuck]

A couple of links for you-

Another TE lady from many moons ago had a similar experience http://www.denisegoldberg.com/

An awesome local MTB gent was on the World Cup Downhill circuit a few years back & a jump went horribly wrong. :( He battled his way back & is now an awesome XC racer and has done numerous 12 & 24hr solo mtb events. http://www.ride-calendar.com/lineup/johnny.shtml

Take each day as they come. Remember to let your body heal and don't rush things.

[tulip]

You sound like me. I will send you a PM since I don't want to go into details here. Take care.

[OakLeaf]

((((((((loopybunny))))))))

No advice, just sincere wishes for a quick and complete recovery.

[Crankin]

Please be very careful in your recovery. TBI is a funny thing; you can feel fine, but you are not. Are you going to be working with specialists to assess you as you recover?
There are plenty of people here that have been through this, but I also recommend sending Denise Goldberg a note. I have ridden with her a bit (after her crash) and her recovery story is inspiring. She has a blog and a website.

[Miranda]

yep, another +1 on "been there, done that"...

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=33852&highlight=century+crash

Thank gawd for bike helmets, right?! (Which btw, Giro offers a 25% crash replacement discount when you call them and order directly.) Yikes (((hugs))) for you. So sorry this happened. "Club Crash" is not a fun one to be in. But, you are not alone.

Well, on the brain fog mine was a few weeks. But no where severe as your damage. Even tho the doc had cleared me att I just remember coming to the realization that I was "not all ok" in the head driving my kid to school... I was sitting at a stop light and didn't remember what I was suppose to do:(... uh, kinda scary:eek:.

Here's wishes for the best recovery possible:cool:.

[shootingstar]

Take care loopy. Visit us more often.

[sundial]

I just want to wish you a complete recovery and keep us posted on your progress.

[indysteel]

What an ordeal! :( I don't have any personal experience with TBI, so I'll leave it to the ladies who unfortunately do have such experience to give you advice. But I do wish you a speedy recovery. Heal well and keep us posted. Take good care of yourself.

[spokewench]

Loopy - Wishing the best in your recovery! I have no personal experience, but have seen others with concussions like yours; some are fine very quickly, most take a few months and sometimes longer. It is really dependent on the person and severity of concussion. Just hang in there knowing that it will get better.

Hoping the best for you.

spoke

[zoom-zoom]

Loopy, so glad that you're well enough to have (flawlessly) typed all that on your phone (I couldn't ever do that on a good day! :eek: ). I'm sorry you experienced this. I hope your recovery goes better than expected and that you can be back on your bike soon.

[Roadtrip]

+1 on the well wishes and speedy recovery. That's some scary stuff and so glad the helmet did it's job!! We all enjoy going fast and often forget how easily it can go wrong.

Thanks for posting and hope you're feeling better soon!!

Shannon

[Veronica]

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Veronica

[loopybunny]

Thank you so much for all of the well wishes and information. It'll take me a while to go through all of it.

I'm happy to report that this morning I made my own breakfast (toast with peanut butter) and even rinsed the dishes then put them in the dishwasher. I also brushed my own hair after a shower. I figure all of this is a good indication of my increasing independence. Not close to driving yet, which means my mom is driving me to a doctors appointment today (unrelated to accident), but I'm hopeful I'll be okay to drive in another week or so.

I have a follow up phone appointment with my primary care physician on Monday as well as an appointment to have the staples removed (one is missing... probably pulled out from trying to brush out my hair). I start physical therapy on the 18th.

My friend sent some photos of my damaged bike and I have a few of the helmet. I'm posting a link instead of posting directly here because the helmet ones are a bit disturbing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49521477@N02/sets/72157626119602777/

[snapdragen]

Your helmet gave it's life for you - a good thing! Take care of yourself, and like jobob sez - be patient. Best wishes to you.

[jessmarimba]

You sound like you're making good progress! I've never had a head injury (thank goodness) so I can't really give advice, but if you listen to your body you'll be back and good as new when you're ready.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[Desert Tortoise]

So sorry, I hope you recover soon. Take care and let us know how you are coming along.

[nolemom]

A friend had a brain bleed that required emergency surgery but he was able to be back on the bike in a little over 2 months. Took it very easy at first and still has some issues of neck strain and headaches from the scar tissue over the plate, but he is has returned to the same level of riding.

[SpeedyChix]

I'm looking for stories from other cyclists regarding how long it took them before they were back on the bike.


Go by how your feel. But biggest mistake I made was failing to rest, rest some more and oh, by the way .... rest. Seriously sleep is critical. Might be good to inquire if the docs feel it's wise to do a follow-up scan on the bleeding too.

You'll know when you're ready to go. But start inside on a trainer. Bumps / jarring hurt. If you find you're getting tired, grumpy, have trouble typing, speaking, seeing, etc. It's still messing with you. Some of the aftereffects from a concussion can last a long time.

Once you do decide to go outside to ride, have company, go very easy. Again, if your head hurts, head back home and stick to non-jarring activities.

To a speedy recovery.

[bcipam]

Funny I and my two riding buddies all had traumatic brain injuries. Mine was the least of the 3 (we all had car v. bike accidents). My one friend is now on life long anti-seizure medication. My other has some physical limitations. All 3of us have the same quirky, weird injury in that when we type, words get messed up. Not typos, just weird word order for instance I might type for "I need to stop by the store and pick up milk" "I guy need to want by the store and see up milk". The words are all spelled correctly but make no sense in terms of context. I don't speak that way; I just type that way.

I have to re-read emails and letters a number of times to catch all the weird mistakes. It's tough because words aren't spelled wrong so spell checker doesn't help. Grammar checker will catch it sometimes.

When we send emails back and forth, and the weird words are there, we understand and figure out what the other was trying to say but sometimes my emails come back with the note "please interpret Pamspeak"...

A head injury is scary. It helps to go through cognitive redevelopment and do mind games and puzzles. And with time, things get better although this little quirk for me is permanent. It is actually getting worse as I get older. That's frightening!

[ladyicon]

Geeez, put a lump in my throat. God speed on your recovery.

[linzq]

Huge hugs and good wishes for a speedy recovery.

[redrhodie]

What an awful crash! Give yourself time to heal. I hope you feel better soon!

[bluejellybean]

(((loopybunny)))
Here's to a speedy recovery...take care and take time to heal, as hard as that will be.

[azfiddle]

Another well wish for you - no advice or experience but hope you are able to recover completely.

[Koronin]

Take care of yourself and get well. Glad you're well enough to post.

[shootingstar]

Funny I and my two riding buddies all had traumatic brain injuries. Mine was the least of the 3 (we all had car v. bike accidents). My one friend is now on life long anti-seizure medication. My other has some physical limitations. All 3of us have the same quirky, weird injury in that when we type, words get messed up. Not typos, just weird word order for instance I might type for "I need to stop by the store and pick up milk" "I guy need to want by the store and see up milk". The words are all spelled correctly but make no sense in terms of context. I don't speak that way; I just type that way.

I have to re-read emails and letters a number of times to catch all the weird mistakes. It's tough because words aren't spelled wrong so spell checker doesn't help. Grammar checker will catch it sometimes.

When we send emails back and forth, and the weird words are there, we understand and figure out what the other was trying to say but sometimes my emails come back with the note "please interpret Pamspeak"...

A head injury is scary. It helps to go through cognitive redevelopment and do mind games and puzzles. And with time, things get better although this little quirk for me is permanent. It is actually getting worse as I get older. That's frightening!

Sounds scary. Hope no other crash happens again.

[Pip]

I didn't have a crash - I had brain surgery (an endoscopic third ventriculostomy if you want to Google it), but I ended up with some kind of brain injury as a result. The doctors never managed to work out why, but I developed both horizontal and vertical diplopia (double vision), and vestibular problems. I started running again after about four monhts, even though I was still having post-surgery problems. After six months I tried a couple of spin classes. After that I went out with a friend for a short bike ride, and a couple of months after that I felt confident enough to start pack riding again. Today I still have the vision issues - treated with prisms, and I still have a sensation of being rocked, but I live a pretty much completely normal life. I do still get tired more easily and being tired makes my symptoms worse. I work full time and I run, cycle, etc.

Of course it depends on the injury, but my surgeons told me the most recovery comes in the first six months, and it was around the six month point that I started feeling more normal. They also said it can take up to two years to improve as much as you're going to.

If I have any advice it's to be your own advocate. Know your body, find out as much as you can about your injury and don't be afraid to seek the help you need!

[smilingcat]

not remembering your accident is fairly common. Not remembering any thing of the day even things prior to the accident is normal too.

One thing I hated was not being able to go to sleep after some of my milder concussions. Doctors wanted to "talk" to you every hour or two... Make sure you didn't slur and your cognitive skills were intact... Make sure you weren't becoming agitated nor combatitive.

Unfortunately, too many of us have had major concussion or two. So you are not alone. Lots of good anecdotal comments of what happened afterward. Recovery back to normalcy, tiring easy for few month to a year, symptoms gets worse when tired etc. are all normal course of recovery. Be patient and love yourself.

The important thing is you survived, able to write about it, and your way to recovery. Worry about the bike later.

I wish you speedy and complete recovery. Yes I too have suffered several major crashes with concussion and broken clavicle (collar bone both sides).

Take it easy rest and sleep.

Sweet dreams,

Smilingcat

[lo123]

Only one nurse had any personal experience recovering from a severe head injury. I'm looking for stories from other cyclists regarding how long it took them before they were back on the bike.

I'm so sorry to hear about your wreck.

I wrecked on October 12, 2010 on an evening group ride. The last thing I remember was seeing a set of fountains at a particular park. Everything is pretty hazy for the next 7 days--I only remember flashes. Anyway, I fractured my skull (and got a lovely laceration, now scar, on my right temple) and had a subarachnoid hemhorrage (bleed on the brain). I spent 3 days in the ICU in an induced coma.

After effects: The first week home I was just a bum. I had massive headaches and vertigo. I was drugged up on pain pills and slept most of the time. I went back to work part time after 2.5 weeks. It took me 1 month before I could drive. It was probably mid-December before the daily headaches reduced to a few a week. I had some concentration and memory issues, but nothing severe.

I've been in a research study for TBI at the local research hospital. They've said that for the severity of the crash and damage that I'm very lucky how quickly I've recovered. I'll chalk it up to being a hardheaded *****. :D

I went for my first ride on New Years Day. It was only a short loop around the high school campus by my house, but it gave me the confidence that I could do it. (I did spend a good amount of time on the trainer before then).

Since then, I've done 8 rides of increasing length/intensity. One of which my hubby organized as a welcome back group ride with all my friends (many of whom were present at my wreck). The cycling community has been great. Many folks were there in the hospital checking in on my husband and me, and coming to check on me after I got home.

It's been a long road, but I do feel like I'm finally recovered. I have sworn off night rides. I don't remember the wreck, but I know that railroad tracks were involved. I don't see all that well at night anyway, and it's just not worth the risk anymore. I'm replacing my winter night rides with spin class and running.

I hope you recover well. Just be patient with yourself.

[loopybunny]

I'm trying to be more independent because my mom is leaving tomorrow so I tried making myself nachos for a snack. I couldn't remember how to open the bag of chips. Then I got dizzy and disoriented and spilled cheese on the floor.

I'm also quite sick of having a constant headache and being sensitive to sounds. I'm hopeful this will go away soon.

My main concern right now is that my vision in the left eye is not what it used to be. I'll talk to my doctor tomorrow.

[marni]

I was sick dizzy and cruising on pain meds because of broken ribs for about six weeks, then I weaned off the pain meds because the ribs were starting to heal up. Dizziness had reduced down to just if I stood up suddenly or when I lay down in bed at night. I started in with easy stationary and recumbent biking at 8 weeks and eased into cardio rate and some intensity over the next three weeks. Took my first road bike ride at 12 weeks, with someone riding along with me just in case. Did a short and very easy 25. The dizziness at night continued for another couple of weeks and gradually eased off and was totally gone by about 4 1/2 months. Only thing I really notice now is that I seem to have lost a bit more short term memory, so write copious steps by step lists to compensate, but then I am also going through the menopause process yet again because of breast cancer chemo therapy issues, and menopause the first time did a real trip on my brain. I am resigned to being ditzy and totally absent minded and not dizzy. I should also point out that the whole episode was probably more severe because it was the second head hit/helmet/ accident in two months.

[shootingstar]

I really hope loopy that you get better.

Same for you marni

[redrhodie]

I'm trying to be more independent because my mom is leaving tomorrow so I tried making myself nachos for a snack. I couldn't remember how to open the bag of chips. Then I got dizzy and disoriented and spilled cheese on the floor.

I'm also quite sick of having a constant headache and being sensitive to sounds. I'm hopeful this will go away soon.

My main concern right now is that my vision in the left eye is not what it used to be. I'll talk to my doctor tomorrow.

Do you have anyone else to help? Or, can you go home with your mom to recover with her care a little longer? It sounds like you still could use some help. I know you want to get back to normal as soon as possible, but maybe that will happen faster if you get more rest.

[lo123]

My main concern right now is that my vision in the left eye is not what it used to be. I'll talk to my doctor tomorrow.

I forgot to mention that I ended up needing to get new glasses. I was advised my the neurosurgeon to wait a few months to let it stabilize. They also said it was likely that I had some nerve issues because of where I hit being so close to the optic nerve.

Turned out that I lost the ability to compensate for my astigmatism.

Hang in there.

[loopybunny]

Do you have anyone else to help? Or, can you go home with your mom to recover with her care a little longer? It sounds like you still could use some help. I know you want to get back to normal as soon as possible, but maybe that will happen faster if you get more rest.

I have some coworkers that are willing to come over if needed.

Had my staples removed today. What an ordeal. First of all, I had to wait for an hour and 15 minutes before they called me in. The first woman didn't know what to do then brought in an RN. They both left to get the doctor. By the time he walked in, it was 10 min before I was supposed to have a phone appointment with him.

He did some quick vision tests and determined that I need to be referred to a neurologist. Apparently when one suffers a severe concussion with a brain hemorrhage, this doesn't warrant an automatic referral to one. Although, they had no problem spending the money to transfer me from San Francisco to Modesto by ambulance. My doctor seems to be completely unaware of the extent of my injuries. The nurse even said that she could find no record of me having any sort of sutures or why. Nice.

[loopybunny]

I forgot to mention that I ended up needing to get new glasses. I was advised my the neurosurgeon to wait a few months to let it stabilize. They also said it was likely that I had some nerve issues because of where I hit being so close to the optic nerve.

Turned out that I lost the ability to compensate for my astigmatism.

Hang in there.

That's good to know. My Oakley glasses were undamaged, but I had Rx Transitions lenses in them that disappeared. Obviously I need new ones. I'm not due for a new pair until July though.

[lo123]

Because glasses are so expensive, maybe you could use an online service like http://www.zennioptical.com/ ?

I haven't tried them myself, but I'm going to order some RX sunglasses from them. I have a hard time wearing the astigmatism contact lenses, and I need my sun protection! anyway, I've read good things about that particular site. Even if you still have to pay for the exam out of pocket, at least the glasses won't set you back quite so much.

[Crankin]

You haven't seen a neurologist :eek:?
Get yourself there pronto.

[crazycanuck]

Just a story for you & I understand she was released from hospital today.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/halliday-finally-on-the-road-to-recovery

[loopybunny]

Just a story for you & I understand she was released from hospital today.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/halliday-finally-on-the-road-to-recovery

Thanks for sharing that. I hadn't seen it!

Just a little update re: my condition: My eyesight still seems off. In fact, my left eye feels a bit fatigued. I have an appointment this afternoon with a neurologist.

Ironically, I have an appointment tomorrow at the DMV for my license. I wasn't supposed to have to go in, but California is changing the DMV computer system and because of some glitch, they decided two months after I renewed online that I have to come in for a new pic. My license says I must wear corrective lenses, which is a mistake, but I have to retake the eye exam to have that removed. This will be fun! Glad my vision isn't that different.

Also, I joined the Raisin Hope Foundation (because Saul made me). It's a small foundation formed by former pro cyclist, Saul Raisin, to offer support for those with traumatic brain injuries.

[jobob]

Just a little update re: my condition: My eyesight still seems off. In fact, my left eye feels a bit fatigued. I have an appointment this afternoon with a neurologist.

You might have slightly injured a nerve that runs along the outside of your eye which could be affecting how your eyes focus.

If its any consolation to you, that kind of injury has been known to heal up on its own, albeit at an annoyingly slow pace.

I had double vision for about a week, which then tapered off to where I only experienced DV when I first woke up or when I was tired.

Sometimes I'd forget to focus out of only one eye and I'd pour my morning coffee into the wrong cup :rolleyes:

That early morning/fatigue related DV lasted for another month or so, until the glorious morning when I realized that there was only one coffee cup in front of me! Seriously, that's when I realized the DV had finally gone away.

Wishing you well.

[loopybunny]

Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks since my accident.

I returned to work on Monday. It's been hard since there has been a lot going on this week.

I'm still experiencing symptoms like headaches, nausea, concentration issues, and vertigo... but they seem to be less severe. They also seem to hit me like clockwork. I can count on my dizziness to start returning around 1pm and lasting through the day/night until the following morning. Meaning, I only have about 6 hours when it doesn't bother me unless I'm leaning over. I feel like it's taking a long time and very slow going. I think it'll be a couple more weeks at least before I'm ready to ride again.

I'll be getting my bike back from my friend this weekend so I hope I'll be able to get it into a shop for "official" word on what the damage is.

[OakLeaf]

If it's on that regular of a schedule, I wonder if you just aren't pushing too hard, and getting symptomatic when you start getting tired.

Take care of yourself. Glad you're making progress. ((((((loopybunny))))))

[smilingcat]

There is nothing you can do except to be patient. It takes time to heal to a point where you feel normal. You can't rush the healing process and do rest a lot.

I do remember reading about Saul Raisin. For consolation prize he now can speak French like a native speaker.

After a major major head injury, for which several of us have experienced, we have to find some silver lining in the whole thing. In a year or two, you will adjust just fine and life will not be better or worse. Really! Best way to deal is to be flexible in your thinking, your way of looking at life and world. I wouldn't worry too much at 3 week point.

Heck I didn't have any short term memory for a week or more. And not so sure how much sheet time I did after the last accident. To this day, I really don't know how long I was in the hospital. Maybe my partner told me after I came home but it wasn't till winter time that I have any memory... In between, just seem to have disappeared into thin air/fog.

Think positive, look on the bright side and keep telling yourself today is better than yesterday. Having positive thinking really helps with healing/recovery.

As for CA driver license, I eneded having getting two extentions before I finally got my new one. First photo was bad. Second one, the camera operator said, I need to open my eyes. I'm no round eye being Asian, so I forced myself to really open my eyes wide open. Now I have this zombie look on my license.

I don't have my OR driver license yet, as I'm still going back and forth... Rain in Portland, pouring buckets in Southern California. Bummer... Can't get away.

Your photo will look ten times better than mine. And oh, when you go in, you don't have to retake the eye exam if you went through on the first round.

Wish you the best,

[mariacycle]

(((loopybunny)))

Get back on when it feels right but makes sure you're riding with friends that are watching you. Have you been back to any doctors since being referred to a neurologist? I'm sorry to hear that the first doctors/nurses weren't up to par, I hope that you find the right team to take care of you. Keep us updated, we're all praying for your recovery!

[loopybunny]

No updates from doctors. Don't think I'll be hearing from them unless I contact them to talk about problems. Right now, I'm being patient.

Something cool happened yesterday though. I met Scott Nydam of BMC. I have a new perspective on my life and injuries.

First of all, what I'm going through is nowhere near what Scott has gone through. He's living a completely productive and rewarding life despite his career ending injuries.

Second, hearing Scott's stories from his time working with Team Rwanda really made me realize that while I'm recovering from a pretty big accident, it's nothing that what some of the guys on the team have been through.

Nothing like a little perspective to make my life feeling awesome.

I also learned from some friends that they've noticed that I've shown improvement in my clarity when speaking and writing. This makes me happy.

[ClockworkOrange]

Hi loopybunny

You poor thing, nope fortunately never had any TBI but then again I suppose I would have to have a brain to start with.

I so wish you well and a speedy recovery, like many others have said, don't rush and rest is so very important.

It is still early days, so just one day at a time.

Take care and hugs from across the pond.

[eofelis]

I hope you are doing well in your recovery.

My SO had a crash last summer. We were doing a night ride (headlights, etc) in a rural area when a huge raccoon ran out of a ditch right into the back wheel of his bike. It knocked the bike right out from underneath him. He was going about 12mph. He went straight down and hit his head (helmeted) on the white line or gravel. He was out for just a few minutes. Ambulance ride to ER, etc. Grade 3 concussion and small brain hemmorage (sp?). Nothing broken, big bruises on hip and shoulder.

The first week he mostly slept. It was July and the heat really got to him. He didn't have any headaches or vision problems. He doesn't remember much of the accident. He didn't drive much for the first month and it was a couple of months til he was riding regularly. Between then and now he has made steady progress. He says he thinks he forgets some things (but he has no problem remembering trig identities!). He is mostly affected by fatigue, but that has been getting better.

Doctors he has seen told him 6 mos to 1 yr for full recovery.