My personal recovery plan is finally beginning to take shape. At a glance, it appears the majority of my difficulties are caused by how my accident exacerbated an existing problem of sleep apnea. My neurologist currently feels that correcting the sleep problem will be necessary before the remaining problems can be properly evaluated.
While I agree that the sleep apnea must be my central target, I am still focusing on individual symptoms also. My continuing problem with vertigo was definitely caused by the head injury, and correcting sleep apnea is unlikely to help that problem, but continued eye exercises can maintain my ability to accommodate the loss of inner-ear fluid by depending on vision for balance. A particular problem I have found is how complex traffic (or tracking any complex set of vectors) causes a sense of confusion if I happen to look up and to my left, which is common when driving in heavy traffic. That momentary confusion could be dangerous under the wrong circumstances, so I practice scanning a checkerboard grid to train my eyes and brain to work together, even when what I see is complex.
I have started using the brain training exercises at Lumosity.com that have been demonstrated to help build short-term memory and focus, and to remediate problems with discalculia and problems finding words to express ideas.
On one hand, not all of the areas that are shaping up to become most important to my recovery will apply to everyone struggling with a brain injury, but I believe there is still enough that we have in common that I will be able to create a useful resource.
As always, I invite ideas of readers. What resources have you found helpful? How would you suggest that a "resources" website would best meet the needs of TBI victims and their families?
