I had a car accident on 01-08-01.
A woman pulled out from a stop sign and didn't look. I hit her head on, I couldn't avoid her. The accident was her fault, she admitted it on the scene, was ticketed. My lawsuit has not been settled yet. My car was totaled and I now have a head injury. Luckily the only other injury was a cut to my leg. I also was able to avoid glass in my face (while hitting the windshield) due to my sunvisor having a missing screw so that is hung down slightly. There was an EMT behind the woman that pulled out in front of me, so he came right away. The police, fire and rescue were nearby. This was in front of my work, well one of the buildings I work in). I work at an elementary school, and some of the kids on the buses saw my car.
My doctor told me I did not have a concussion so there was no way that I had a head injury. WRONG! I later ditched her and found a real doctor. I tried Physical Therapy for a bit. Helped a little. Most helpful was my doctor that did some spinal adjustments, not chiropractic, because he doesn't pop anything. He uses resist and release to adjust the muscles around the bones to get things in place. I don't remember what it is called.
The day of my accident my mother was at the hospitalwith my grandmother trying to get her admitted. They didnot know what was wrong with her. My best friend was an hour away and just happened to be off work that day. She drove down to get me. Mom came the next day (8 hr drive), even though I told her not to. I thought I was fine. She wound up staying for 53 weeks with me.
I am a sign language interpreter, and I was having great difficulty doing my job. One was physical with my arms and shoulders, another was concentration, and I also couldn't remember words. My processing is vital to the job, but it has been damaged. When I realized I forgot how to sign a division problem, I could no longer hide the truth from myself. Work was not understanding at all. They thought I was fine, I thought I was fine, and there I was a mess. I wound up out of work for 6 weeks, later in the year, and only came back for the last 2 weeks of school.
I did go through nueropsych. I still have problems remembering words or signs at times. I tired easily. I have trouble concentraing with a lot going on. My mind gets tired easily. Lights that change fast zap my brain.I am not good at seeing how things affect other ppl. I forget just about everything.
Organization is a big obstacle for me, one I am determined to conquer. I was the kind of person that could be pretty messy but still find stuff before the accident, that no longer works for me. And with continual apartment problems, I need to move, which is proving to be a HUGE challenge to my organzational skills, and the mess that I have here. I now use a PDA to keep track of things, though occasionally I forget to check it! Opps! I no longer care about books like I use to. (For awhile I couldn't read.) Though I still like to buy books. I like to buy things too much, so that can be a problem. I live on my own with my family in another state. This has been a strain on all of us and I have lost several friends as I can't interact as much as I use to, there are more misunderstanding, and some don't get it.
I was also active in interpreting organizations. I have seriously compromised my reputation cause I just don't have it together enough to do all the things I think I can, and promise to do. I am still a very emotional person since the accident. Some due to the injury, some because of the results of the changes in my life. I am on medication, and I don't think I will ever be able to come off of it. If I have lapses of forgetting to take them, there is a MAJOR change in me, must mean they work! I see a therapist that has been working with ppl that have chronic pain for years. She also knows quite a bit about head injuries. This is the best match possible for me! I also have endometriosis, Poly-Cystic Ovaries, along with a couple other issues; so I already had chronic pain before the accident. In fact, the day of my accident, I was waiting till I got to work to take a pain pill, because I was already hurting. They refused to give me one at the hospital cause I was in a neck brace, only a Toradol shot, which I already know doesn't work for me. They sent me out of there after a few xrays, no head checks, with a written prescriptions for pain meds. HA!
Anyway, I have come a long way in two years (today is 02-02-03 for reference). There is still much that will never be the same, and my life is forever changed because of a mistake. I still feel like I don't know what my future will hold or what will happen. I have goals and dreams that I don't know if they are possible now. I have started working on a degree so that I can change my career. This will take what fels like forever, but it needs to be done, and I am encouraged after just finishing my first class (since the accident).
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