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Barb "country girl"
Here is my story the day of Feb of 2003. I was a supervisor for a company
managed 60 people. I was loading a truck for one of the setup people because I need
them to do a setup. I picked up the load and put it on the back of the truck., the
driver went outside and got in his truck.. I wasn't finished and the driver pulled
away. The fork lift and me fell about 6 feet. The next thing I remember is the setup
person coming down to get me. I do remember cussing out the driver. The setup person
helped me to the first aid room. I said I will be fine just let me go outside and
have a cig. Well he keep telling me you need to go to first aid. I talked him into
letting me go outside I was his boss you know. LOL I stood by the file cabinets
while he got me a wheelchair from the first aid room the next thing I remember was
my legs went week and he came running to get me. They called 911 and then I guess
they called life flight. I was having seizures I guess. I don t remember the flight
and very little of the hospital. They kept me for one day. They said the cat scan of
the head was slightly composed because I was having a seizure (they really wasn t
sure what I was having) and my head was tilted in the picture. They said I had a
close head injury and back sprain. I don't remember how I got home from hospital and
really don t remember any for about a week. I was able to walk around and respond I
guess. (I call it when I woke up) the first thing I remember is when the personal
director from work came to my house a week later. The doctors said I had amnesia
(forgive my spelling) I guess my family wanted me to go back to hospital because I
wasn t acting right and I had problems with memory. But I guess I fought them and
said no I was fine it is just the medicine and my back because I was in pain. I got
a knot in between my eyes about a week later; I must of hit the steering wheel of
the forklift. My boss said I should tell the doctor but I said I was fine. I went to
see the doctor three weeks later and I told him I was fine and I want to go back to
work. (I really wasn t fine) so he let me and I made it only one day. I have never
been back yet. I started therapy for my back I was in a lot of pain. Two months
later they found a blood clot in my T-6 and I had a herniated disk and spinal
stenosis. I never had problems with back before and my job required me to have a
very good memory, multiple task,. So I did psychical therapy and pain management for
1 yr. I never thought about my brain injury because all I thought about was my pain,
I had a hard time walking. I know I was different I had problems understanding what
I read and I couldn t understand people when they talked. I could hear them but it
was like their lips was just moving. The family finally talked me in to seeing
someone for my memory problems. I had a neuropsychological evaluation. They said I
had problems in short term memory and auditory delay memory is significantly
impaired, other words frontal lobe damage. I just couldn t understand that because
nothing showed up on the mri and I was only in hospital one day how could that be.
They told me that it wouldn t show up some thing to do with the cells and shearing
of nerves it doesn t show on mri. It has been hard to understand because when you
think of brain injury you think of someone in a coma or in a wheel chair. If you
look at me I look fine. I don t know where I fit in at, most of the people I talk to
that had brain injury was in the hospital for a long time they were a lot worst then
me. And people that never had a brain injury just think I m slow. I know I have
problems with memory and my family says I act like a little child. I don t see my
friend any more my choice. I still go to massage therapy for my back and left hip. I
have had 7 injection shots for back. It had not helped my thoracic part of back. I
have to get another MRI to see if the blood clot has gotten bigger and maybe pushing
on a nerve. I start cognitive therapy next week. I want the old me back but I know
that will not happen. So I'm learning to live with this new person. I thought maybe
there is someone else out there like me that was never in hospital long, but still
has a lot of problems with memory and cognitive. I just thank God it was not worst.
