Over the next year and a half, I had to have 3 dics in my neck removed and 4 vertebrae fused. The surgery didn't go very good. The graft migrated breaking 3 of the 4 vertebrae. The docs decided to leave it and let it fuse like that. So now I have some swallowing and vocal problems. Furthermore, when they took the bone graft from my leg, they damaged the nerve in my leg and I ended up with foot drop. During all of this time, I kept talking to my docs about these cognitive and memory problems. They told me that it was stress or because of pain. I was still having blurred vision, nerve tremors and headaches everyday. Nothing seemed to help. My orthopedic surgeon suggested University Hospital's pain management clinic. I spent the month of Oct. 1999 in the rehab unit there. It was one of the best things that I did. I learned a lot about coping skills, living skills and living within the limits of my physical injury. I was also diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome there. However, they couldn't get the headaches under control. They decided that they weren't coming from my neck but were TBI headaches. That was the first time I ever heard the phrase.

At this time the twitching in my face and the nerve tremors in my arms were getting worse. When I asked a neurologist about them they told me that it was from stress. My neurologist said "Lisa, you had a bad bang on the head, you have to expect some reprocusion from that." I was very frustrated and felt helpless but continued on. In Febuary of 2000, I went to my local neurologist and complained of the nerve tremors and memory and cognitive problems. She told me that I had TBI and that not to worry because it wouldn't change much. She did tell me, however, that for a cognitive person like me it would be my greatest challange yet. She told me that she was not trained to treat TBI but that she could look into some rehab for me but, because of my educational background, she thought that it was unnecessary. I would learn to compensate on my own.

I forgot to mention here, that I moved from Alabama to Ohio a month after my accident to move in with my parents and have some help. In April of this year, my parents moved to Florida. That is when I really started to notice how bad my deficits are. I couldn't keep track of my kids, I was getting lost all of the time. I couldn't remember to pay my bills. And then the seizures started. They started little and over the course of 3 months turned in to grand mal seizures. I couldn't get anyone in the medical community around me to see me because I didn't have insurance. It wasn't until I had a seizure in the lab of the hospital that I received any medical attention for them. I am now partially paralyzed on the right side of my body from the seizures. The docs feel that I will get this back but they can't gaurantee it. I walk with a cane for long distances and have a lot of pain. It just seems to make my lower back problem worse.

I have had to learn to advocate for myself and with the help of Katie, Mojo and Bufuss I was turned onto a lot of services that I could get help from. I now have Ohio State Disability which entitles me to medicaid and have found a TBI specialist in Akron. The seizures seem to be under control for the moment. I continue to live in faith, hope and grace that I will one day return to the work I love and have a thriving life. I am a strong person and determined to not let this stop me from enjoying my life. God promises us an abundant life. It is our responsibility to live it.

Email Lisa