'Is this what life is going to be like?' The story of a 34 year old man (T) who suffered a severe head injury after a fall.
Imagine this. You don't remember but you fell from a ladder, a distance of 20 ft onto concrete, on Christmas eve whilst cleaning windows. You suffered a severe head injury and emerged from a coma four weeks later yelling and fighting thinking that you are back in the Falklands. After 6 months in a specialist neurological unit, where you were for a majority of the time 'as unhelpful as possible', you are finally discharged home and your rehabilitation is 'complete'. You believed that your body would 'jump out of bed and go home' months ago but 'it did not respond to your orders'. This was the beginning of a 'long and painful journey back to a reasonable life'. Home was not the safe and loving environment that you thought it would be. Everyone was beginning to see that life was not going to be the same again. There was conflict and distress. wife: He was a vibrant, energetic physical man and now he is a shell of himself. All his anger and frustration he feels about his injury he is taking out on us and whilst we all feel compassion and sympathy for him, it's hard to take... The physical problems are easy to deal with but it is the psychological problems that are hardest. son: He has changed alot. He is more short tempered and we can't reason with him. Anything we say is classed as arguing. He won't let us give our views on matters. He's always right.
Glover
A
A
Colchester and North East Essex Headway, Headway House, Essex, UK. information@suffolk.ac.uk
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012944:Social Support