How do I deal with a Brain Injury...

Michael Belliveau
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Brain cancer survivor (9 surgeries and 30 doses of radiation5y
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How do I improve my memory after a brain injury?This is a difficult answer, but I'll try my best to tell you what I currently do. Effective ways of improving your memory after a brain injury are time and repetition. I have a brain injury after undergoing 9 brain surgeries and 30 treatments of radiation due to brain cancer. As a side effect from aggressively treating this brain cancer, I have been dealing with a brain injury for over 3 years.
In the beginning things were very difficult. I could not walk, talk, or feed myself. After completing in-patient and out-patient physical therapy I regained these abilities. After this time my wife and I started attending a monthly brain injury support group. It was during this time that I came to the realization that I had a brain injury. I was very angry, forgetful due to short term memory issues, and had time distortion. This was all on top of chronic pain and chronic fatigue. My wife took me to a neuropsychologist who formally diagnosed me with an acquired brain injury.
After many months my anger dissipated and my time distortion improved slightly. My short term memory, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue are still with me today.
Focusing on my short term memory problems, I can talk about some of the things that have helped me:

• Time. There's no getting around this. Patience is a virtue when it comes to recovering from a brain injury. The brain is a highly complex, very adaptable structure. Through a process called neuroplasticity different parts of the brain can take over for the damaged areas. The short term memory issues can SLOWLY improve as neurons reconnect. Neurons are notorious for taking an incredibly long time to reconnect (on the order of years).
• See a Neuropsychologist. This doctor is trained to indentify and explain what is going on inside your brain. They are basically a human MRI. Through a series of tests they are able to diagnose which areas of the brain are not functioning properly. They will also give you techniques and suggestions to help with these deficits. They will point you to different doctors to treat your other symptoms if necessary. Neuropsychologists are commonly known as the “what’s next?” doctor after a brain injury diagnosis. If you have a brain injury, but no guidance as to how to treat it, then you should seek out the help of a neuropsychologist.
• Find a caregiver and/or advocate. A caregiver/advocate is someone who doesn't have a brain injury and is willing to help you understand and navigate your treatment and recovery. This person is your cheerleader and will celebrate even the smallest of victories. For me this person is my wonderful wife. She has been at my side since day one and has never given me a reason to doubt her. She calms my anxiety and goes to bat for me with the many doctors. She does memory games with me and is constantly helping me strengthen the areas of my brain that need work. Having her with me has been absolutely instrumental to my recovery. I can't stress the importance of this enough.
• Family support. The friends and family that were important parts of your life before brain injury should be a big part of your recovery. There is nothing worse than isolation when adapting to a new brain. Oftentimes brain injury survivors lack the ability to initiate phone calls, texts, or reaching out in any other way. It is very important for friends and family to consistently communicate and spend time with the survivor. This contact boosts the survivor’s morale and makes them feel “normal.” It also reduces the depression that the survivor is likely experiencing. When the survivor is happy, it is easier to repair the brain and make memories.
• Brain games. Tools such as Lumosity, Sodoku, crossword puzzles, reading, words searches, etc. are great ways to help you with your memory issues. A quick google search of memory games can help you on your road to recovery. Most of these apps are free and the ones that aren't typically have free trial periods.
• Scheduling/routine. It is critical to organize and schedule your time. If you have memory issues repeating the same tasks in the same sequence every day is the quickest way to reconnect neurons. Using a planner, whether physical or electronic, is very helpful to keep you on track in your daily routine. It also serves as a memory aid for medications, doctor’s appointments, and important phone numbers. I currently use Calendar, Tasks, and Reminders to help me. I have visual disabilities so using electronic reminders is easier than writing stuff down.
• Patience. Rome wasn't built in a day. Remember that recovery is slow and will not occur overnight. Slow progress is better than no progress. Take videos of yourself, periodically, so you can see your progression.

That’s all I can think of right now, but if I remember anything else I will post an update. Feel free to ask me any questions, I'll try my best to respond. Remember that brain injury is a lifelong recovery process. Let go of trying to be who you used to be. You're a new you and you will adapt, improvise, and THRIVE!