About Me

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I am 19 years old now. It seems like time is going fast, and I am not always sure how to handle it! I started college August 2014. I am studying psychology at North Central University, meeting new people, and drawing closer to God with each step I take. Life is not a destination, it is a long journey. I am excited to see what God has in store for my life, and I hope you will join me as I find out!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

How It Happened....

Today, I will tell about my brain injury and how it happened.

Mom had broken her foot and was unable to go any where. Autumn was visiting along with Songbird and Mighty Mouse. That day they had gone to visit friends. After doing daily chores, FigNewTon and I asked to ride our bikes to the Splash Station. The answer was yes! On the way out of the door, we heard Mom call "Wear your helmets girls!" because I had recently started thinking it was uncool to wear my helmet. On the way there, the ride was fine, and we had a fun day at the Water park. Leaving, I was again unsure about my helmet and almost didn't put it on, but I knew FigNewTon would give me a hard time like she had done with Songbird the day before, so I put it on. Riding home, it seemed like FigNewTon was kind of crabby and tired, so I started a game with her. We would go and cross in front of each other with our bikes. Then one time, our wheels caught and our bikes fell over. The next parts are unclear, so I will give you everything I have pieced together from what people have told me. Falling off of the bike, I was hit in the back of the head and knocked unconscious. When I woke, there were a bunch of people looking down at me. One happened to be a pediatrician. I went to the hospital and was then transferred to Children's Hospital with the doctors saying I had fractured my skull. I was released the next day and got a lot better. Mom said that I got better for a while and then it seemed to plateau until Christmas, when I got worse.
After the accident, I had a lot of headaches and what I called "bugs." "Bugs" were when I felt like there were bugs crawling all over me. I was also very dizzy and could not usually think straight.
In January, I was at Basketball practice and got hit in the head with a basketball. Mom said I had "bugs" for two hours and was disoriented when she called the doctor. All together, I had bugs for four hours before they finally stopped. Mom took me into the emergency room and they hospitalized me for two days.
I am now doing much better. I think, feel, and react anywhere from 8 to 14, usually around 10. I don't have bugs very much any more, thanks to Dr. S, my chiropractor. Also thanks to Dr.S, I have very few headaches. I still sleep a lot and am not allowed to do anything that has any risk involved, like any sports or climbing. And youth group events usually involve something I can't do. I cannot be left alone for any period of time, which means that Mom cannot work.
I see a neurologist (Dr.R), my pediatrician (Dr.D), and a neuropsychologist (Dr.W). I am scheduled to have a lot of testing done by Dr.W. in August. This will tell where we need to go from here. I used to see a neurosurgeon, but I don't see him any more, because there is no need for surgery.
It took me THREE DAYS to write this post, people!

3 comments:

Tricia said...

I love you! I am so glad you obeyed and wore your helmet that day!

autumnesf said...

Thanks for sure a memorable vacation stinker. Did you have to wait until I came for a visit to crack your egg????

Love you and miss you!

Anonymous said...

You did really good on this. Mr B was impressed. Miss H