I totally relate to this Jim. I make lots of journeys to do one task too.

You’re an inspiration! ?

Thank you, I do feel a totally different person now having sorted my past out. Believe me I went through hell sorting everything out, wanting to end my life at one point, but me being me I overcome it. No one or anything will beat me, i’m a fighter.

Mandy your experience is heartbreaking on so many levels, but I love your spirit and determination in the face of adversity.

My schooling suffered tremendously, as I could not remember much. All teachers would say, is I must learn to speak up, I sat quietly in class. I did not know I was struggling, I was just doing my best and that’s all my I could do. I did not do very well in my exams, as you can imagine. I could not remember a thing due to my brain injury.

Every part of my life suffered due to my brain injury, I can’t go anywhere new on my own, as I suffer extreme anxiousness and not remembering my way there and back even with a sat nav. I can remember things if I do them over, and over again repetitiveness.

I never let any of my employers know until I went for rehabilitation in 2011, because to me I was “normal”. It wasn’t until I moved away from all family and stood on my own two feet that I actually did something about my brain injury. I tackled every part of my life, brain injury and abuse from my grandad at age 8, and from an uncle at age 15.

All my relationships have suffered until recently, because no one really believed me, because I look normal, talk normal. Ask me a few minutes later what we were talking about and I could not remember.

I have worked since I left school, but all full time jobs until last year. I really have pushed myself to the extreme, I suffered fatigue, brain fog, head aches, and much more. I have reduced my hours over the last year, and hopefully just reduced for the last time this week. Now will be working 18 hours as a care assistant, which I enjoy. I do use strategies at work that enable me to do my job, I carry a note pad, and use my phone as my memory for date, day.

I have been a fighter all my life and I continue to fight, I won’t let brain injury win over me!!!

Ah yes, they think they are trying to make you feel better by saying what you are experiencing is just normal. But instead it just comes off as minimising your condition and makes you feel dismissed.

Hi Claire, I do think many of us feel that others don’t really believe what our symptoms are. Maybe that’s just us being paranoid, but I do think people struggle to understand. Anyway you are not alone, we are all on this journey together ?