coordination Archives - Jumbledbrain

10 tips to avoid more accidents as a consequence of brain injury

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 14:22:41 +0000

As if facing a life time with a brain injury isn’t enough, you become more likely to have other accidents. Everyone will have accidents, that’s just being human. But brain injury survivors are at higher risk of injuring themselves. Yesterday I did another one, that was easily preventable.

The proof is in the pudding, or in this case the soup.

My partner James had popped out, and I decided to heat up some soup for my lunch. What happened next was a series of poorly thought through decisions.

I went to pour it into a bowl, even though I saw it was bubbling and therefore boiling. My terrible coordination meant I made a bad job of it, and it splashed back up over my hand. I went to flick to off my hand with a sharp shake, which was only partially successful. As I’d shouted when it happened, my cat Dexter woke up and decided it was time for his lunch too. I have basic first aid training, so I know speed at cooling a burn is important. However I chose to feed Dexter first. How ridiculous is that? And as some had spilt on the worktop and floor, I cleaned that up too before running cold water on my burning hand.

Was my brain injury to blame for yet another of my voidable accidents?

Not necessarily, but in all likelihood it probably played a role in it. We can all be careless at times, but my response at every stage was inappropriate. So now I am paying the price with my hand crisping up nicely. The back of my hand is red and delicate, but the worst is my inner wrist. It now sports some go faster stripes, complete with blisters for 3D effect.

So here’s a few tips on avoiding the most common accidents at home. They might sound obvious, but train yourself into good habits. If you have good habits, you’re more likely to respond in a safe way to things. Rather than try to fall back on your problem solving and decision making skills like I did.

Tips to avoid accidents at home, with or without a brain injury:

Be mindful of hot liquids. Don’t place hot drinks for example on table runners which hang over the edge. They can easily be pulled accidentally, causing spillage.
Turn in handles of pots and pans when cooking. A handle sticking out over the edge of the hob can easily be knocked and the hot contents to cause an injury.
Any spills should be cleaned up quickly. This is to prevent them causing anyone to slip and fall. However, make sure that if the spill happened due to you causing an injury to yourself, deal with your injury first and ask for help.
Install grab rails. Bathrooms are a must for grab rails as the slippery surfaces make falls all too likely. But make sure other areas of the house has been thought about too. Often I slip in the kitchen, but it’s tiny so I can grab the work surfaces. If yours is more generous, think of what would help you if you lost your balance.
Keep electronics and water at a safe distance. Things can be dropped or pushed accidentally into water. This can make them short out and as water is a good conductor it can result in electrocution.
Secure rugs. You might remember me talking about rug grippers before in 5 steps to end time consuming indecision of brain injury. These simple, inexpensive items could be the difference between a nasty fall or not.
Best practice for your stairs. Make sure carpets are properly installed making them secure. The hand rail should run the entire length of the stairs, and you should be in the habit of always using it. Avoid placing rugs at the top or bottom of the stairs, as they increase the risk of a fall. (Even with grippers.)
Don’t overload sockets. You must never be tempted to plug an extension cable into another extension cable. This could cause a fire.
Never leave a naked flame unattended. Candles must be kept away from flammable objects. Curtains are a common household item that can quickly catch fire.
Have a plan for if there’s a fire. Install a smoke detector and regularly check the batteries. Make sure you know how to exit the building, bearing in mind the obvious ones might be obstructed by the fire. Have keys for the doors where anyone staying in your home can access them so they can easily unlock the door to exit quickly.

The list could easily go on. If you want to look at a very comprehensive list Preventing Accidents in the Home by Rospa is pretty much on the money.

Other articles you might like:

Have you had avoidable accidents which you think your brain injury had a hand in? What tips do you want others to know?

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Can a brain injury make you more creative?

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 14:37:02 +0000

Immediately following my brain injury I struggled with my coordination. As someone who was pretty good at painting and drawing, I found this distressing as I was robbed of my skills. Whilst I didn’t engage in artwork all the time, it was still good to know I could do it if I wanted to. Some people are good at singing, or sports, but I was always lacking at both. So it was comforting to know I had my creative streak as my “talent”. I believe everyone has a talent, whether they have discovered it yet or not.

I worried I had lost my “talent” forever.

The word talent is in quotation marks, as it’s the only word I could think of. But actually it’s for observers to judge if the level of ability can be classed as a talent. Forgive me, I’m not being arrogant, it’s just my lack of vocabulary.

Feeling I could no longer be artistic was like saying goodbye to just another part of me. Particularly since creative activities are recommended for many kinds of rehabilitation, I took it as a slap in the face. Any time it was suggested to me, it served as a reminder for what I couldn’t do anymore. My coordination coupled with my double vision, meant I struggled with accuracy. Whilst I understood that as my brain relearned how to work better I would improve, frustration and impatience would take over me.

But when I took the pressure off myself, things started to happen….

Life moved on, and I stopped focusing on what I found more difficult due to my brain injury. (I know it feels like I’m always talking about what is tough. Just trust that I only do that for this blog. I promise I don’t bang on about it all the time really.) Since I don’t go to work anymore, and my friends do, I have had to find ways to spend my time (when I’m not napping.)

I didn’t really recognise how I was becoming more creative, until recently. Even when I first started writing this blog, and people asked if I wrote before, I didn’t really think about it. Really it wasn’t until my neighbour told me she thought I should be a creative designer that I started to see it. She had watched as I redesigned our back garden, and completely changed it. And recently had been impressed with what I have been doing to the front of the house recently.

Why have I got the creative bug?

I’m not going to bore you with all the little projects I have been embarking on. I just want to say this – I feel less inhibited with self doubt, and just have a go. It’s not that I necessarily believe in my skills, but I believe in the ideas. That’s what has changed. I have more ideas now. Previously I needed something to copy, but now I can rely on my own inspiration.

An article in Psychology today called Creativity and the Healing Brain, attempts to give a reason why this happens for some people. It could be to do which the change in the brain structure, or a change in confidence. Maybe we become more creative because it’s part of learning to adapt after a brain injury. But either way, I am enjoying the feeling (where it’s real or not.)

By the way if you haven’t already seen some of the Pinterest pins I hide in these pages, have a look. They are just another example of may creativity. You can see them by going to pin the article and it will show it will the other images, or go to the Pinterest Brain Injury Group Board I set up.

Other articles you might like:

Have you become more creative since your brain injury? Or do you miss your artistic flair?

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Balance feeling unstable due to brain injury, it’s awkward

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 17:04:23 +0000

Balance is a very complicated thing, but it starts with your inner ear. Effectively we are fitted with our own little spirit level called the vestibular system. If it becomes damaged it can make balance a lot more difficult. I mentioned before in Tinnitus, the loathsome bells of brain injury that I have suffered with tinnitus for many years. But since my brain injury it has got worse. But whilst a Doctor was trying to diagnose my condition all those years ago, I was asked to perform a simple test. I was told to close my eyes and walk forward. A nurse was stood behind me in case I fell. After just a few steps I heard voices saying “It’s OK I’ve got you.” Apparently I had been about to topple over, but I didn’t recognise it at all.

All the elements that go into balance.

What that test showed that I was using my sight to help my brain decide which way was is up. Once vision was taken away I was forced to listen to my inner spirit level, showing how inaccurate it was. But as long as I continued to walk around with my eyes open, I was able to cope.

But my brain injury changed that. There are so many reasons that might be the case as balance is a complicated recipe.

Vision – As your eyes give you a picture of what the world looks like, that information helps massively. Unfortunately as I have double vision now, this sense is not as reliable anymore.
Muscular strength – It takes a number of muscles able to produce a lot of force to keep us balanced. But as I have left sided weakness even that causes an imbalance within me.
Coordination – Being able to confidently place a foot on the floor as you take a step is something we learn early on in life. But my nerve damage means the communication between my limbs and my brain is off-kilter. Therefore I might expect my foot is about to touch the floor, but it’s not.
Brain-stem – As it controls movement it is also essential when taking those steps. I had a bleed which was next to my brain-stem and irritated it, affecting my control of movement.
Inner ear – Your in built spirit level. But we already know mine is broken.

When the world is spinning.

Together this means I can have spells of vertigo. Even if I’m sat down my brain can still be convinced the world in spinning. Some people find that if their head is spinning whilst in bed, putting a foot on the floor stops it. This is most likely because the information your foot sends back about the flat, still ground, helps convince your brain that is correct. Sadly this has never worked for me. I found this would be at it’s worst when my vision was particularly bad. Not a good combination, I can tell you.

But I have improved, maybe it’s because a little more strength is back. Or maybe it’s because my cognitive abilities have improved. You don’t realise all the calculations your brain does, and all the information it analyses in a fraction of a second. So just as my brain had learned to listen more to my eyes, than my spirit level, perhaps it is re-calibrating to the current inaccurate data.

Wish I had a tail.

Lots of animals such as monkeys, squirrels, cats and dogs have the advantage of as extra limb. The tail. And it helps them balance in the most challenging of situations. They swish it around to move their centre of gravity to counteract any imbalances. And don’t they just look majestic when they do this. Think of how a Leopard changing direction to chase their zig zagging prey, flashes its tail to the side to do a handbrake turn.

Instead I have arms. So often when I get up in the night of go to the toilet I look like I’m walking a tightrope. Except it’s not impressive when your walking on a carpeted landing.

I don’t use a walking aid anymore as I need to keep practising for the re-calibration process to be successful. But it would help the rest of the world know as it rushes by to give me a little more room.

Other articles you might like:

Has your balance been affected? Is there anything in particular that has helped you?

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Double vision trouble from brain injury

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 19:02:33 +0000

I had always had good vision which I (like most people) took for granted. Being a pretty good artist of sketches and oil paintings, my sight was a blessing. I’d never worn glasses and assumed that wouldn’t change until I was old. Well I’m now eating my hat because following my brain injury I have double vision. Usually its just a slight overlap, but it can be a lot worse.

Stress affects me badly

As I previously mentioned in Stress has a big impact on brain injury, stress has a considerable effect on survivors. This day was no exception. I had an appointment in London to get to, and my Partner James had taken the afternoon off to take me. I’m not sure what had happened that morning, but I was tired and confused. But the worst part was my sight. I saw two of everything and couldn’t really tell where objects were in relation to me. So I was relieved that James was able to drive me to my appointment.

Don’t count your chickens when you have double vision as you’ll never get it right

We left in plenty of time, James had booked a parking space for the day so we were going to get there early and have some lunch. Just as James was trying to accelerate to join the Motorway the engine warning light came on. The management system limited the revs so there was no acceleration. This was bad news, so we took the car to the nearest dealership for them to look at it. Leaving the car with them we took a taxi to the railway station. Luckily as we had left early, although our journey was going to take a lot longer now, we might still make it.

Negotiating the stairs at the station and on the train, was difficult with my double vision, but James helped me. As unsettling as it was to travel when I was so disorientated, so far I was coping. But all the time I was worried we might not make it in time for my appointment with the Neurosurgeon. ( I didn’t ever have surgery, but when I had my car accident that was the team that looked after me.) The added pressure was making it impossible for me to relax enough to allow my double vision to improve.

But the worst was yet to come….

Once the train pulled into the station we needed to use the London underground to cross to virtually the other side of London. Getting a bus or taxi was out of the question. The traffic in London meant that it would take too long. Our only hope was to use the over packed “tube”.

When people are in a hurry (which in London is all the time) they are speedily trying to dart in and out of the crowds, and might accidentally (or not) shove you. Normally I would try to make space for people trying to pass me, particularly as I wasn’t able to walk fast due to the nerve damage in my left leg. But with my double vision, I couldn’t tell exactly where they were, or which way I should dive. In the confined space of the “tube system” this was terrifying!

And as for escalators, every time I got on or off them I felt I was gambling with my life. James helped by holding my hand and counting down when I should step. But even then I kept getting it wrong. The vicious thing tried to drag me away like a shark attacking a surfer. James held on and righted my balance, saving me from disaster umpteen times.

I survived

After dicing with death, happily we made it in time. It was close but they were running behind, so it probably didn’t matter that much anyway. But having time to relax whilst we waited really helped. So although the journey back was tough, it didn’t have so many heart stopping moments.

And in case you’re wondering about the car……

The dealership didn’t find what it was but removed the error from the system so it was driveable. It happened again a few times and a family run garage eventually found it was the engine filter. So that did get sorted in the end.

The moral to my story…

We are used to the visually impaired using a white stick, or walking with a guide dog. Please remember that there are people out there who might not have had a diagnosis yet an so could still be battling without these aids. I know that sometimes it feels like time is against us, but we are all racing against the same clock, lets just make sure we all get there.

Do you struggle with double vision? What would to like others to know about how that feels?

The post Double vision trouble from brain injury appeared first on Jumbledbrain.

When a brain injury makes your senses misbehave

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 22:51:02 +0000

As some insight to myself after my brain injury returned, I started to notice that some of my senses seemed different. Once you have got over the elation of being alive, and returning home, many start to feel the changes.

With a brain injury it takes time to see your senses are different.

First I had to accept my sense of balance was off kilter. I was clumsy, and would fall over easily. Muscle weakness on my left side did nothing to help this. Through specific exercises I have been able to improve my strength, but my balance still isn’t good. So I have to be careful. When going up and down the stairs I make sure I hold on to the hand rail to steady myself. Sounds obvious, but I used to just run up the stairs. I didn’t give a second thought to grabbing the rail for safety.

Next I realised my sense of touch was affected. I couldn’t identify things that touched my left side. Instead my leg had altered sensation, and would report pain. My left leg would be in agony as cold or unexpected items touched it. A sharp, painful, stabbing sensation would hit me. But this may have been nerve damage rather than my brain injury as such. But even if I stoked the cat with my left hand I could only sense pressure, not the texture of his fur. That was so disappointing for me.

Smells started to affect me, and I would suddenly be hit by really offensive odours. But as I didn’t as ways shout “something stinks“, I didn’t know I was the only one smelling them. So it did take time to realise that: at best I was over sensitive, at worst I was imagining it.

My sense of taste was affected for while too. I had always had a pretty plain palate, but suddenly I wanted spicy food. Otherwise things didn’t seem to have any flavour. The idea of forcing myself to eat tasteless food was uninviting, particularly as my appetite was already diminished. My partner James would buy lots of different things to try to encourage me to eat more. (Now though, as my taste has returned I eat far too much. I’m such a little piggy!)

Realising my sight was affected by my brain injury was the most difficult and upsetting. I would see double, which when you can’t balance well spells disaster. Effectively I couldn’t do anything. My coordination was rubbish, but when you can’t be sure where the thing you are looking at is, it’s virtually impossible.

People are the real challenge when you are struggling with your senses.

When I could walk well enough to ditch my crutch I was proud of myself. But I still limped badly, and was very slow. However losing the crutch symbolised progress for me, so I was pleased to be rid of it. What I hadn’t appreciated is, a crutch is something visual, and told strangers not to expect too much of me. So when I started going out without it, the fast paced, impatient modern world virtually knocked me over.

The world is always being told to be assertive. That seems to have evolved into a mildly aggressive population, who just walk at you, not round you. I feel like I’m a pin trying to cheat a bowling ball. The conundrum is people need to stop rushing me, but I don’t want to be labelled as disabled.

So perhaps that means I still have some way to go to accept my current position. Or perhaps that is fighting spirit. It depends on your perspective, but prefer the latter. I still like to believe I will continue to better myself. My brain injury makes me hampered, but I am still able.

Other articles you might like:

How has your brain injury affected your senses? Do you feel the difference in your senses holds you back?

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