recovery Archives - Jumbledbrain

Online restorative yoga for brain injury survivors

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:07:38 +0000

Disclaimer: For the purposes of reviewing her services, I was given free online yoga sessions but have not been paid to write this review. As always I offer you my honest opinion.

I think most brain injury survivors have heard that Yoga is a great activity to engage in to help them in their recovery process. But often when places advertise their services they show images of people in elegant, although seemingly impossible poses. Everyone always has these athletic bodies and look like they’ve never struggled with a physical activity in their lives. (At least that’s the impression they give me.) Personally, whilst I’ve wanted to learn how to do it, I’ve always been too self conscious to get started….. until I met Nikki!

Doing Yoga at home means I don’t have to worry about what others might think of my lack of coordination.

Many survivors have one sided weakness, like me, and so putting their bodies in these beautiful shapes can be more difficult than for the average person. For me, the idea of flailing around like a beached whale in front of strangers was too much of a turn off. That’s why when I saw Nikki’s online classes which I could do at home, I was really interested to find out more. They are small group classes done via the video conferencing platform Zoom. You can turn your camera off if you would rather, which I did for my first session as I wanted to see what it was like first. It’s not like anyone actually watches you doing the poses, as everyone is doing their own thing, so the next time I turned it on again. Plus what’s great about Nikki May, is she’s a survivor too, so she gets it. After 6 strokes and had surgery to remove a brain tumor, she understands all too well the many ways a brain injury can affect us and holds Restorative Yoga sessions specifically for brain injury survivors.

What is Restorative Yoga?

I’ll admit it, I had no idea that there are lots of different types of Yoga which have different aims and intensities. Whilst some are physically demanding, Restorative Yoga is the most gentle, so you don’t need a baseline of fitness to do it. It helps relax the mind and the stretches will work on releasing tension in the body. It’s great for inducing sleep and some people even gently nod off whilst doing these sessions. Also by mindfully engaging muscles in each area of the body we help the nervous system repair the connections in the body and brain to operate them. (I briefly tried to explain before in Exercise can help your brain injury, not just your muscles . )

Nikki has done a specialist course in Yoga for brain injury, so she’s got you covered.

As well as being a fellow survivor, Nikki has completed additional training in how Yoga should be used to support the brain injury recovery process. This course from Yoga International covered:

Different types of brain injury and their potential symptoms and challenges.
Neuroanatomy and physiology key concepts.
How to optimize neuroplasticity and nervous system regulation for healing.
Methodologies and principles for adapting asana to address things like dizziness, poor balance, spasticity, and learning and memory deficits.
How to tailor meditation for students with brain injuries to address challenges with attention control and mental health.

Pretty impressive, right. But the best thing about Nikki, is how understanding she is. The first thing she did with me is ask about my health conditions to make sure she knew what things to be aware of. For example, I told her that I have hypermobility which is where you have extra long ligaments so you are more flexible than most, but can accidently over stretch as a result. She reminded me to take it easy and not to be tempted to stretch as far as I could for this reason. Also she’s relaxed and understanding. She didn’t mind when at the last minute I couldn’t attend a session as I felt unwell, or the time I got confused about which day I was on and accidently missed the next scheduled session.

Nikki has come such a long way and was awarded Headway achiever of the year 2019 in recognition of how she set up her own business and supports other survivors. And what’s so funny, is that it wasn’t until after our first online Yoga session that Nikki and I realised we knew each other! Back in 2015 we went to the same Headway support group. Small world huh!

Available sessions

Ok, so if you’re excited to give this a try here’s her weekly Yoga classes timetable:

Monday 7 am
Monday 8 pm
Wednesday 7 am
Sunday 9 pm

Monday 2 am
Monday 3 pm
Wednesday 2 am
Sunday 4 pm

Monday 11 pm
Monday 12 (midday)
Wednesday 11 pm
Sunday 1 pm

Monday 6 am
Monday 5 pm
Wednesday 5 pm
Sunday 7 am

Classes are £5 each, pay as you go, or she has a monthly package which offers the best value at £25 for the whole month. Included in the monthly package are the replays of the sessions so you can use them again when want to. I think that really helps those of us who want to be able to have a Yoga session at different times. I like to get an extra deal for my readers, so Nikki has kindly offered you £5 off your first month when you quote #JUMBLEDBRAIN via either her Instagram or her Facebook page. That means your first month costs just £20. If that wasn’t enough, she also does a meditation session on Wednesdays 8 pm UK time (3pm EST, Midday PST, 6am Australian East) which is also part of your monthly package.

If you want one to one sessions with Nikki (still done online but you get her undivided attention and a session customised to you and your specific needs) she is available for these as well. It costs £30 per hour normally, but generously she will offer it for £25 per hour to my readers. That’s an ongoing price, so you save £5 per hour, forever. Again, just use the same code #JUMBLEDBRAIN to grab this offer.

Other articles you may like:

Have you tried Yoga and how has it helped you during your brain injury recovery?

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Exercise can help your brain injury, not just your muscles

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:21:23 +0000

Having suffered a car accident, I had some serious injuries. These included my spine, nerves and my brain. I had foot drop, where when you raise your leg, you can not raise your foot from your ankle, leaving it to hang limply. That means you cannot put any weight on it and it will not offer any support or flexibility. On top of this, due to a damaged nerve in my neck, and had weakness down my left side. However after 10 days, the hospital team got me walking with crutches, and sent me home.

I knew that I needed to do some exercise to help rebuild some of my strength. But what I didn’t know was how good exercise is for your brain as well.

We all know that the more you practise at something, the better you will get at it. Well, the brain is just the same. Every time you perform an action, you are creating the building blocks for a new pathway in your brain. Let me give you an example. I used to love painting and drawing. But following my brain injury, I could barely write legibly. For me this was depressing, as my art was a part of who I was. My partner James, kept badgering me to keep trying although I felt he just didn’t understand. I couldn’t make my hand follow the instructions I gave it properly, leaving me frustrated.

Exercise doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym. Just practise a physical activity.

So many sheets of paper ended up in the bin. (I would like to apologise to the trees who were sacrificed for my cause.) But in time my writing improved, and I found my artistic flair returning to me. Just by reminding the muscles in my hand and arm how to behave, I had begun to regain my skill. But it wasn’t because the muscles needed to be rebuilt, it was because my brain needed to create new pathways to replace those that were damaged. This is the same process as when you learn a skill for the first time, and why your mother always said “practise makes perfect.” The more we do an action, the more the brain prioritises building pathways which make a shortcut to that action.

Now I know you are saying “but Michelle drawing and writing isn’t exercise.” And yes you are right, but I wanted to share this example with you to help you see that although there is the physical muscles movements, there is much more that needs to happen and I think we can all agree agree creativity is something very much in your brain.

Think about how in sports there is a tactical element, spacial awareness, problem solving… the list goes on.

Think of your favourite teams and how some are better at the element of surprise than others. This is the players having to read the current situation and apply the tactics that they have been practising all whilst dealing with how their opponents are trying to stop them. Yes it helps to be the fastest and strongest person on the pitch, but if you can’t get your timing, accuracy and game plan right, you’re going to still struggle. And whilst you might take the feedback from your coach with, you can only get better at these things by going out there and trying again. Ths that’s why exercise can help your brain injury recovery for other parts of the brain too.

I’m now 5 years on from my accident, and most people wouldn’t notice my slight limp. For someone who struggled to walk for so long, that’s not bad. I still have nerve damage, and I may do for the rest of my life, but I can deal with it. I’d be frightened to go skiing again, but it doesn’t affect my everyday life much at all. Yes I get pain and tire much easier, but I can cope with that.

My brain is still trying to repair my cognitive skills. Bearing in mind I couldn’t read or write to start with, I think it’s fair to say it’s doing a pretty good job. I even set up this website all by myself even though I had no experience of doing this sort of thing before. (If you are thinking of starting a blog but aren’t sure where to start head over to Starting a blog following a brain injury is difficult, but it is achievable to get some ideas on how to get going.)

No matter what your fitness level, or sporting ability never underestimate the importance of exercise.

You don’t need to run like you’re Mo Farah, just find something you enjoy which you can fit into your busy schedule. Dance, yoga and swimming are all great options. As evidence is growing to show regular exercise can stave off dementia, your brain will thank you for it. We all have days when just getting out of bed is an achievement, so don’t feel any shame in taking it easy. But just remember your efforts will encourage enhancements in much more than just becoming physically stronger. Your mental health and general well being will benefit too. Exercise can help your brain injury recovery process and you might even discover a talent for something new that you never knew you had.

Other articles you may like:

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Guest post: Debra Meyerson on life after a stroke induced brain injury

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Tue, 08 May 2018 13:12:17 +0000

Todays guest post is by stroke survivor Debra Meyerson. She could have let the brain injury destroy her. But she chose to fight and help other stroke survivors. She has a blog, Identity Theft: Rediscovering ourselves after stroke where she features stories from other survivors as well as details her own journey. Her ambition is to publish a book based on both hers and their experiences.

On September 4, 2010, I was enjoying Labor Day Weekend in Lake Tahoe. On September 5th I was speechless and paralyzed on my right side following a severe left brain stroke.

Before my stroke I was a tenured professor in the graduate schools of Education and Business at Stanford University. I taught, researched, and wrote about identity, gender, diversity, and social change. I also skied, ran and biked. I knew who I was.

My stroke took almost all of that away from me. I felt like a different person. While I won my struggle to survive, much of my identity—as a Stanford professor, a speaker and writer, an athlete, a mother and a wife—was gone. My mind was working, but I was trapped inside a broken body unable to do what I used to do. And maybe even worse, I couldn’t tell anyone what I was experiencing.

Initially, given my disabilities, I completely lost my independence. I lost control of my life. I needed help with everything. That was SO frustrating. Fortunately, over the past 7 years, I’ve regained enough to be independent for all the basics. But I still lost my career as I knew it. I still can’t speak easily in groups. I can’t do the sports I used to love. I know I won’t regain all of the capabilities I lost. I get frustrated and angry a lot. But I still work hard to recover as much as I can.

After my stroke, I found books that helped me understand the physical recovery process, but much less to help me understand my equally difficult emotional journey. So I am writing Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke with the help of my co-author, Sally Collins. Because of aphasia, I am not able to write the book myself. It will certainly include my personal story of rediscovery, but will also draw on the experience of 30 other stroke survivors I’ve talked to, as well as stories from families and caregivers of stroke survivors.

Writing the book is helping me deal with my loss. Not to get over it. I’ll never get over what I lost. But to get past it. I’m trying to rebuild my life around what I can do today. Looking forward, not back. Trying to build a new and different life, but hopefully one just as meaningful as the one I had before my stroke.

I’m very much still on my journey. Recovery from a severe stroke takes years, decades or a lifetime. Often complete physical recovery never happens. I don’t think it will for me. Does that mean I can’t recover? I don’t think so. I’ve come to think that “stroke recovery” isn’t just about regaining capabilities. It’s about successfully building a full and meaningful life, whatever ongoing disabilities one may have.

Am I the same person I was before my stroke? No. But is there a lot about me – about my identity – that remains. I think so. I’m no longer a tenured professor, which I thought was central to my identity. But writing Identity Theft has helped me find new ways to create and share knowledge, which was always at the core of what I love doing. I hope to have my book out next year (spring, 2019) and I hope it will help other survivors on their journeys to rebuild lives of joy and meaning.

Other articles you may like:

Has your stroke or brain injury stolen your identity? How are you rebuilding your life?

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Guest post: Kelly Ribeiro on brain injury, “Heal first, life can wait.”

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:57:35 +0000

Today’s post shows how determination alone isn’t enough to put life back together after a brain injury. Kelly Ribeiro had a true passion for her career, and appeared to be defying the odds when she continued to climb the career ladder following her car accident. But then suddenly it took a second bite out of her….

Heal first, life can wait

I was driving home in the early morning after a Friday night out. My blood alcohol level was .01, so it was well below the legal limit and it would be fair to say it didn’t impact my driving. The details are a little hazy, but I believe I swerved to avoid an animal. My car went onto the grass sloped divide between the North & South carriageways where I was ejected out of the sun roof. This was despite wearing a seatbelt, in my brand new car. Not only did I suffer a traumatic brain injury, but I also broke all major bones except my left arm. I was left in a coma for three months.

Since then I have had approximately 20+ surgeries. It is a blessing & a curse, but I recall, now 21 years later, most of what happened from the night of my accident to the time I entered the rehab in Braintree Massachusetts. However from then my memory is sketchy. I am not sure I was cognitive 24 hours a day when I was then moved, but thanks to insurance I had little choice but to go with it. After relearning basic life skills over again, four months after sustaining my brain injury, I was sent home. But I was not independently walking or able to fully care for myself.

As soon as I was home and able to regain life, I hurried back to work. I worked for a National Mutual Insurance Company, I loved my job. A job I had no memory of what to do beside knowing my love for it. I worked the next 18 years having countless number of surgeries and needing ‘brain breaks” and suffering from epilepsy. Each year, despite my condition I was rewarded with raises and a promotion.

Then one day, I realized what had happened. I had no support, understanding or compassion at that point from my employer. I had a break down. It hit me; I’d almost died! This caused a major depression which brought many of my deficits up front and center. My short-term memory was at its worst, my gate had become obviously hindered. Almost as if I had caused a second brain injury thru emotion. My employer would not wait for me to “get better” again.

Today, no longer employed, I work daily to regain what I was able to do following my accident when I returned to work so I can get my life back. Not only financially but emotionally.

My message to all is to feel, you need to heal first, life can wait.

Other articles you may like:

Did you try to return to work? How did your employer respond?

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Beating my shyness to be sociable again after brain injury

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 12:46:32 +0000

As a child I was painfully shy. But as a met good friends I knew I didn’t want it to hold me back for the rest of my life. They showed me that good people can appreciate you, despite your flaws. You just have to let them experience who you are. You need to try to be sociable. So although this brain injury has shuffled my deck of cards, I’m trying again.

I built a career on being sociable.

I was never going to be outgoing enough to be a holiday rep for a 18-30 club experience, but I wasn’t bad with people. Having learned the ropes with the toughest audience, the general public, during my 10 years in retail. I went from serving customers and squeaking the total price, to confidently traffic stopping people for a makeover and selling them products they hadn’t ever tried before.

From there I moved into positions where business development was a big part of the role. Engaging with decision makers in businesses, even when they said they didn’t have the time to talk. By not being aggressive, instead sociable and approachable, I was able to win them over. They bought into me.

How my brain injury robbed me of that.

I didn’t know who I was anymore when my brain injury happened. I knew my name and history, but I didn’t recognise my personality. As I regained some insight, I was able to see how odd my behaviour was at times, but couldn’t stop it.

Suddenly there was so much about me I didn’t like. Not being able to trust myself to be “normal”, made me retract from the world. It became lonely, and I found I was assuming the world thought the worst of me.

But my friends proved me wrong and I’m trying again.

I started getting in touch with those old school friends who I hadn’t seen in years. They had already seen me, warts and all, growing up so I didn’t feel I had anything to hide. And again they showed me the same life lessen they taught me all those years ago. They didn’t care about my faults, they were more interested in who I am.

So I’ve put myself back in training. (No I haven’t enrolled on a course, I just have to impress the harshest examiner, me.) Random acts of kindness, win people over the fastest, and often stay with them for a lifetime. Whilst I’m not giving away money to change peoples lives, I am offering my compliments.

I was in a queue (or as my American friends would say, a line) in a coffee shop. The lady ahead of me had incredible nails. Expertly painted bright colours with glitter over the top. These days I don’t do anything with my nails, but I admired how lovingly they were done. Then it occurred to me that as these nails made a statement, she must be proud of them.

So just as her coffee was being served I said, “By the way, I love your nails.” She was a little surprised, but replied with “Oh thanks, they need redoing really, but I do them myself and I just haven’t had time.” As us Brits struggle to take compliments, and feel the need to be very modest about everything, this was a positive response. I’m sure she would have gone away feeling pleased that someone had admired her handy work. (See what I did there?!)

This is just the start.

I know we didn’t get into a deep and meaningful conversation. But I would like to think by me trying to be sociable, I gave her something to smile about. My aim is to prove to myself that strangers don’t notice or care about my brain injury. They care about the impact this person makes on them in that moment in time. So I want to try to make it a positive one wherever I can.

Other articles you may like:

Do you find it hard to be sociable after your brain injury? Or have you got tips on how to overcome it?

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Fall asleep faster. Brain injury survivors tips on how to switch off.

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 14:48:49 +0000

It has been well documented that sleep is our best friend when it comes to the long process of recovering from a brain injury. At one stage after my brain injury I slept so much that I couldn’t imagine ever needing sleep tips. As I had experienced insomnia from a young age, I was thankful I could finally fall asleep with ease. However that wasn’t to last and I ended up in an awful routine of going to bed but tossing and turning all night. I previously wrote about how I was recommended a technique to break this cycle. Now I want to tell you how I make sure I fall asleep quickly.

Make sure you follow a good routine

I have written before about sleep hygiene, and making sure you have a sensible sleep routine. So I’m not going to lecture you about that again, but you can review it in Sleep after TBI: unlock 11 endorsed steps . It’s essential that you put these into practise so if you are struggling to sleep it might be worth having a refresh.

Tired, but struggling to fall asleep

Most people who struggle to fall asleep quickly say they just can’t stop thinking. This is particularly linked to anxiety which many brain injury survivors, like me, suffer from. Even though I realise I can’t change any of the things I’m worrying about, my brain still keeps running though everything. It’s like it thinks we’re going to have an epiphany if we just keep trying. And maybe that’s possible, but not if I’m sleep deprived. I might have ideas, but they won’t be well thought out and I’ll be too tired to action them anyway.

I’ve found my secret “OFF” button

Wish you could mute your brain? Fed up trying hypnosis and meditating to induce sleep? Don’t get me wrong, both of these are wonderful techniques which I have used before. But sometimes when you’re in a bad place it’s hard to concentrate. I try to imagine my safe place, full of wonderful things. But if there is something big stressing me out I keep going back to it. Even if I’m listening to a guided meditation I find my big stressful issue makes me ignore the calming words all together.

So I’m delighted to tell you, there IS an “OFF” button for the brain, or at least there is for me. Our brains are amazing and are used to doing many things at the same time. I’m rubbish at multitasking, but it doesn’t stop my brain from trying. But there are some cognitive actions which take extra concentration so it’s really difficult to think of anything else at the same time. Thus you can’t keep worrying about that big bad issue. Sounds good doesn’t it! And even better news is that you don’t have to do anything fancy!

No sheep needed to fall asleep

We used to be told to count sheep, but this doesn’t work. Believe me, I’ve tried, but it’s also been proved by Oxford University. (They are serious boffins who are some of the worlds smartest people so it’s tough to argue with them.) But counting is involved…. just backwards.

Start from a high number, 300 works for me but you can try 500 or even 1000.
Breath slowly and after each breath count down. By involving your breath this way you are staying present and not worrying.
Think of you breath as purifying.
Don’t worry if you loose count, either go back to the start or just estimate where you were and continue.
I can’t remember ever getting past 250 as my mind drifts off quietly and then I fall asleep.

The counting backwards takes more effort than counting forwards so it distracting your brain. But it’s not too taxing. Or if you prefer you could try letters instead..

Have a try and let me know if it works for you too. Have you got any other secret tips others can try?

The post Fall asleep faster. Brain injury survivors tips on how to switch off. appeared first on Jumbledbrain.

Information overkill about brain injury is daunting

Michelle #jumbledbrain — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 17:12:23 +0000

After my accident it was 3 months before anyone said I had a brain injury. Even then I thought it was a concussion. But it was a diffuse axonal brain injury, which only 10% of patients awaken from. Many are left in a permanent vegetative state. It was actually classed as a severe traumatic brain injury. So I was confused about the lack of information I was given regarding my injury.

The internet has a wealth of information.

As my partner James and I started seeing private specialists we built a better picture of what my condition was. Maybe I’m a control freak, but I keep reading more and more about it. Doctors advise against doing that too much because you can begin to worry about things you don’t need too. And I do agree with this point. But the temptation is too great.

My brain injury only happened 2 years ago, so I think I’ve made strong progress in that time. But I still don’t want to entertain the idea that this might be as good as it gets. A neurologist said it would probably be within the first 5 years that I might still see improvement, although the 2 year period is the standard. The more articles I read, the more I see that most say recovery happens within 12-24 months. So I’m beginning to panic that this could be it.

Why can’t I just do as I’m told?

There’s a reason why they say “ignorance is bliss.” I’m just torturing myself by continually looking for new information. As every brain injury is unique, just because I have a medical term for it, it doesn’t mean I will be a perfect example for what an article claims.

So why is it that although I understand this, I still do it? I mean how stupid can you get? A part of me wants to manage my expectations. Like how a child in a third world country doesn’t expect their parents to buy them expensive, indulgent gifts. They just want love, opportunities, food and water.

But reading about the long-term prognosis does frighten me. So I’m going to try to stop it. What will be will be. I need to concentrate on what I can do to improve my chances. Diet, exercise and tasks to challenge my brain.

I better appreciate why Doctors don’t want to be drawn on details.

Doctors talk in facts, but there isn’t much that anyone can be certain of when it comes to brain injury. So trying to guess can be a dangerous exercise. And there’s the impact that information can have psychologically, both on the patient and their family.

James has been incredibly supportive, but I know this process has been very difficult for him too. If we had been told all the awful things I have since read as soon as it happened, who knows where we would be. For many loved ones they would question themselves as to if they could go through this for the rest of their lives. And that isn’t a criticism as I don’t know if I could do it. I guess you never know until you are in that position. But it shows that by Doctors not giving you the warts and all version, they are doing the responsible thing.

So my advice is don’t keep looking for things as I have done. Just focus on yourself and your family. Life is what you make it, don’t waste it. And if you want to find out how I’m spending my time instead, read Next chapter after brain injury, am I in it now?

However, if you want to find more blogs from other survivors and you do have a need to look up some details have a look at Why Pinterest is great for brain injury survivors – I have set up something that could suit you.

Do you find yourself looking things up too much? Does the information help you?

The post Information overkill about brain injury is daunting appeared first on Jumbledbrain.

recovery Archives - Jumbledbrain

Online restorative yoga for brain injury survivors

Doing Yoga at home means I don’t have to worry about what others might think of my lack of coordination.

What is Restorative Yoga?

Nikki has done a specialist course in Yoga for brain injury, so she’s got you covered.

Available sessions

UK time

Eastern time USA/Canada

Pacific time USA/Canada

Australian Eastern time

Have you tried Yoga and how has it helped you during your brain injury recovery?

Exercise can help your brain injury, not just your muscles

I knew that I needed to do some exercise to help rebuild some of my strength. But what I didn’t know was how good exercise is for your brain as well.

Exercise doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym. Just practise a physical activity.

Think about how in sports there is a tactical element, spacial awareness, problem solving… the list goes on.

No matter what your fitness level, or sporting ability never underestimate the importance of exercise.

Guest post: Debra Meyerson on life after a stroke induced brain injury

Has your stroke or brain injury stolen your identity? How are you rebuilding your life?

Guest post: Kelly Ribeiro on brain injury, “Heal first, life can wait.”

Heal first, life can wait

Did you try to return to work? How did your employer respond?

Beating my shyness to be sociable again after brain injury

I built a career on being sociable.

How my brain injury robbed me of that.

But my friends proved me wrong and I’m trying again.

This is just the start.

Do you find it hard to be sociable after your brain injury? Or have you got tips on how to overcome it?

Fall asleep faster. Brain injury survivors tips on how to switch off.

Make sure you follow a good routine

Tired, but struggling to fall asleep

I’ve found my secret “OFF” button

No sheep needed to fall asleep

Have a try and let me know if it works for you too. Have you got any other secret tips others can try?

Information overkill about brain injury is daunting

The internet has a wealth of information.

Why can’t I just do as I’m told?

I better appreciate why Doctors don’t want to be drawn on details.

Do you find yourself looking things up too much? Does the information help you?