Recovery Ideas that have helped

[Stephen]

There are things, I have found, that help aid in recovery just as there are things that slow it down. Realizing that each of us is different and what helps one person may not help another, this discussion thread is a place to share recovery ideas.

When sharing suggestions, please be as specific as possible.

If you try something and it helps, let us know. If you try it and it doesn't help, let us know that as well.

I'll share my own findings soon!

[Daniel]

Wow, this thread's getting kinda long - given that it's been inactive for a while, may I suggest a new path to take for it and offer a suggestion?

What if people list on this discussion, in bullet point format, their top 5 lingering issues with regards to their current health and obstacles currently holding them back and people can then see in an obvious way what issues are being discussed and then offer their own suggestions based on what they see - otherwise we end up with a sea of info where some things get lost and useful info may not be read - I'll kick it off by mentioning some lingering issues for me :

* Sunlight/glare triggering imbalance/headaches (sunglasses don't help)
* Socializing and meeting others
* Fatigue
* Self confidence
* Speaking with a straight voice to people who I don't know

Anyway, if anyone can relate to ideas to fixing the above, then I'm all ears (though I will say that my headaches and dizziness are virtually resolved now, but any ideas welcome as this symptom *sucks* the big one and I want others to learn how to help it)

[Daniel]

Okay, I think a significant part of assisting brain function is by becoming, as I've mentioned previously, more confident and fit in terms of cardiovascular fitness.

The brain, it seems, when effected by a vestibular nerve effecting disorder like encephalitis, needs to relearn how to properly function. I've found that making a more concentrated effort to breathe in a controlled manner decreases the instances of dizziness/presyncopal lightheadedness (eg exhale when crossing a road) - this stands to reason as the dizziness is created by poor neurological blood circulation, and when you get nervous, your heartrate accelerates and you breathe more heavily which in turn creates a higher perpensity for this symptom to present itself.

I've been physically rehabbing for about 4 years now and as my cardiovascular (heart) fitness has increased, so has the dizziness decreased, I'm guessing because the fitness has created a more efficient circulation of bloodflow to the brain, while also greater empowering me with a belief that I cand do what I ask of my body, which means being less nervous and more confident.

Exercise helps, if your neuro disagrees, tell him or her to go jump!

[tobecome]

I would say i started out slowly interacting with people i felt safe with family, nieces and nephews were the best. I tried to vary my days with reading, exercising and socialzing. I lived by myself and felt it was important to keep ties to family and friends instead of just float along..solo. So I started using my dayplanner to set up times to get together with people to share meals, exercise, visit, etc.. It also made me aware of how much energy was required to be present in a conversation. Even now, six years post enceph i still need to make sure i'm in the social loop on a weekly basis. tish

Daniel said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the omega III supplement is extracted from fish oils (possibly, that rings a bell as I write it) - and therefore is useful in stimulating brain activity, much with the same effect, I imagine, as gingko biloba extract does - though it stimulates the circulation of bloodflow to the brain itself and is perhaps therefore more designed for physical function, whereas omega III again, in my extremely vague knowledge (I'm more or less drawing upon stuff I've read or heard), omega III is possibly some sort of stimulant which assists mental function in terms of thinking processes and clarity : I imagine that if one were to take omega III in conjunction with gingko biloba intensive medications - provided there're no adverse risks in doing so, you'd have yourself a souped up magical mixture of neurological and physical fotitude.

On a more serious note : I imagine that with your taking the omega III, and I assume you've been doing so for a while now, your body has perhaps adapted to expecting its benefits, hence your first sentence ("I feel better when...") - that's not a bad thing, incidentally, it's a great reason to keep taking it as it obviously is working well for you.

I agree that surrounding oneself with company which demands a higher concentration aswell as asking for conversational participation is a must : how does one just simply conjure up a renewed ability to converse when it's been affected by brain injury if no one else challenges the sufferer to practice social interactivity? This brings me to a question I ask you :

Have you always been into socializing throughout your recovery or have you had to relearn how to participate in public again and, if so, what did you do in order to relearn the confidence and ability to do so (I get the impression you're a somewhat proactive lady) - how did you take the step past doubting yourself and your ability to do anything and get out there and do it when *so* many people see someone with a brain injury and belittle them with how they choose to treat them (eg as a simpleton)?

I guess the bottom line is, how do you relearn to regain self confidence? To me, this is the holy grail of encephalitis recovery, self confidence = slower heartrate = less dizziness/lightheadedness = greater physical control and comfort = normality
I feel much more confident than I did a year ago but the question still remains whenever I prepare to take a bus, 'will I faint as I get on? What are all these people thinking as I do so? I hope I don't see any teenagers" and so on and so on - can you identify with any of this?

[Daniel]

How did you overcome any apprehensions you may have had towards the way you saw those people you mention viewing you post infection? As I've harped on about frequently, social issues have been a significant one for me personally as, immediate family aside, others I once associated with more or less chucked me in the rubbish bin and chose to ignore rather than support - a bit of a moan, I realize, but then it's obviously a very unpleasant experience and one which has created a serious apprehension to befriend anyone else in real life as, by default and no matter how often I tell myself that this new person is not one of my old friends, I cannot feel the desire to try to meet anyone else - it's very difficult to want that again given what previous history has taught me about, by default, how others tend to view brain injury effected people (ie nice to their face but quick to leave the room).

I don't feel especially brain injured anymore, but I'm still a social wreck and constantly lacking in trust of how others think - even online, I constantly need to remind myself that, unless there's any direct cause, people 99% of the time don't mean any offense or to be rude in any way.

How did you avoid the comfort or temptation to remain 'solo' (your word you used) and try and get out there again? Did you have any doubts or paranoia about how others saw you? Did they react differently, or perhaps unusually and uncomfortably is a better term, when you did go and see them?