Friday 17 July 2009

Sorry guys

I am sorry that I've been a bit slack and have not posted anything for a while, I suppose that one of the things associated with BMI's, not remembering, but hey I am getting there.  Something to say, is that next week, on Monday is my Opthalmic sturgeons, oooops surgeon(  eye appointment.  I am hoping that this surgeon will see me and be able to solve my eye problem - momentarily anyway.  Hopefully this will be done with prismatic lenses that alter the direction of incoming light.  I knew all about prisms when I did my 'A' level in physics, not that I can remember much now.  Anyway way lets hope and pray that the surgeon manages to figure out what needs doing to both my eyes  and my brain.  Until next time...

Sunday 8 March 2009

A surprise adventure to Cornwall

I did have a great 30th birthday and it was amazing!!! My wife suprised me with the idea of a trip down to Cornwall to celebrate. We did have a very good time there even though my wife had to do all of the 8 hour drive to get thereunfortunately for me - but not taking anything from her - she is super. It's a very long drive to Cornwall though and it frustrated me that I couldn't share the drive with my wife Jo, she is great but I don't want to let her do everything ( it's an 8 hour drive from home to Cornwall. It was a surprise for me that on my 30th Birthday we went away to Cornwall, I am keen to go back there already. I don't like that I can't help Jo with the driving and I don't like it that Jo has to do it all. She also has to take me wherever I need to go. I haven't tried biking yet but that may be the next step and give me more independence. Maybe at most I could bike to my parents house in the summer or elsewhere. Getting a trike could be the next thing that could be like driving but still cycle orientated. A trike has a big basket on it that I could store things in and getting a trike could be the next thing like driving considering that I can't drive at the moment. I am excited to think that there are more options for me even though I can't drive. There is a guy from a charity that works with me who is planning to work with me on cycling around our place. Exciting stuff ahead!

Wednesday 28 January 2009

29 again?

I am turning 30 on Sunday. Its a time of mixed emotion but what I am really pondering is... as I missed out on a year does this mean I get two thirtieth birthdays? In my mind I am turning 29 as I feel like a year has been stolen from me. There is a whole year of my life of which I have no memory. Others tell me things but I am unable to remember. My memory of that time is non-existent. My wife tells me, for example,  that I used to speak Italian with a recreational therapist called Frank. I have very vague recollection of this but I certainly would not have known his name. So I think I should have a second 30th birthday next year to make up for the forgotten year in America! It feels so strange that others have a memory of that time but I don't. Not to be too negative though I am really grateful to be here, after all I am grateful to God that I am still alive and have a beautiful wife. So despite the lost year, this Sunday will be a really special celebration! And actually I am looking forward to living life in my 30's and all that it may have in store. So here's to looking forward. Thats it for now!

Sunday 25 January 2009

So who am I and what happened

Hello everyone, welcome to my new blog!    
A Few years ago when I was 25(my wife 22)we were living  in America.  I had just gotten my PhD in chemistry. I was involved in a car cash with my wife who thankfully is unharmed, I however received a nasty head injury (Which mainly left me with brain injury)   which left me with much memory loss and affected  my sight  and balance significantly.  
I suffer mostly with short-term memory loss but however my  long term memory is still patchy. For example I remember very little of my PhD or how I proposed to my wife.  (I WILL remember one day!)
  I find it very difficult to remember what it was that my wife  said to me just moments before, or what the last telephone conversation was about, so I use a moleskin book to write everything down keeping a record of my day
I am wanting people to read for themselves what it is like being a head injured person -not fun I can tell you.  Plus I want to keep a record of my own thoughts at this time in my life.  I can't promise good spelling or grammer or that my sentences will make sense, but I can promise that it will be a true account of living as a person who suffered  traumatic brain injury (tbi)but I can promise it will be....ooooops I forgot that I'd just written that bit....a true account of somebody that has a tbi and has learnt to live on (with the help of others).  
After my head injury I had to learn how to do everything again(walk,talk,eat, laugh)You may be wondering why this is entitled 'Four Chickens in a tree', well this, according to my wife  was the first joke that I made up and told, which I thought and still do is funny.  OK, Why were there Four chickens in a tree?                          Because the fifth one one went home!

That's it for now.