It's a brain injury thing'

Welcome to our world..
 I'm going to let you into a pain free brain injury world :) enjoy the ride...


What is a brain injury? (if you were to fall over)...
A Brain injury can be classified to a mild if loss of consciousness and/or confusion and disorientation is shorter than 30 minutes...

Hi I'm Lizzie's first brain scan! :) 

and I shall be disorientated and confused forever.. 

You have had a stroke, you need to accept it..
I used to hate my brain for 'giving up on me'
I used to blame myself for everything that my stroke had 'caused' the; paralysis, depression and so on..
I was living in a land of hatred and spite, spite towards anyone and everything.
(even my MacBook suffered a blow to the head..)

I'm going to refer to stroke survivors and those suffering with brain injuries as 'We'..

We're NOT weird
- We live just like any other person, in a world of aiming to be happy and enjoy ourselves, just our concepts and views towards life have been affected..
meaning;
- We get angry a lot quicker
- We can't process emotions quick enough to understand whats right from wrong
- We get emotionally attached
(Recently I kept repeating myself and explaining how I'd sung a song on karaoke about 7 times)
*laughing non stop* no one knew what was going on..
I also burst into tears at a program about Princess Diana
*mums hugs are the best*..
- We are quick to judge and assume things;
because we are jealous, jealous of the 'normal' life you live/lead with probably NO problems but you complain of hurt & upset?

As the years follow on and I pass through the years since my stroke that I once let slowly destroy me even more;
my mind body and soul..
Affecting those around me; pushing away people who genuinely cared and tried to understand
understand a life that would never be understood.
"Liz, I'm really trying here!" - mum
*Just GO AWAY! leave me be woman!!*

Understood 
Hello, it's me..
(no I'm not going to break into an Adele song)
Can you understand me? Can you feel my mind reaching out? trying to grip onto the last piece of sanity? because I need you to try and understand.
Please, please try to clear away the fuzziness my brains causing, the blur that shows in my eyes making my eyes seem misty..
Making me look confused and phased all the time, I promise I'm trying I'm trying to find a way out of this 'mess'.
No? I didn't think you would understand..

Fatigue
It tires you out, every last piece of your body just wants to rest. But I won't accept it, I won't let you beat me! you're trying to ruin my life, take control of who I am. I don't want this brain injury anymore..
Trying to memorise things is hurting my brain, trying to picture everything I do is tiring me out, you're so stressful!

A different Life
You crave a 'normal' life, but why?
why do you want to be like everyone else?..
In-fact what is normal? have you ever seen someone and gone ''well, thats normal!'' 
*ooo that explains it all! normal here I come!!...*


Anxiety 
Please don't question our minds and how we think, remember we're different to you..

Vulnerability
But you said we were friends? You said you'd meet up with me and we'd do 'normal' things together? are you ashamed of me?..
I promise I'll try and walk better when we meet up, I'll walk up the stairs and in a straight line just like you.. Then no one will stare at us. I promise I'll be happy and smile.




You need to 'stay strong and positive'
as quoted by Carolyn Simpson (a YOUNG stroke survivor)..




What is a stroke?

• Ischaemic - Where the blood supply is stopped because of a blood clot. 
• Haemorrhagic - Where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts.  

So, hows the recovering going?
Are you normal yet?...