Copy and pasted from a post I put out yesterday. For context, I suffered a subdural hematoma/brain bleed in a Muay Thai kickboxing fight last year, and had life flipped upside down for a while. Extremely lucky to be able to reflect on it nowadays!
Time flies when you can’t remember anything! One year ago today, everything changed. The first couple months after the injury were some of the darkest of my life, but with the unwavering support from friends, family, teammates, & medical staff, things slowly brightened back up. It would take far too much text to list all the names of people who played a role in getting me back to where I am, but you know who you are, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. With the compassion from everyone to help get me back on my feet (along with a lot of luck to just be alive to write this sappiness), I’m somehow able to say I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been; cognitively (including my memory 🤷🏽♂️), mentally, spiritually, & physically. None of it possible without the people around me.
Legitimately not a day goes by where I don’t reflect on the fact that I’m the luckiest guy on the face of the planet. My favorite podcast episode of all time is an interview with a man who was on the flight that landed in the Hudson River. Everyone on the plane thought they were going to die, but somehow they were given a second chance. His guiding question (and one that I try and remember everyday): “Did I earn my gift?”. Doing what I can now to make sure I can say someday I’ve done what I can to have earned mine.
One thing this has taught me is that no matter what we’re going through, it’s all temporary. I’ve always been a fan of the saying “this too shall pass”, but I never thought that it’d be cemented through a lesson like this. The good and the bad are all part of this crazy journey we’re all on. The other is that love heals like few medicines can. It’s only because of the love shown that I was able to make any recovery whatsoever. So keep spreading it however possible; you never know how much of an impact it might have. And don’t let me ever get another haircut like they gave me in there. Much love y’all 🙏🏾
Are you still taking any medication?
It has been 3 years and half for me, still not recovering. Maybe it's me who can't accept that I've changed.
I haven't taken any meds since I was in the hospital thankfully, but the variation between each TBI is so big that it's really hard to compare of course. I do supplement with a ton of things for the brain, I feel as though they've worked well but could be placebo. I'm seriously sorry to hear that you haven't felt much progress. If there's any way at all I can be of assistance when it comes to things that worked or knowledge, let me know. Would be curious to hear what all you've tried.
What are things you've taken? I don't think it's placebo at all or at least from studies I have read(there are mostly using healthy patient). I am currently learning neuropharmacology because of it. Though it is not my major but it has been something I studied for about two years now. I also left a comment on your dad's post about my condition.
So far & daily, I have been taking piracetam but previously, I took pennywort. Now I am experimenting with ginkgo biloba but piracetam does the job better than other stuff. As the moment I am writing this, I was off on piracetam and currently on again, self-studying and experimenting with piracetam by taking 1600mg dose/day. I also think some combination of vitamins B did the job.
I like that you're taking it into your own hands! Often times that's what we need to do nowadays, no matter how good a doctor's intentions may be.
For my brain, I currently still take:
-Neuro Mag from Life Extension, which I believe is the reason my memory is so good. I remember FAR more than I ever did before the injury. Pretty crazy.
-Alpha liopic acid
-Bacopa
-Ubiquinol CoQ10
I stopped taking these two a couple months ago, but was on them for about 8 months after my injury:
-Acetyl-L-Carnitine
-Fish oil
The Neuro-Mag is really a miracle drug in my opinion, but some of the memory increase could definitely be attributed to Bacopa too. Either way, maybe some of these could help you out. Hoping you can find some answers!
ooh, those are something I took as well. My only problem is not being consistent with those but I am changing that. If I want to be a healthy functioning adult, I have to be more rigorous about it.
I guess we all struggle with the problem of getting things in order, the beauty of growing up. I have mine in clear eyesight in the kitchen in a spot where I know I'll be every morning. Seems to help build the habit somehow.
It's funny - I learnt 'this too shall pass' and 'love heals' in a completely different way a couple of years back. It's like you truly have to experience adversity to get it way beyond the popular wisdom. So glad you are up and running and that you've learnt some valuable life lessons in the process. Easy to have stuff happen to you and never learn a thing. xxx
I completely agree. One of the most frustrating things about the human condition is that we can never really understand something until we've personally experienced it, whether it's true love, poverty, or a form of adversity. I'm glad the lessons have been cemented in you as well, we're lucky to be able to be here chatting about them. Thanks for stopping by.
I think this is a cool line. I take it to mean that you value your life daily, and probably live your best version of it, for that very reason.
I end all my posts with:
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised
I think you know that and having gone through your troubles makes you grateful for each day you have. People that have this ethos rarely waste their life.
:)
Are you living in my brain and not telling me? I couldn't have said it better myself, and love the line you put at the end of each post. I saw a quote recently that stated: "you're either designing your own lifestyle or following one constructed by people wanting to get something from you". Definitely made me change everything about my outlook once I realized how precarious life is. Thanks for sharing, seriously.
ENGAGEtokens.I inhabited your brain a year ago...An alien helper to accompany you from here on out. (Ok, don't freak out, I am just joking.)
I think it's just that like-minded people tend to come together sometimes and that like-mindedness connects them somehow. You've been through a big change in life, physical and emotional and I think it has inspired a best-life ethos within, understandably too.
Life is finely balanced and whilst it's unpleasant to think of it ending, it is a fact that it will. That gives me some impetus to live a best life situation, to take ownership, show responsibility and to get after it as I don't know when it may end. It also helps me be the best version of myself when I'm with others, and alone. It's what we do when no one is watching that defines us. This also matters for how we think. (No one sees that aspect of us, our thinking, but how we think dictates how we act, and people do see that!
Thanks for replying. I appreciate it.
!ENGAGE 25