Sunshinegirl Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 I ask because I have had a few good bumps to my head. 1 or 2 that qualify as a TBI. A new Dr. I saw wants to test my human growth hormone levels. We need them long after we are done growing I guess. He has reason to suspect that the TBI's could have messed with this hormone production that has something to do with the workings of the nervous system. I don't know much about it but Im on a research binge.Do you know anything about how this works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenhz Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 I had a traumatic brain injury 6 years ago when a shovel handle snapped and hit me in the middle of my forehead. I have had cognitive and neurological problems since then. Over the years, I started to have POTS symptoms as well and I was finally diagnosed about 2 years ago. The neurologist I saw at the Mayo Clinic said that it is not at all unusual for someone with a brain injury to also develop POTS. I don't know of any connection to hormones - mine all checked out as fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshinegirl Posted April 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 I am sorry that you had such a terrible injury...trust me ...I know... It really changes your life in so many ways that do not show up as an "injury". It is a long lasting unseen injury that society does not readily acknowledge...Did you have your human growth hormone (HGH) tested specifically? If so, what were the results if you don't mind me asking? .. My injuries were not in the same location but top of the head and back. Neuro testing shows no frontal damage left or right. There could have be damage but it was still when my brain was growing because I was young... so they attribute my "unusual" compensatory strategies or my language "way of being" to using different parts of my brain that were still growing at that time. If you want to discuss neurological "rehab" in not so conventional manners... I have some good techniques I used as a kid, then as a teacher, then as a person who led a brain injury support group and therapy. Its not common sense per se but involves nothing more than movement and looking at the world differently. That's it. It gave me 90% of my brain back...and in some ways, in better fashion. Cant explain it, but my testing does.I am not apologetic about my internet safety...nothing personal... Hope you understand and also feel the care I have for fellow TBI sufferers, I don't interact with people in real life online...for obvious reasons... never will. If you have interest in my endeavors, I know of a private forum for TBI where we can interact over this particular subject and maintain anonymity....this is a public forum...so I am guarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenhz Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 No, I wasn't tested for Human Growth Hormone - I'm curious to know more about why that might be important.Yes, I would be very interested to hear more about your TBI rehab. There is so little that the medical professions have to offer for this. (I agree with you about internet anonymity.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emily Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 I too have had a TBI, as well as a hypoxic brain injury from severe complications following surgery. It was after that brain injury that my dysautonomia became severe and was diagnosed (after a couple years...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thought you all might find some interest in these:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1533-2500.2001.01004.x/abstract;jsessionid=62DF42243ECC2375D179B078691DF558.f04t01?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=falsehttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_medullary_syndrome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshinegirl Posted April 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Thanks for the articles. One does explain many symptoms, especially terrible and unrelenting hiccups as well as aspirating a lot. Yes, you are correct, there is very little in the form of rehab if your main symptoms are mostly neurological and do not include obvious problems with walking or talking. Now that there are many veterans coming back with shock or closed head injuries, there is much more going on in the area of research. More attention is being paid to the devastating impact of things that cause "micro" tears vs an obvious gash. Im not sure if these are able to be captured on imaging yet but at least they are being recognized. For unconventional rehab, I have learned to identify the areas of deficit and use other areas of my brain to accomplish a task. Im my case, I have a hard time with visual spatial processing especially if there is movement. Using a colored film on a computer scree is useful. I don't have a problem with decoding or seeing things per se. I learned to focus on parts rather than the whole in many cases. I get lost a lot so I focus on land marks and the perception of passed time to find my way around. I don't rely heavily on my GPS or I would be lost all the time without it. When I could not read and had to learn again, I turned the book upside down and read backwards. This seemed to use a different part of my brain. This also required a different attention to detail. My eyes did not jump around the page so much and I could comprehend what I read. I also ended up writing backwards for many years and use my least dominant hand. This used the other side of my brain and now that I was writing backward all the time, none of my letters were wrong. Eventually, I moved to writing forward but still use a pencil, so I can erase backwards letters. Math on paper does not work for me but I learned to move the numbers around in my head. I habitually categorize things by similarity and learned to make interesting associations in order to get some kind of a memory back. I also limit the amount of environmental stimulation by different means. I could write a book about this! Maybe I should! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenhz Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 It sounds like you have been able to come up with some novel ways to get your brain working again. Neuroplasticity is a wonderful thing if you can figure out how to develop new pathways. You seemed to have been able to master this using your own expertise of what is right for you. A book might not be a bad idea - I haven't been able to find many that were helpful. I was having visual-spatial problems too (I kept getting lost driving around town) until I stopped trying to think about what I was doing. If I just relaxed and let my natural sense of direction take over, I did much better. I think it is a left-brain; right brain thing. I may try experimenting with some of your reading ideas. It is still a problem for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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