Monday, May 4, 2009

My Life with TBI

My Life with Traumatic Brain Injury, ‘TBI’

By Bob Lindstrom

And some insights that may help others

I became aware of the term “TBI” a little more than a year ago, as I was reading an article in “American Legion” magazine, about the GI’s in Iraq coming back with brain injuries. And that it affects as many as 70% of the ones who come back injured. They have a big task ahead of them as they not only adjust to life back here but they also have a huge task learning about the changes they will deal with as they adjust to their “new” brain.

As I read the article I became aware that the head injury I received in 1961 is now called Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I was in Germany, in the ARMY, and I fell asleep at the wheel in my car and wrecked it. The MGA flipped and since the top was down, both my passenger and I were thrown out of the car, which landed on its top in a field. Bob was ejected into the newly plowed field and received only a scratch on his forehead. I was thrown onto the pavement and landed on the left side of my head. Some friends of ours were behind us, returning from guard duty at one of our outposts, and came upon us very shortly after the crash. They found us and gave us aid and took us to the base where we were transported to the hospital. Bob, was released immediately from the hospital and was fine. Bob told me that after the crash I came and found him in the field and asked if he was all right and when he assured me he was fine, I collapsed next to him in the field. That's where I was when our friends arrived and I was unconscious. I was out for about 13 hours, and suffered concussion and a fractured skull, according to the doctor who attended me. I stayed in the hospital for several days, I’m not sure how many. That was in February and I was not allowed to work for a month or so because of the nature of our work.

In April, three friends and I took leave and went to Italy for 3 weeks and I was still in a semi fog. Then when we were heading from Venice to Florence we were going over a mountain and all of a sudden there was a pop in my head and everything seemed to clear up. I figured that I was totally healed and was fine from then on, or at least that’s what I thought.

I was released from the ARMY the following August and returned home to the ‘States’. I began college and noticed I was having some problems with my math class, and emotional problems that I couldn’t see any reason for. I dropped out of school and got a job but the ‘problems’ became some severe depressions and I began to do some very heavy drinking. At one point I attempted suicide but through a fluke was rescued. So, I moved back home and got another job.

A while later I went to another college and again pursued a degree in math and physics. I could not do the work! What was wrong? I had been great at math and science , making straight ‘A’s in all those courses in high school. In the ARMY I was a Spec 5, working in a very technical field. Why couldn’t I comprehend what was going on in the classes at the university? That led me back to the road of heavy drinking and depression. I thought I was a failure and, indeed, I flunked out of college.

I went back to work and eventually got better jobs but kept drinking. I never missed work and ended up with a large corporation as a salesman and was very successful, making the 100% Club 3 years running. Then it all collapsed. I left the company and finally got some temporary work to cover my expenses. Also during this time I had two failed marriages.

It had been about eleven years since I had gotten out of the ARMY and I decided to give college another try. I went to the local community college and got some testing and counseling. There we discovered that I truly was not suited to be a physics major and that I might do well in psychology. When I told him about my success in those fields in the past he and I decided we might check it out. I was able to get the results of some testing I had done in high school and we were able to document the changes. Since we knew that the left side of the brain is involved in the kind of work required by logical analysis required for math and physics we surmised that maybe that might be related to the problem

I knew by then that many companies didn’t really care what your degree is in, they only want to to see that you had one. Since they had reinstated the GI Bill for us, I could afford collage with a part time job, so I went for it as a Psychology major. I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Psychology, in 1975 and a Master of Education degree in Counseling in 1976

By overloading my schedule, I completed my Bachelor's degree in 3 years and my Master’s 15 months later. And here is the best part. while working on my Master’s Degree and doing research for a paper a friend my mine and I later published, I discovered an article about injuries to the left side of the head. I made a copy of it and took it to my Dad, who verified that it applied directly to me. The article pointed out the personality changes that brian injuries often cause and with left brain injuries how you may lose some abilities, like doing logical operations, like math and physics. I later confirmed this with my twin sister and she agreed that the personality change was obvious right away. The loss of the abilities weren’t obvious and everyone thought I probably wasn’t really working hard enough.


That was the first major break through for me. That was in 1976. I went on to become a teacher, working the last half of my career with kids who were expelled or sent to special schools by the legal system. I retired from teaching in November, 2006.

The article in the American Legion Magazine brought all this to light again and gave me more information. The young men and women returning with brain injuries have a great deal to learn about the changes they will be going through. My injury was relatively minor compared to many of them. But the effect on my life, as I lived through those 11 years, was huge.

Now, I understand that my trauma may not have been as severe as theirs and many have additional injuries. But regardless of the degree of the injury some good can be found. They must be in the present and be aware that the world is full of opportunities. For me the good news is that after I gained some insight into what was at work ( or wasn’t ) in my brain and my life, I can look back and feel very good about the changes that happened. I have had a very rewarding career and was able to positively change some lives as a teacher, counselor, and mentor. I regret nothing that happened to me because, as it closed some doors in my life, it opened others that have been wonderful.

I have reached a point where I believe that the accident, wasn’t bad for me, but just changed my direction. It was a purposeful incident that changed the direction of my life, and directed me to become the educator, counselor, and giver that I have become. And it is presently guiding me to be involved in working with people with TBI, and become an entrepreneur who is creating a foundation that will provide educational opportunities for people who would not normally have them available.

Later I will add some recent discoveries I made about this injury.

Bob Lindstrom, 3/4/09

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the comment on my blog. I enjoyed reading your site. I see you have some journey's as well. I to suffer with depression, I was a drug addict before my accident, but there are days I wonder I got clean & sober. I have another blog http://davidsjourneytoironman.blogspot.com/ That focus's more on my road to Ironman. The http://temporallobeblog.blogspot.com/ is more a "day in the live of" kind of approach.

I face some simular challenges in the education feeld. I tried to go back to school twice and failed both times. $16,000.00 of student loan debt later, the inability to find a full time job. Well I try to stay positive, but some day's are harder than others. I am very happy you found something to succeed at, that provided you with a sense of self. I find myself sitting in a no man's land of not being disabled enough to require full time care, but no healthy enough to even work more than part time.

I look forward to reading more of your blog.

Dave