A few weeks ago I started to feel like I was going a little crazy. One too many "aren't you better yet?" inquiries and I was afraid that perhaps I had turned into a Sally. But deep down I knew that if I could be working full time, I would be. And if I could work out, I would be. But WHY wasn't I healed yet? And OMG, will I ever feel like "me" again. I honestly think that has been the scariest part.
Then a friend who has been reading my blog offered to introduce me to a friend of his that had recently suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury). He thought it might be helpful to talk to someone who had been though it. I am sure he has no idea of the magnitude of that gesture.
It was a turning point for me. A fellow active female who had been sidelined for almost 6 months by a concussion. Finally, someone who truly understood how I felt. Who "got" it. That although I look fine, my head was foggy, and just not right. That the slightest overexertion creates a cascade of symptoms which had me running (not literally) for my bed. To have someone say "I have been where you are and you will get better. You will feel like yourself again. I promise." That was huge. Someone who has walked a mile in my shoes and through sharing her experiences was able to comfort me and allow me to surrender even more fully to the healing process. Gave me permission to acknowledge how bad I still felt and encouraged me to do what I needed to do to take care of myself. I still have not met her...we have only emailed. But I am so grateful to her.
I imagine for any of us...to know we are not alone...in our experiences, in our fears and insecurities. And to hear from someone who is older, or further along in the process, that there is hope and there is healing. I feel that is an invaluable gift. One that we can all give and receive at different points in our lives.
Then a friend who has been reading my blog offered to introduce me to a friend of his that had recently suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury). He thought it might be helpful to talk to someone who had been though it. I am sure he has no idea of the magnitude of that gesture.
It was a turning point for me. A fellow active female who had been sidelined for almost 6 months by a concussion. Finally, someone who truly understood how I felt. Who "got" it. That although I look fine, my head was foggy, and just not right. That the slightest overexertion creates a cascade of symptoms which had me running (not literally) for my bed. To have someone say "I have been where you are and you will get better. You will feel like yourself again. I promise." That was huge. Someone who has walked a mile in my shoes and through sharing her experiences was able to comfort me and allow me to surrender even more fully to the healing process. Gave me permission to acknowledge how bad I still felt and encouraged me to do what I needed to do to take care of myself. I still have not met her...we have only emailed. But I am so grateful to her.
I imagine for any of us...to know we are not alone...in our experiences, in our fears and insecurities. And to hear from someone who is older, or further along in the process, that there is hope and there is healing. I feel that is an invaluable gift. One that we can all give and receive at different points in our lives.
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