Propagated from the Ashes by Kristin Topping

Author:Kristin Topping
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Golden Brick Road Publishing House
Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

5

The Mourning After

Based on the directionality of my injury, it is classed as a “coup-contrecoup.”39 This basically means that the focal point of my brain injury is two-fold. First, directly at the point of impact and also on the direct opposite side of my brain. During my accident, my brain first went forward in my skull when the roller coaster abruptly stopped, and then almost immediately slammed backwards due to an inertial effect. Because of this, I have multiple areas of my brain that are likely damaged. I say “likely” because, again, nothing showed up on the imagery that was carried out by my medical team. Multiple members of my post-concussion care team have postulated that I have injuries in my frontal lobe area as well as the amygdala; the amygdala is the primary emotional center of your brain. The combination of these focal points of damage have contributed to difficulties processing emotions (particularly anxiety, fear, and aggression), retrieving memories, and decision-making.40

It definitely wasn’t the post-concussion physical changes that I found the most difficult to adapt to; I’d been physically injured before and can adjust my level and type of activity to accommodate. The hardest effects to handle have been, and still are, the lingering symptoms associated with executive dysfunction and loss of cognitive control. The term “executive function” is an umbrella term for the higher-level skills that a person uses to control their behaviors and general cognitive processing. In a nutshell, it is how you manage yourself in order to achieve a goal. Executive dysfunction often occurs following injury to the frontal lobe.41

The primary effects of executive dysfunction that I experienced following my mTBI in 2016 were:

Difficulties in initiating, organizing, and carrying out regular day-to-day activities;

An inability to think flexibly in decision-making and conversation;

Poor problem-solving skills;

An increase in impulsivity (i.e. not thinking about the consequences of my actions);

Mood disturbances;

Difficulties in social situations; and

Difficulties with memory, concentration, and attention.

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