My Traumatic Brain Injury after a Deer hit my motorcycle
Hi my name is Jennifer but everybody calls me Jen. I don’t know the last time besides a doctor’s office called I was called Jennifer. I’m an easy going person. I want to help people have an easier time remembering my name and let them know we are friends that can talk anytime they need someone to talk to. Now probably for the important stuff. I don’t know what happened only what my parents,doctors,and therapists have told me because I have no memory of what happened. They say it is my brain protecting me but I think it is my brain way of playing tricks on me. I had a severe traumatic brain injury June 20,2010. I would have never been doing what I was doing if we had not did something the week before. But we had done this lots of times and nothing happened before so I was not thinking about getting hurt. My parents and me had won tickets to go to the opening game of the Scrappers season. We rode our motorcycles to the game like we always did. Everything was ok at least on the way to the game. I don’t remember how the game went or who won. My injury happened on the ride home. I was driving my motorcycle behind my dad’s motorcycle with him and my mom on it. I don’t remember the ride there or back but I was told when we were near the West Middlesex volunteer fire department building. That’s when I had my accident happened. My dad said he noticed a deer by the side of the road and drove past it not really thinking about it until he looked in his mirror and my mom looked back and I was no longer behind them or anywhere they could see. So they turned around going back to where he saw that deer. When they got there they found me on the road. I flew off the motorcycle and the motorcycle was on the ground spilling gas and spinning around. The deer was no where to be found. All I can do is hope it died because of what it did to me. I don’t know who called for help my parents or the car that came after my parents came back to find me. I hate and feel guilty about my parents having to find me there on the road dying in front them. How much pain did I make them suffer seeing that. All I can say to help me feel somewhat better is that this accident happened within seconds in time a couple seconds earlier and my parents would have hit the deer. My doctors said my age helped me survive. Though I had a lot of injuries that changed my life forever. Looking at my injury that way I would not change a thing because I would take a harder life over not having my parents. Not everyone can say they have saved someone’s life even if that means the life they had before was gone and their life would never be the same not being abled to do things everyone else takes for granted driving, kids, marriage, and working. That’s what caused my severe traumatic brain injury. Now here is a list of injuries and other problems I had. Thanks to my parents, doctors, and ReMed I have this in a book they made as my Resource Book to take with me to doctor’s appointments so I have everything in one place. All my injuries, illnesses, surgeries, medications, doctors where they are and why I see them, pharmacies, and therapy information under each type (Occupational, Physical, Psychological), and I can add to it as I get more. It is definitely a big help and my go to book. Jennifer Peak Medical History Deficits/Illnesses/Issues Attention Deficit Disorder (treated using Adderall), 3 Bulging Discs in lower back located in the lower 3 lumbar part of the spine (treated by using heat and ice, pain medication, Physical Therapy, and tens unit) Clonus in both feet left foot the worse 24 hours/ 7 days a week causes my left foot to be numb, in pain, and pins and needles, and shake Cognitive problems problem (treated by using cell phone) 1. Alarms 2. Apps 3. Calendar Scheduling (on computer, dry erase board, phone, and tablet all synced with Google account) 4. Memos A. to remember health issues or questions for next doctor appointment I write memos on my phone for each of doctor’s names and sort them under a folder with their names. Color code their appointments on my calendar so I know which doctor appointment coming up. This helps me remember questions I want to ask them at my next appointment and I know what doctor I need to ask. Also I remember the1st time I noticed the problem because I probably will not remember, Because I have trouble remembering things the next day or even minutes later. I really think I just need more time to come up with a better system. The biggest issue is I have a lot of trouble remembering where I put things. Sometimes I end up reordering something because I lost them. Especially when I have a doctor’s appointment depending on how often I see the doctor if I am in a hurry to leave my anxiety goes up just to calm down I grab whatever I see and rush out the door ending up with either stuff I do not need or stuff I forgot. I try hard to keep things organized and neat based on what they have in common that is a good thing or a bad thing because of my OCD. My anxiety flares up when it comes to grouping things I have a lot of trouble picking just one group because some doctors overlap since I have multiple eye doctors and my neuro physiatrist refers me to all my other doctors so I do not know if I should ask him first or the doctor treating me for the problem. I try to keep all my things for each doctor in a backpack because every time I get new knee braces I get 2 new backpacks the good thing about that is I get new knee braces every year so 2 backpacks every year. Unfortunately I still do not have enough backpacks for each doctor and I seem to get new doctors every year too. The problem with that is I need to take things out of my backpack to put things in for a different doctor. Based on what happens at that appointment I might keep those things in the backpack making me misplace the other doctor’s items the next time I see that doctor. I wish I could find a better system but until then I will keep using this one. It is crazy that I have OCD but at the same time I am disorganized and jumbled. I really think I just need more time to come up with a better system. The biggest issue is I have a lot of trouble remembering where I put things. Sometimes I end up reordering something because I lost them. B. gift ideas for everyone and everything, C. Shopping lists To help with my routine schedule I schedule shopping on Tuesday mainly because it is near my therapist’s office and I go there every Tuesday. On Monday I will write a memo of my shopping list so I know what I need. I also like Wal-Mart because I can get my groceries and anything else (clothes, shoes, etc) this helps a lot I don’t have to go to multiple stores to get things I need and they match price the best thing about going to Wal-Mart is the whole idea of shopping is the worst thing I could ever think of making my anxiety ramps my therapist thinks I should get a therapy/service dog to help me with my many problems especially this problem. a. I want to ge0t out of there as soon as I get in there because of all the noise (kids drive me crazy especially crying ones giving me a headache), the lights, all the people (I feel like the walls and people are closing in on me and tripping over me because there are so many of them). b. I try to avoid the freezer or cold sections it bothers me I always try to have gloves on to avoid touching cold things with my bare hands I usually have my mom do that part of the shopping. c. I start to sweat, get jittery, swaying and rocking back and forth from foot to foot to calm, soothing, and relax me. d. Standing in line bothers me a lot being stuck so close together I really hate when some people have the need to have their shopping cart almost touching you and they reach over you for the divider for their items I usually put it behind my items to avoid that, they always seem to bump into you it drives me crazy, I feel like the walls are closing in on me invading my personal bubble I feel like I’m going to faint, and I have to get out of line and stand in the space in front of the checkouts luckily my mom keep my space in line when it’s my turn I can stand in the front of the cart away from the crowd. e. I think all the people are looking at me. Somehow they know I’m not normal. Because of field cuts I walk into things and people, to try calm down and relax I rock back and forth, I drag my leg and walk weird). f. All the walking you have to do hurts my back and legs. I always need to sit down for awhile to be able to finish shopping. The nice thing about Wal-Mart is they have places where you can sit all over the store even if I just took my pain medication I end up in more pain than I was going in D. as part of a scheduled routine I use apps and games to work on my concentration, focus, and memory A routine schedule is really important. I make sure to have it on my cell phone but I still have it on the dry erase calendar hanging in my room. I use this visual aid to let me look at the day before so I can get things ready for the next day. Before I leave my room I look at that week’s schedule on my door so I do not get confused or anxiety looking at the whole calendar. It is a great last reminder of what I am doing that day. I will know what I need to do that to make sure I do not forget anything I need to bring with me to do those things. But I always seem to forget something. My biggest problem is when there is a change in my usual schedule. My cell phone schedule is very important because I respond better to auditory cues better. It will sound off displaying what I should be doing and if I have to be somewhere. It cues me to take my pills with an alarm and will display what pills or it will display my calendar telling me what activity or appointment I need to do it may also sound again letting me know when to leave, if I have something I need to do on my way there, or when I should be there. The extra visual cue to my auditory cue is one more step to make sure things get done and done the right way. Medical Injuries Cold intolerance from a Hypothalamus injury (treated by wearing layers, gradual exposure). Hypothalamus Injury Low body temperature usually around 95 degrees so 98.6 degree temperature is considered a fever. Hypothalamus Injury Low body temperature usually around 95 degrees so 98.6 degree temperature is considered a fever. Collapsed Lung and partially collapsed Lung. (treated using ventilator and tracheotomy) Degenerative Disc Disease (treated with pain medication and physical therapy) Facial Numbness on the left side of my lip caused by nerve damage when lower jaw was broken where they wired my jaw and put in 3 plates Flashing lights, fireworks, sensitivity to light, strobe lights/ certain lights (color or pattern) on TV like musical contests. Music videos or other shows cause seizures (treated avoiding them and medication) Unfortunately every 2 years my seizures come back so I need to go to the doctor. It is something I will always have to deal with from the injury. When I go there I am evaluated and my medication levels checked because my medication is not usually changed as long as my seizures are under control so my body gets used to them and stops working because my levels are low or does not last as long causing a seizure. After they get my levels and know what is going on they adjust my medication so my seizures are controlled and I do not have to worry as much because they go away or are not happening as often. Hypersalivation caused from broken jaw makes swallowing difficult and drooling problems Knee problems (treated by having braces on both knees) Because of hyperextension, knee tilt, medial lateral instability, Bilateral Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (knees does not track in knee track instead tracks outwards, and left knee does not bend because of disconnect between leg and brain), Chondromalacia of both patellae, Chronic pain of both knees, Stiffness of both knees, Acute medial meniscus tear of right knee (treated by having knee surgery) Lack of motivation and initiation Left-Sided Hemiparesis Mental Health Diagnosis: Diagnostic Impression Axis I Code 296.32 Major depression disorder, recurrent episode, Moderate Date Diagnosis 2/3/2015 Code: XXX.1 Medical Condition Comment Traumatic Brain Injury Date diagnosed 4/7/2015 Code: XXX.11 Level of Functioning Comment lives with family, difficulty with ADL’s ADLs Walking (braces, pain medication., physical therapy, and shots), Bathing (need chair when I shower to sit to help with back pain and have problems with balance normally but the water and soap makes it really dangerous for me I could fall, use grab bars for extra safety to again avoid falling, I use shower head on hose so I can wash off easier when sitting, I do not get baths anymore because of my back, weakness in my arms, back, hand, feet, and legs. Also have tried to take a bath to help my back unfortunately when I tried to get out but I could not. It was one of many embarrassing things since my accident. My parents do not allow me to lock the bathroom door anymore in case I fall (which I have) or just in case something else like getting my back giving out so I could not move. My parents came in and got me out of the bathtub. Dressing I need to sit when I get dressed and need help picking clothes out so they fit the weather. My mom also does my laundry since I have problems going up and down stairs, I have trouble gripping it, I have just doing trouble doing it, and it’s too heavy. My mom does bring the clothes up after they are washed and dried. I will fold my clothes as type of chore to do to feel like I have helped and she doesn’t do all the work while I do nothing like a child. Another chore I have is to unlock the door when we come home. It took a long time before I got good with that I lost a few keys because I onlu have one key since I don’t drive. The only way I was able to do it was my parents made me pay for the key to be made after I lost so many and I got a keychain that goes around my neck. I still had issues misplacing it when I got a shower. But I made a place for it so if it’s not around my neck I know where it is. As a final chore I have to lock the porch door and front door before bed. I just started doing that and forget to do it most of the time. If feel bad when I forget to do it one more example of my memory. Sometimes I’ll remember after I go to bed and will go out to lock them but my mom has them locked already. I get angry I don’t think she believes in me or she knew I wouldn’t remember she double checks to see if I locked them and if not she does. I wish I could be more dependable. Toileting Usually use the handicapped restroom when out because I need the room my braces get stuck on the door when I went to Bob Evan’s almost had to call my mom to help me get out of the stall because my braces got stuck on the door and I was falling over the toilet. The other bonus of the handicap having more room it has grab bars so I can get up and don’t fall the normal toilets are too low and I have trouble falling. Also need to take medication for issues .Eating Because I broke my jaw and needed to get plates in my lower jaw and the right side of my jaw and condyle needed to be replaced I can only eat soft foods, have to cut most foods to eat, and can’t eat anything chewy ,crunchy, hard, and sticky. IADLs Cooking I don’t cook I either eat yogurt, Boost/Ensure, fruit, things that don’t need cooked or can be cooked in the microwave. I forgot to put the timer, get distracted, burn things in the oven/stove, or I forget that whatever I cook is going to be hot and needs a pot holder or glove I end up burning myself so my mom cooks my meals, Driving Because of my judgment, reasoning, traumatic brain injury, and vision problems I can’t drive so my parents take me anywhere I need to go. Shopping My mom helps me create a shopping list, goes into the cold section for me, and sometimes goes to the store for me when I forget to get something until the next time I go or if I’m sick. Finances My mom helps me by helping me keep track of my bank account, holding my wallet keeping track of my debit card, credit cards, id, insurance cards, and money because I have lost money lots of times and trouble remembering where I put it she can put it in her purse so she has it all the time), and remind me to pay my bills. Medication I’m on a lot of medications and take pills 7 times a day. My mom helps me with my medication. Even though I have alarms that tells me when I need to take them my mom makes up the pill containers for each day and holds the pill bottles so they don’t get mixed up or lost. It helps me a lot it is hard for me to do because it’s hard for me to grip them since they are so small. Primary: Date Diagnosed: 2/29/2016 Cod: 293.83 Depressive disorder due to another medical condition ICD10 DX Code: F33.1 Major depressive disorder, Recurrent episode, Moderate Primary: Date Diagnosed: 9/10/2015 Code: F06.34 Depressive disorder due to another medical condition, mixed features Comments: Traumatic Brain Injury; lives at home with parents; difficulty with ADL’s Date Diagnosed 9/10/2015 Code F06.34 Migraine (treated with BOTOX) Muscle Spasticity throughout the body is (treated with BOTOX). Chemo denervation Muscle Neck Unilateral for Dystonia (treated with BOTOX) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Osteoarthritis Rapid Heart Rate (caused from Ritalin) Road rash on face and knee (have a piece of asphalt by nose and scar on right knee the changes color based on temperature outside) Sleep Apnea (treated using CPAP machine) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Tangent-like/ Verbose Talking I tend to go off on tangents and overly explain things. Central Brain Vertigo, Vertigo Migraine Associated and BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) (treated using medication and Epley Maneuver) Vision problems: Convergence (treated by doing Brock’s String exercise),Cornea Ulcer, Double vision (treated using prisms lenses), field cuts (treated by using scanning), Mydriasis, Nystagmus (treated by using the Epley maneuver).Occipital neuralgia (treated with Botox), Optic nerve thinning, Photophobia (treated by using baseball cap brims to block lights when in offices, stores, or any inside lights that I can’t turn off, room darkening curtains, transition lenses and filters in eyeglasses to block outside lights, and turning off lights in the house) caused by Mydriasis problem, trouble reading (treated using yellow filter and ruler helps making the pages not so bright and I do not skip or miss lines, also read short burst to make it easier to remember and take notes), etc. Surgeries When I was young had a baby tooth removed. I needed a root canal and braces in a baseball accident. I also had to stitches in lower leg in a bicycle accident. June 30, 2010 Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG tube), tracheotomy, Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC line), 3 plates in lower jaw, and jaw wired shut July 14.2010 Wires removed October 11, 2010 Arch Bars Removed Unsure when Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG tube), tracheotomy, Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC line) where removed June 10, 2011 Arthoplasty, Condylectomy, Coronoidectomy, and Total TMJ Replacement with implant were preformed to help with opening my mouth because it was only opening ½ millimeter so I was on a liquid diet and it was beyond therapy help. July 4, 2012 1st and 2nd Bicuspids were damaged in the accident and all 4 Wisdom teeth removed had to be put to sleep by oral surgeon Injuries When I was young I was hit by a baseball in the mouth. I needed a root canal on both front teeth and needed braces to put them back where they belong. While I was healing and my teeth were getting stronger I was on a liquid diet. After they were healed the braces were removed. When I was young I wrecked my bicycle while racing a friend. I lost control of my bicycle causing me to run into a tree. The pedal on my bicycle broke going through my lower right leg above my shoe. Not really thinking just freaked out I pulled it out of my leg then walked my bicycle home. I asked my mom for a band-aid to put pm it to stop bleeding. She asked what I needed the band-aid for trying to avoid getting in trouble I said it was just a cut. She asked to look at before she would give me it. Seeing that it had ripped my sock and hearing what happened she said I had to go to the emergency room which turned out to be a good idea. It was within millimeters of being broke but ended up only needing stitches. June 20, 2010 I was in a motorcycle accident. I suffered a traumatic brain injury consisting of 3 brain bleeds on both sides of my brain, injury 1. Right Basal Ganglia Parenchymal Hemorrhage, 2. Right Convexity Subdural and subtle Subarachnoid Hemorrhage 3. Scattered Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (most notably within the Interpeduncular Cistern as well within the Sulci along Vortex) Injury to my hypothalamus causing cold intolerance, swelling, and was in a coma. While in a coma I was on a ventilator to help me breath because I had 1 collapsed lung and the other was partially collapsed. When I was stable they preformed numerous surgeries a PEG tube, PICC line, Tracheotomy, 3 plates were put in my lower jaw and it was wired shut because my jaw was broken so bad my face was basically hanging off. Unfortunately because of incorrect healing due to incorrect treatment from my 1st oral surgeon I needed a 2nd jaw surgery a year later to help with eating so I could have a normal diet instead of a liquid diet and the PEG Tube could be removed, opening, and talking it also resulted in sleep apnea (treated by using a CPAP machine). I was still in a coma after the 1st set of surgeries. When I woke up the PEG tube had to be put back in I had pulled it out because it was bothering me the new PEG tube had a golf ball like ball on the end to prevent me from pulling it out again because I needed it to eat since my jaw was wired shut. I could not get enough nutrients with the liquid diet. Besides the PEG tube issue when I woke up I had a problem with my left hand. When they would ask me to write something I could not hold a pencil in my hand I kept complaining something was wrong but they blamed it on the hemiparesis I have on the left side which was a big adjustment for me because prior to the accident I was left side dominant. To try and prove there was nothing wrong with my hand but not telling me they believed I was paralyzed on the left side they took X-Rays of my left hand. The 1st time they took the X-Rays they could not tell what was going on because my hand kept moving out of position. They took a 2nd set of X-Rays to see what was going on but this time they taped my hand down on the X-Ray slides to prevent my hand from moving. When they looked at the X-Rays they found I had a left hand Boxer’s fracture. To help it heal they put a cast on my left hand with a cast on my left hand I soon had to learn to write using my right hand so they could continue with my therapy. Later when the cast was removed I could start occupational therapy. Doing that I found out the permanent effects of the TBI was left side hemiparesis. Since they only discovered the Boxer’s fracture when I woke up because saving my life was more important than that when my hand was healing they took X-Rays to see if they could take off the cast the X-Rays showed the original bone that connected the pinky finger to the hand did not reconnect a new bone grew the body’s way of healing itself causing a bone spur but overtime it has gotten not as bony and sharp it has smoothed out. With my jaw wired shut and a tracheotomy I had to wait until I got a Passy-Muir Valve to start speech therapy I kind of had to talk like a ventriloquist because my jaw did not open. I suffered multiple facial injuries besides the broken jaw from Road Rash I needed stitches above my eyebrow they got most of the asphalt out except a piece by my nose that is a silver patch. I have a road rash scar on my right knee that changes colors based on the temperature outside. My left knee needs a brace due to a disconnection from the brain it does not bend so it reminds it to bend both my knees need braces to prevent hyperextension, they track outwards, medial lateral instability, Patellofemoral Syndrome. I tried Euflexxa shots in my knees for the Patellofemoral Syndrome to see if it would help lubricate the knee track so my knee cap would not tilt outward and would track correctly but it did not work. I have 3 bulging discs and degenerative discs disorder. I had many other injuries according to my doctors and mom this is just a short summary of what happened when a deer decided to run out in front of my motorcycle and tried to kill me. In 2014 and 2016 I strained my right Achilles and needed to be in a boot for months I am still having problems a year later. In 2016 my right shoulder was sprained and needed to be in a sling for months. July 27, 2017 fell in shower injured back and legs
